Each second-grade student in Yankton received a new bike helmet on April 20 thanks to the annual bike helmet giveaway sponsored by Yankton Medical Clinic, P.C. and Yankton Rotary Club International.  This annual event has been helping Yankton youth be safe for 27 years.

The students gathered at the Yankton High School auditorium and learned about bike safety from the Yankton Police Department and Dr. David Withrow who used an egg to demonstrate what can happen to your head in an accident. “I can fix a broken bone or a scraped knee, but I can’t fix a broken head.” Withrow encouraged kids to always wear their helmets on every bike ride.

Yankton Rotary President, Rich Burns states, “Rotary is proud to be a continuing donor for this program and thankful for the partnerships formed by both Kopetsky’s Ace Hardware and Yankton Medical Clinic to ensure our youth are educated on bike safety and practicing safe riding.”

Two hundred fourteen helmets were fitted by volunteers from Yankton Medical Clinic, P.C., Yankton Rotary Club, the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine students (Yankton Campus) and Kopetsky’s Ace Hardware in less than an hour.  Yankton Police Department officers will reward youth with a coupon for a free ice cream cone if “caught” wearing a helmet while bike riding thanks to a partnership with McDonald’s of Yankton.