Free bike helmets offered to Santa Rosa kids

Santa Rosa resident Kimia Miller was holding off on letting her toddler ride his beginner’s balance bike until she felt it was safe enough. That moment came Sunday, when her 2-year-old was fitted for his first big kid’s bike helmet.

“Now we’ll be doing way more rides,” Miller said as she snapped the straps of a black-and-silver helmet under her son Milo’s chin. “He’ll be safer when he’s scooting his bike around.”

Milo Miller was one of dozens of kids who got free bicycle helmets Sunday at Santa Rosa’s West End Farmers Market.

Market organizers received 60 helmets through a community grant program funded by the city of Santa Rosa, then partnered with the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition to hand the helmets out to children and show them how to get the right fit.

Allen Thomas and Lea Barron-Thomas, who run the farmers market, said they applied for the grant to spur more families to ride their bicycles.

“We thought the market would be a great place to do it; we’re centrally located downtown, and we thought it was a chance to encourage people to walk or bike here,” said Allen Thomas. “This is the type of activity the city is trying to promote - healthy eating and healthy living.”

Kate Fitzgerald of Santa Rosa said her 3-year-old daughter Fiona went on her first ride around Spring Lake on Saturday.

“She’s still learning, so we thought this would be a great opportunity to come and get her a helmet and make sure it’s fitted right,” Fitzgerald said.

Chitrang Dave said his three kids had outgrown their helmets, so he brought them to the market for the first time to take advantage of the program.

One of his daughters, Anuja, 8, said now she can go faster downhill.

“It’s steep going up, but going downhill is really fast,” she said.

Tina Panza, the bicycle coalition’s education director, said the event was also aimed at getting parents interested in cycling.

“We try to help parents feel confident in riding with their kids,” Panza said. “It helps them plant the seeds for a healthy lifestyle at a young age.”

Conact each Staff Writer Angela Hart at 526-8503 or angela.hart@pressdemocrat.com.