Township sponsors public safety station at Edwardsville Rotary Criterium

Edwardsville Township will donate more than 160 helmets to area children as part of this year’s sponsorship of the TheBank of Edwardsville Rotary Criterium, the annual downtown bike race.

The free helmets will be fitted by staff from the GlennonKids Safety Program from 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 18, the day of the event.

“This is the perfect opportunity for parents to bring their kids by our public safety booth during the bike races to get a professionally fitted, free bike helmet,” said Edwardsville Township Supervisor Fred Schulte.

Township officials, staff and volunteers, along with representatives from the GlennonKids Safety Program will be located near the registration area. In addition to offering free helmets, members of the GlennonKids Safety Program will provide helmet safety checks and teach parents how to correctly fit their children’s helmets.

“If a child has a helmet that doesn’t fit correctly, it can be replaced with a new one,” Schulte said. “And if a child doesn’t have a helmet, we will have one available at no charge while supplies last. Once a participant registers for the race, they can come to our booth for their fitting. We welcome siblings to take part in this opportunity, too.”

This is the third year the Township has participated in the event, which has been a fun downtown Edwardsville activity for eight years.

As the public safety sponsor the township will be supporting all public safety components of the Criterium. This includes the rental and setup of the racecourse barricades, the supplemental EMT presence on the course and the supplemental safety and event security personnel around the perimeter of the course.

For more information about the event, contact Edwardsville Township at (618) 656-0292.