On, Saturday, June 4, 2011, The Brain Injury Association Sudbury & District launched it’s “Helmet Awareness Campaign” in memory of Mr. Stephane Blais, a 17 year-old Sudbury man who succumbed to his injuries as a direct result of not wearing head protection.
The three (3) main objectives of the campaign are:
- To increase the use of helmets in the Greater City of Sudbury to reduce head injuries due to sporting accidents.
- To increase awareness & knowledge about the need for helmets in preventing head injuries and death in children.
- To increasing the number of helmets purchased in the Greater City of Sudbury.
The Helmet Awarness Campaign features “Vouchers” that are distributed to the general public featuring a $15.00 discount to be used toward the purchase of a new helmet redeemable at local “Community Partners”.
BIASD’s initial goal was to distribute 1,000 vouchers in the Greater City of Sudbury before June 2012. We were successful, of out of the 1000s of coupons distributed, almost 400 were redeemed between June 2011 and June 2012. From June 2012 until June 2013, almost 500 coupons were redeemed. BIASD hopes to continue this upward trend in 2013-2014, and help get more helmets into the Greater Sudbury community.
A special thank you to the Union Gas Centennial Community Grant in which a one-time grant of $1000 has been awarded to The Brain Injury Association Sudbury & District. As a result of this grant, BIASD distributed five-hundred (500) “Vouchers” to the general public featuring a $20.00 discount to be used toward the purchase of a new helmet redeemable at any of our local “Community Partners”.
We are thankful to our nine (9) Community Partners and have agreed to accept & redeem the vouchers on behalf BIASD:
- Canadian Tire – New Sudbury
- Canadian Tire – South End
- Canadian Tire – Chelmsford
- Canadian Tire – Hanmer
- Canadian Tire – Espanola
- Pinnacle Sport
- Skater’s Edge
- The Outside Store
- Greenhawk Harness and Equestrian supplies
For more information regarding the Campaign, please contact:
Guy Villeneuve, Helmet Campaign Chair
Brain Injury Association Sudbury & District
Tel: 705-561-1440 / E-Mail: guy@villeneuvefinancial.ca
Bike Helmet Stats
- A helmet gives you a real chance of walking away from a collision. Wearing a helmet can reduce your risk of head injury by up to 85%.[i]
- In jurisdictions where there are mandatory bike helmet laws, more people use helmets and injury rates are, on average 25% lower than in areas without helmet legislation.
- Bicycle injuries are the third leading cause of injury for children between the ages of 10 and 14 years old, with traumatic brain injuries accounting for almost one third (29%) of all cycling-related hospital admissions.
[i] Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. Young Cyclist’s Guide. http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/safety/cycling/youngcyclist.shtml#protect