Fryeburg Helmet Program Needs Help!
Donation protected
Fryeburg Rescue is a private, non-profit organization that serves 5 towns in two states in about 230 square miles of rural Western Maine. After running occasional local bike helmet give-a-way programs over the years we found a new mission in 2014.
Our area hosts the Fryeburg Fair for 8 days every Fall which brings over 250,000 people to our little town. We decided it would be a great idea to offer a new, safe bike helmet to anyone who wanted one absolutely free and not limit it to just locals, but to everyone who came to the Fair. After funding most of the helmet cost the first year we found some people and businesses to help defray costs.
The hard work of running the booth, properly fitting the helmets, 12 hours a day for 8 days was very gratifying. More importantly it creates a circumstance for our communities, visitors, and Fryeburg Rescue of helping to prevent injury rather than treating it. Traumatic brain injury is devastating, it not only takes lives quickly, it can steal the quality of a life.
In the last three years we have given away almost 3,500 helmets to people from 19 different states, 4 Canadian Provinces, from as far away as Hawaii, but there is a problem. Each year we buy more helmets and each year we have run out of certain sizes before the Fair had ended. We realized to fill the need for more helmets we would need about $10,000 and that led us to look for a large, sustaining donor. We were approached by a strong, charitable organization last Winter and throughout the following months were assured the donation was coming. In late July, that donor regrettably informed us that they could not fund the program.
We need to raise at least $5000 by September 1, 2017 to get the helmets on time, and we're hoping to raise an additional $10,000 to ensure helmets for 2018. A donation of $10 buys about 2 helmets, $100 will buy 20...please help us with a donation in any amount, every helmet makes a difference. If we can get enough helmets we can properly size and fit a helmet to every head who needs one, no matter how young, old, local, or visitor.
Our area hosts the Fryeburg Fair for 8 days every Fall which brings over 250,000 people to our little town. We decided it would be a great idea to offer a new, safe bike helmet to anyone who wanted one absolutely free and not limit it to just locals, but to everyone who came to the Fair. After funding most of the helmet cost the first year we found some people and businesses to help defray costs.
The hard work of running the booth, properly fitting the helmets, 12 hours a day for 8 days was very gratifying. More importantly it creates a circumstance for our communities, visitors, and Fryeburg Rescue of helping to prevent injury rather than treating it. Traumatic brain injury is devastating, it not only takes lives quickly, it can steal the quality of a life.
In the last three years we have given away almost 3,500 helmets to people from 19 different states, 4 Canadian Provinces, from as far away as Hawaii, but there is a problem. Each year we buy more helmets and each year we have run out of certain sizes before the Fair had ended. We realized to fill the need for more helmets we would need about $10,000 and that led us to look for a large, sustaining donor. We were approached by a strong, charitable organization last Winter and throughout the following months were assured the donation was coming. In late July, that donor regrettably informed us that they could not fund the program.
We need to raise at least $5000 by September 1, 2017 to get the helmets on time, and we're hoping to raise an additional $10,000 to ensure helmets for 2018. A donation of $10 buys about 2 helmets, $100 will buy 20...please help us with a donation in any amount, every helmet makes a difference. If we can get enough helmets we can properly size and fit a helmet to every head who needs one, no matter how young, old, local, or visitor.
Organizer
Bill Kane
Organizer
Fryeburg, ME
