When a member of National Council of Jewish Women approached their executive board with an idea to promote bicycle safety, the board wanted to know more about the reason behind it. By the time Marsha Rickles finished her story, a community service project was born.
“I am a mother first. Everything else in my life follows from that. More than three decades ago, my world changed forever when my seven-year-old son, Jonathon, was killed in a bicycle accident just two blocks from our New Jersey home. He was doing what children do — riding his bike on a summer day. At that time, helmets were rarely worn or even discussed. Jonathon wasn’t wearing one. A week after he was hit by the car, he died as a result of traumatic brain injury. A helmet would have saved his life,” said Marsha.
When you lose a child, time doesn’t heal the way people promise it will. What does happen, if you are fortunate, is that grief slowly reshapes itself into purpose and you gain the support of an organization like National Council of Jewish Women Palm Beach. For Marsha, that purpose became her vow: to make sure that no other family should lose a child for lack of education, awareness, or access to a simple helmet.
That vow eventually fueled the Heads Smart program through NCJW Palm Beach. Heads Smart stood behind one statement: Helmets worn correctly protect lives. That meant that education had to come first.
Marsha was fortunate to meet Ilene Leefer, another NCJW Palm Beach member. Ilene, an avid cyclist, was saved by a helmet when she took a bad fall from her bike several years ago. Together, Marsha and Ilene developed a comprehensive bike and helmet safety program aimed at youngsters, but flexible enough for adults in schools and communities.
“During our presentation, we talk to children on their level. We show them how helmets should fit and give them the opportunity to try helmets on. We explain why protecting the brain matters — not in frightening terms, but in powerful ones.”
Heads Smart has also been able to furnish over 1,000 helmets for elementary school students in need in Palm Beach County. Each one represents a child who is safer today than yesterday.
The You Must be Present to Win effort, connecting bicycle safety with school attendance, reinforces the idea that good choices are worth celebrating. In partnership with the Boca Raton Bicycle Club, one bike per month is donated to a student who had perfect attendance. When children feel seen and rewarded for doing the right thing, they internalize these behaviors.
Heads Smart was born from loss, but is sustained by hope.
For more information, contact Marsha or Ilene at: [email protected] or http://www.headssmart.org.
