Recently, the Mystic
Learning Center, which is an after school program, started a bicycle
club, which has a ratio of 2 adult supervisors to 15 children.

"They
[the children] were riding and came across a community police officer,
and he thought that some of them didn't have helmets, and they had a
talk about helmet safety. Then, later that day, the Chief from the
Somerville Police showed up, Mr. Holloway, and two of his other
officers. They gave the children helmets," said Florence Bergmann,
Executive Director of The Mystic Learning Center.

The Somerville
Housing Authority serves as the umbrella organization, under which the
MAC is included. The Mystic Learning Center (MAC) in Somerville the
Mystic Learning Center, the Welcome Project, the Computer Education
Center, the Community Activity Room, The Mystic Tenants Association,
and Tenant Selection Department, and the Bunker Hill Community College
Somerville Satellite campus.

The center's idea concerning why
children should sport helmets is "to prevent any head injuries," said
Bergmann. "We certainly can't have children hurting their heads,
especially not while their in our care in our after school program —
and it's the law."

This year marks the first annual helmet
distribution event at the Center. "I would certainly like to see it be
an annual event," she said. Children, ranging from 5 and 13
participated.

What prompted the Center to hand out helmets to
children, at this time? "It seemed appropriate since we were starting a
[bicycle] club, to start on a good note, with everybody having
helmets," said Bergmann. Participants enjoy a ride on Mondays from 3:30
p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Additionally, "Parents need to know that
when they buy their children a bike, they should also be buying a
helmet. I don't think all parents think about that, or maybe they've
scrounged the money to get the bike, and don't have the money for the
helmet."

Bergmann is unsure, whether the distribution will become a city-wide project.

Although
there was no monetary requirement for children to get a free helmet,
most of the children who are served by program are low-income,
according to her.

She thinks that children should "definitely"
wear helmets for activities, other than bike riding, such as ice
skating, skateboarding, and sledding. The reason is that, "It's just so
easy for them to hurt their heads."

Because this is the week
of April vacation for students, field trips will be plentiful. "At the
end of the week [on Friday night], we have a roller skating trip from 6
to midnight," said Bergmann. Participants of all ages are welcome to
attend because it will be a family event, according to Bergmann. The
bus, the final destination of which will be Rollerworld in Saugus, will
depart from the Activity Center. "And I'll be nervous because people
won't have helmets there," she said.