GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – One hundred local children will receive a new bike helmet at no cost when the Grand Rapids Griffins and Safe Kids Greater Grand Rapids host the second annual “Lids at the Library.”

The event will take place on two separate days at branches of the Grand Rapids Public Library and the Kent District Library. GRPL’s Seymour Branch (2350 Eastern Ave. SE) will be the site on Saturday, June 27 from 1-3 p.m., while KDL’s Kentwood Branch (4700 Kalamazoo Ave. SE) will host the event in conjunction with its summer carnival on Tuesday, June 30 from 10 a.m.-noon.

Volunteers from Safe Kids and the Griffins will be on hand to properly fit these free helmets for 50 kids at each location. Helmets for kids ages 1-12 will be distributed (subject to availability), and a parent or legal guardian must be present for a child to receive a helmet. A Griffins mascot will entertain patrons and a variety of information from Safe Kids will be available for pickup.

“Lids at the Library” represents the start of the sixth summer of the Griffins’ award-winning “Put A Lid On It!” (PALOI) helmet safety program, which is presented by Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. Since the program’s founding in 2004, the Griffins have worked with dozens of local organizations – including Safe Kids, police departments, pediatricians, schools, libraries, bike shops and sporting goods stores – to encourage helmet usage during wheeled sports, prevent head injuries and reward kids who wear their helmets.

PALOI, which earned the Brain Injury Association of Michigan’s 2007 prevention award, targets elementary and middle school students in a seven-county region of West Michigan. Children age 17 or younger who visit griffinshockey.com (with parental permission) and sign a pledge to always wear their helmet will be rewarded with a voucher for two free tickets to a 2009-10 Griffins game, and they’ll be registered for a drawing to win a new bike.

Information for parents, including tips for choosing a helmet and getting children to wear it, is also available at griffinshockey.com. For more information about the program, call (616) 774-4585 ext. 3046.

2009 PALOI Event Schedule

June 27 – Lids at the Library - GRPL Seymour (1-3 p.m.)

June 30 – Lids at the Library - KDL Kentwood (10 a.m.-noon)

July 4 – Kentwood Fourth of July Parade

July 4 – East Grand Rapids Fourth of July Parade

July 25 – U.S. Coast Guard Festival Kids Parade in Grand Haven

Aug. 1 – U.S. Coast Guard Festival Grand Parade in Grand Haven

Aug. 1 – Ada Criterium

Aug. 4 – National Night Out

Aug. 8 – Grand Cycling Classic

Aug. 23 – Michigan State Criterium Championships in East Grand Rapids

PALOI By the Numbers

10 – West Michigan police and sheriff’s departments that participate in our ticket voucher reward program.

18 – Michigan counties with kids who’ve made a helmet pledge.

36 – Branches in the Grand Rapids Public and Kent District library systems, plus libraries in six other counties, that display and distribute PALOI posters (along with dozens pediatrician’s offices, bike shops, ice rinks and sporting goods stores).

60 – Michigan cities with kids who’ve made a helmet pledge.

350+ – Elementary and middle schools in a four-county area that display and distribute PALOI posters.

1,281 – Different kids who’ve made a helmet pledge through griffinshockey.com since 2004, including many who’ve done so on an annual basis.

8,100 – Free Griffins tickets awarded to kids through the voucher reward program since 2004.

$12,000 – Grants provided by the Griffins to local Safe Kids organizations for the purchase of more than 1,200 helmets that have been distributed free to needy kids since 2004.