Our grade school outreach program, Train Your Brain, brings brain safety education to third grade classrooms across Central Oregon. Each year, we visit every third grade classroom in Central Oregon, delivering a fun, educational presentation on the importance of preventing brain injuries. We focus on helmet safety, care and fitting of a multi-sport helmet. In addtion, the presentation caps off with our famous melon drop demonstration to highlight the importance of wearing a helmet. At the conclusion of the presentation, we give out and properly fit multi-sport helmets for every kid that needs one. In 2019, we visited more than 30 elementary schools across Central Oregon and gave out over 800 free helmets. We have proudly presented this program for the past 10 years.
Sadly, in 2020 we canceled our tour due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the first time in 10 years, our third graders did not learn the importance of keeping their brains safe. Which is why, in 2021, we will resume Train Your Brain. By transitioning to a virtual program, we can ensure that kids receive the message about how to prevent brain injuries. Just as important, we make sure that every kid that needs a helmet gets a helmet.
New to Train Your Brain for 2021
This spring, we will include both third and fourth graders in our tour, enabling us to reach the kids that missed out last year. Our new video presentation works in both virtual and live classrooms. Of course, the video will our include famous melon drop demonstration and detailed instructions on how to fit a helmet properly. Teachers will help us deliver helmets to kids that need them.
While we will miss meeting and interacting with the kids in person, we are committed to adapting to the terms of the pandemic and doing our part to #keepkidssafeinsports.
This program is only possible because of the generous support from our program sponsors. Thank you to First Interstate Bank, Summit Medical Group, and Bend Broadband.
Written by: Stuart Schmidt, MS, ATC, CSCS athletic trainer supervisor for The Center Foundation in Bend, OR. Learn more about Stuart HERE.
The Center Foundation provides sports medicine services to young athletes at no charge to the students or their families. We do this by placing certified athletic trainers in local high schools to keep kids safe. Learn more about our work HERE.
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