7-year old Dillon Mangus might be Portland’s youngest bike safety advocate. Dillon, a first-grader at Ainsworth Elementary in Southwest, has launched the “Lids-4-Kids” fundraiser to provide helmets for kids in need.
Students at Ainsworth are required to complete a community outreach project. When Dillon saw one of his classmates riding without a helmet, a light bulb went off and he knew he’d found his project. With the help of his family and friends, Dillon even came up with a tag line: “Keep the goo on the inside!”. He has also created a fundraising page at CrowdRise.com and hopes to raise $5,000 by June 1st.
The money raised will be used to purchase helmets that will be given to kids in need during the upcoming Sunday Parkways events. To fulfill his class requirement, Dillon will also present what he has learned about helmets and bike safety to his classmates.
The Northwest Trail Alliance (Dillon’s dad Matthew is the marketing manager for the group) will help Dillon purchase and distribute the helmets.
To get a helmet, all kids need to do is download the application from the Northwest Trail Alliance website and bring it to their table at Sunday Parkways.
I caught up with Dillon at the recent PDX Bicycle Show. He told me he decided to do this “Because not all kids have helmets,” and that it’s important to wear one becuase, “They need their brains.”
The project has already raised nearly $1,000 toward its goal. Learn more and donate to the cause at CrowdRise.com.