On May 14 and 16, Heads Smart, in conjunction with the Boca Raton Bicycle Club (BRBC), presented 45 students of the Milagro Center in Delray with bicycles and helmets.  The bikes and helmets were donated by BRBC as part of their Bikes for Tykes program while Heads Smart Co-Chairs, Marsha Rickles and Ilene Leefer provided the educational component.  After a brief presentation to the children which included a children's video on the importance of wearing helmets and how to properly fit a helmet, the children were individually fit with their new helmet.  Two days later at the last parent meeting of the year, Marsha and Ilene told their stories to the parents, forcefully driving home the importance of helmets, and demonstrated the proper fitting of a helmet. Immediately after the program, the parents left with their children's new bikes and helmets.

Milagro Center is an afterschool and summer program for children K-5.  Their mission is to give under-served children the opportunity to succeed.  According to their website they "offer a mix of academic support, art, music instruction, mentoring and living value lessons in a family-like supportive environment." The children were great listeners, asking relevant questions, and very grateful for their new bikes and helmets.  We were impressed with the work Milagro is doing. If you are interested in promoting this program in your community, please feel free to reach out to Marsha at mrickles@gmail.com or 973-632-9743 or contact Merrill Sugarman at 914-262–6670.