Mass in Motion Fall River held its fifth bike helmet give-away, this time at Lower Kennedy Park on October 4, 2014 for children and parents. Officers from the Fall River Police Department fitted children with free helmets donated by the Kivanis Club of Fall River and BMC HealthNet Plan while members of the Fall River Bicycle Committee (Bike Fall River) offered free bicycle tune-ups. Young people also had the opportunity to learn how to ride bicycles safely on a course set up by Erin Reed of MassDot's Safe Routes to School Program. "What we're all about is bicycle safety and making Fall River a bike-friendly city," commented Fall River Mass In Motion Coordinator Julianne Kelly who organized the event. This is one of several opportunities offered over the summer to teach bicycle safety to children. Click here for a three-and-a-half-minute video of the event. Click here for photos of another bicycle safety and repair session organized earlier this year by Mass in Motion Fall River. For more information about the project, contact Julianne Kelly at 508-324-2405.

(Top row, left) Grandfather Peter Nasiff watches while Fall River Police Officer Richard Saraiva fits his granddaughter, nine-year-old Bella Simoes, with a new helmet (Top row, center and right) Mass in Motion Fall River Coordinator Julie Kelly oversees the event along with Erin Reed. MassDot's Safe Routes to School Program staff member, right. (Row two) Officer Saraiva examines a head wound that twelve-year-old Steven Cabral got while riding his bicycle without a helmet before helping Nikolas Peters pick out a shirt. (Row three, left) Nine-year-old Alex Fernandes wears his new helmet while four-year-old Matthew Melo rides with his. (Row three, center) Raymond Neves  looks over his bicycle on the repair rack while Bike Fall River members Frank Menezes and Jared Leite work on another. (Bottom row) Alan DeCosta looks over a map of the Fall River bicycle routes with Julie Kelly while Kacie Lynch gets ready to ride with her new helmet as her grandfather, Ken Lynch looks over some material on the rules of the road.