Garfield County receives $500 grant for bike and skateboard helmets

LACEY, WASH.–Garfield County is among thirteen Washington communities that will share in a grant received from local law enforcement to provide free bike and skateboard helmets. Pomeroy will receive $500.

The funds were awarded by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) as a part of a program approved by the Washington Legislature in 2021. It will help local law enforcement agencies with helmet distribution programs in order to reduce traumatic brain injuries throughout the state. Helmets will be provided to those people (s) who are contacted by an official of a local law enforcement agency for not wearing a helmet while riding a skateboard or bicycle. Interest in the grants exceeded the

$10,000 legislative allocation which indicates the need for the program.

“Traumatic brain injuries are often times the tragic aftermath of not wearing a helmet, said Rep. Dan Griffey (R-Allyn) who secured state funding for the program. “A parent reached out to me after his own son suffered a debilitating brain injury during a skateboarding event. This program is a serious attempt to encourage everyone to wear helmets starting with our youth. It is also a great opportunity for our first responders to interact with kiddos in our communities and build positive relationships that can last a lifetime.”

The grants will be distributed to the following agencies who submitted proposals for funding: Garfield County, $500; Black Diamond, $1,000; Bothell, $1,000; Camas, $500; Cowlitz County, $1,000; DuPont PD, $500; Edmonds, $1,000; Lewis County Target Zero Task Force, $1,000; Longview, $1,000; Poulsbo, $1,000; Soap Lake, $500; Spokane County, $1,000; and Walla Walla PD, $500.