Thank you for the helmets you gave us. I do sometimes wear it. You did a great thing because I fell off my bike yesterday. But good thing I had my helmet on or I could have been in big trouble.
That’s just one of the thank you letters from South Elementary School, a sentiment expressed by many students with notes and drawings to Illinois College, in thanks for helmets being distributed to every fourth grader in Jacksonville.
The Jacksonville Park Foundation and Passavant Area Hospital partnered with Illinois College Professor Dr. Jeremy Turner to Protect the Melon! The campaign encourages youth to wear a helmet when biking, roller skating, riding a scooter, skateboarding or any other “wheeled” activity.
Dr. Turner’s psychology students applied what they have been learning in class as they visited all District 117 schools recently to give away helmets.
“This is the one thing my psychology students remember at the end at the end of the year, more than anything else I talk about,” said Dr. Turner. His students have been learning about early childhood brain development, and through the helmet give-away they not only get to see their studies in action but also interact with kids. “Some of these folks are going to be teachers, and this reinforces the importance of what they want to do.”
Illinois College psychology students have been presenting the brain awareness program and giving away bicycle helmets to fourth graders at Lincoln Elementary for a number of years. Jacksonville Park Foundation founding board member Harry Ford had the idea to expand the program to all the schools in the community. Passavant has agreed to provide proceeds from the May 31 Passavant-Powerade 5K and 10K Race to provide helmets for all 350-plus fourth graders in Jacksonville public and private schools.
Illinois College students visited the schools to give a lesson on how the brain works, show how a melon with and without a helmet fares when hitting the pavement, and distribute the helmets. Distribution to Our Saviour School, Salem Lutheran School, Westfair Christian Academy, Illinois School for the Deaf and home-schooled children will be later this month. The Jacksonville Park Foundation is working with the Pilot Club and others in the community to fund the program for future years. Contact Foundation President Steve Warmowski 245-4178 or visit jacksonvilleparkfoundation.com to help.
“It only takes one kid falling off a bike and not having to go to the hospital to pay for the entire program,” said Dr. Turner. “There’s nothing more valuable than taking time to preserve the brain of a little child.”
Links, tips and information on being a Melonhead at www.ic.edu/melonhead.
Thank you for the helmets you gave us. I do sometimes wear it. You did a great thing because I fell off my bike yesterday. But good thing I had my helmet on or I could have been in big trouble. That’s just one of the thank you letters from South Elementary School, a sentiment expressed by many students with notes and drawings to Illinois College, in thanks for helmets being distributed to every fourth grader in Jacksonville. The Jacksonville Park Foundation and Passavant Area Hospital partnered with Illinois College Professor Dr. Jeremy Turner to Protect the Melon! The campaign encourages youth to wear a helmet when biking, roller skating, riding a scooter, skateboarding or any other "wheeled" activity. Dr. Turner’s psychology students applied what they have been learning in class as they visited all District 117 schools recently to give away helmets. “This is the one thing my psychology students remember at the end at the end of the year, more than anything else I talk about,” said Dr. Turner. His students have been learning about early childhood brain development, and through the helmet give-away they not only get to see their studies in action but also interact with kids. “Some of these folks are going to be teachers, and this reinforces the importance of what they want to do.” Illinois College psychology students have been presenting the brain awareness program and giving away bicycle helmets
to fourth graders at Lincoln Elementary for a number of years. Jacksonville Park Foundation founding board member Harry Ford had the idea to expand the program to all the schools in the community. Passavant has agreed to provide proceeds from the May 31 Passavant-Powerade 5K and 10K Race to provide helmets for all 350-plus fourth graders in Jacksonville public and private schools. Illinois College students visited the schools to give a lesson on how the brain works, show how a melon with and without a helmet fares when hitting the pavement, and distribute the helmets. Distribution to Our Saviour School, Salem Lutheran School, Westfair Christian Academy, Illinois School for the Deaf and home-schooled children will be later this month. The Jacksonville Park Foundation is working with the Pilot Club and others in the community to fund the program for future years. Contact Foundation President Steve Warmowski 245-4178 or visit jacksonvilleparkfoundation.com to help. “It only takes one kid falling off a bike and not having to go to the hospital to pay for the entire program,” said Dr. Turner. “There’s nothing more valuable than taking time to preserve the brain of a little child.” Links, tips and information on being a Melonhead at www.ic.edu/melonhead.
Photo package In DropBox folder melon. IDs and captions in file info of images. TheSource Dropbox
Sidebar Passavant-Powerade 5K and 10K Saturday, May 31, beginning at 7:30 a.m. at the Westgate entrance to Passavant.
Register at passavanthospital.com Facebook for all the latest Passavant-Powerade Race news.
Event sponsored in part by The Source Advance entry fee is $20 per person, Race day $25.
Shirts are guaranteed if pre-registered by noon, May 19. Entry fee includes a technical
running shirt, post-race refreshments, and more. Proceeds go to Protect the Melon!
campaign which provides a bicycle helmet and a brain safety presentation to all fourth grade students in Jacksonville. www.ic.edu/melonhead.
Sidebar
Passavant-Powerade 5K and 10K
Saturday, May 31, beginning at 7:30 a.m. at the Westgate entrance to Passavant.
Register at passavanthospital.com
Facebook for all the latest Passavant-Powerade Race news.
Event sponsored in part by The Source
Advance entry fee is $20 per person, Race day $25. Shirts are guaranteed if pre-registered by noon, May 19. Entry fee includes a technical running shirt, post-race refreshments, and more.
Proceeds go to Protect the Melon! campaign which provides a bicycle helmet and a brain safety presentation to all fourth grade students in Jacksonville.
