Boston Lawyers Donate Bicycle Helmets to Youth Programs

BOSTON, May 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Breakstone, White & Gluck, P.C., a Boston personal injury law firm, announced today that it is donating 750 bicycle helmets to children in the Boston area this spring and summer.

David W. White, a member of the firm, said, "We are always looking for ways to give back to the community. This spring we are focusing on preventing head injuries in children by donating helmets where they are needed."

Breakstone, White & Gluck is donating the free helmets through four programs: Mayor Menino's Boston Bikes Roll It Forward program; CYCLE Kids of Cambridge; the Winter Hill Community School in Somerville; and the Dedham Bike Rodeo.

In addition, the firm made an unrestricted donation to Bikes Not Bombs of Jamaica Plain to promote its youth cycling programs. The firm has also pledged to provide helmets as needed to support the Bikes Not Bombs programs this summer.

The community programs supported by Breakstone, White & Gluck serve children in unique ways.  The Boston Bikes Roll It Forward program partners with fifty sites throughout the city to distribute helmets and refurbished bikes to residents in need. Breakstone, White & Gluck participated in an early spring distribution at the Boston Housing Authority Development at Archdale in Roslindale on April 18^th. Bicycles and helmets were given to fifty six and seven-year olds.

"It's tremendously helpful to have the helmets and the support of Breakstone, White, and Gluck as we work to reach our goal of donating 700 helmets and bikes in 2013 to Boston residents," said Jenny Duquette, the program manager of Roll it Forward. 

CYCLE Kids distributed its 300 donated helmets to the public schools in the City of Cambridge on May 1, 2013. The CYCLE Kids curriculum is used in the fourth and fifth grades in Cambridge to teach bicycling skills and bicycling safety, as well as nutrition and health awareness.  CYCLE Kids donated the helmets to Cambridge as a thank you for all the city does to support the ongoing development of the curriculum. That program is now in four states reaching 1600 children each year and growing.

Julianne Idlet, the Founder and Executive Director of CYCLE Kids, said the helmets will replace all of the helmets currently used in the schools, which are now five years old or older.

The Winter Hill Community School will distribute a free helmet to any child in the school who needs one. In Dedham, the Dedham Police Department and the Dedham Parks and Recreation Department will give the free helmets to children at the annual summer bike rodeo in July.

Bikes Not Bombs promotes cycling among Boston youth through its Earn-A-Bike and other programs. Participants learn how to repair and maintain bicycles and how to ride safely in the city. At the end of the program, they quite literally earn a bike and take one home with them.

White said, "This is the first year of our project, and we look forward to expanding it significantly in years to come. Awareness of head injury prevention is critical for the health of our children. We hope that our helmet distribution will help increase safety awareness and prevent injuries."

Breakstone, White & Gluck was founded in 1992. The firm is recognized as a leading personal injury firm in Massachusetts. The firm promotes safety through education and has a special section on its website focused on cycling at www.bwglaw.com/bikes. 

SOURCE Breakstone, White & Gluck, P.C.