Community Corner

SEPTA Sponsoring Trike-a-Thon Saturday

Bring your bikes and trikes to Second Hill Lane School. Stratford police will also check helmets and offer safety tips for bikers.

This Saturday (tomorrow, May 7), the parking lot outside of Second Hill Lane Elementary School’s Early Learning Services wing will become triking territory for both kids and adults, including educators who will attempt to ride kid-sized bikes – all for a good cause. The event is being organized by Stratford SEPTA (Special Education PTA) as a final push to raise funds for the HOPE Playground Project.

The aim of the project -- whose name stands for Have Opportunities, Play Early – is to build an ADA-accessible early childhood playground at Second Hill Lane, home to over 100 preschool children (including Stratford children with physical disabilities) and five kindergarten classes. The current playground on campus is geared toward elementary aged children and is not accessible to those with physical challenges. Outside of school hours, the new playground will be open to the community.

Saturday’s Trike-a-Thon will feature a kid trike time from 10:30-11:45 (BYO trike, bike, or scooter), a pizza lunch sponsored by Domino’s, and then adult trike time from 12:15-12:45. The donation is $10 per family for kids to ride and $100 per four-member adult team. Named cones are also available for $25 (orange) or $50 (gold).

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The Stratford Police Department will be at the event to ensure that parents and children are aware of the rules of the road when it comes to bicycling. State law requires anyone under the age of 16 to wear a helmet while riding a bike, and Stratford police officers will be checking helmets and providing tips for wearing them safely.

The Connecticut State Police has these tips for parents on bike helmets, which greatly reduce the risk of a serious brain injury by protecting the skull if a fall should occur:

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* Let your children pick out their own helmet to ensure that it will be worn at all times.

* Helmet should be lightweight and comfortable and meet or exceed safety standards (look for a certification sticker from ASTM, Snell, ANSI, or CPSC).

* Set a good example for your children by wearing a helmet yourself.

* Helmets should fit level, square, and snug on the head, with straps adjusted to meet just below the ear.

* Always replace any helmet that has been involved in an accident.

For more bike safety tips, see www.ct.gov/dps/lib/dps/public_information_files/brochures/bicycle_safety.pdf

To learn more about Stratford SEPTA, which provides support, education, and inspiration to parents and friends of children with special needs, visit www.stratfordsepta.org or the “Stratford Septa” page on Facebook. A Trike-a-Thon registration form is available at http://www.stratfordsepta.org/index-1.html.

Advance registration is requested (info@stratfordsepta.org), but registration forms and donations can be submitted on Saturday.


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