Putting "Lids on Kids"

What does putting “lids on the kids” mean?  It’s a phrase I came up with to describe a program I started last year to promote the consistent use of helmets in children. As a lawyer helping victims of accidents, I have seen all too often the devastating effects when a biker, skater, boarder, etc. is not wearing a helmet and is involved in a crash.

For the second year in a row, I visited with local children in their schools and communities to teach them about brain injury and why it is so important to wear a helmet.  When I speak to the kids, I arrive with a life-sized model of a skull and brain so I can demonstrate the effects of a hard hit to the head. As a father of four and an avid cyclist myself, protecting children from preventable head injuries has become a passion for me.  That’s why I started this “helmet a day” campaign.  The way I look at it, if I can give out 365 free helmets a year to local children whose families cannot afford them, I can potentially save lives and prevent life altering injuries. I’m so excited that we reached 2012’s milestone number of 365 last week at Rolling Ridge Elementary School in Sterling, VA.

To reach this goal, I visited with children at three local elementary schools, plus a neighborhood association over the past three weeks. For each visit, I was joined by members of my law firm – Abrams Landau, Ltd. – my wife Melissa; local police officers from Reston, Fairfax and Loudoun Counties, and the Town of Herndon; and, at Rolling Ridge Elementary, by the staff of Brain Injury Services.  Words cannot express how gratifying it was to fit each child with a brand new Bell bike helmet and send the children home with their own helmet, a drawstring bag, and safety information for their families. Many thanks to the teachers and school administrators who made it all possible, especially for their help setting up the A-V equipment!

The helmets, bags, and safety information cards are provided by Abrams Landau, Ltd., and the Virginia Trial Lawyers Foundation.  If you are interested in contributing to this worthy cause, email or call me at ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd., (703-796-9555) for information on how you can make a donation to the VA Trial Lawyers Foundation. Also, if you know of a qualifying school or community association that would benefit from this educational safety program, please get in touch with me. For more pictures from the “put the lids on the kids” campaign, please visit the ABRAMS LANDAU Giving Page on FaceBook.