Bigfork group gets Round Up grant for bike helmets

Flathead Electric Cooperative’s Roundup for Safety program last week awarded $15,395 in grants supporting community safety projects proposed by six nonprofit organizations, including two asking for help providing helmets to local children.

Bigfork Innovations Group, better known as BIG, describes itself as being comprised of energetic and innovative thinkers coming together to plan events and create a more energized community. For the past few years, one of those events has been the Bigfork’s Kids Bike Swap, scheduled this year for Sunday, April 27, 9 a.m. to noon at Wayfarer’s State Park. This free, family-friendly event connects kids with new-to-them bikes. BIG relies on donations of used bikes from the community.

Before the bike swap, volunteer mechanics go over the donated bikes to ensure safety and functionality. At the event, BIG gives away new helmets to go with the used bikes. 

Megan Doak presented on behalf of BIG, saying, “Especially during and after the pandemic, bikes became so expensive. Coupled with the facts that kids grow out of bikes so quickly and that their bikes are often still in great shape, creating a community bike swap just makes sense. Providing helmets to go along with these bikes is the right thing to do.”

The group requested $2,500 to purchase kids bike helmets. The Roundup for Safety Board granted BIG’s full request.

In Columbia Falls, the Badrock Skatepark Association recently wrapped up a multi-year, $800,000+ fundraising effort to bring a skatepark to town. Board member Rebecca Powell discussed the park’s immediate success, which has drawn crowds since the moment it opened. Kids with skateboards, BMX bikes, and roller skates are clearly thrilled to have a fun, free, in-town activity to pursue, and they are safety aware, too.

Powell shared, “I was at the park shortly after the soft opening and noticed two middle school boys—both had skateboards, but only one was wearing a helmet. One of them started talking about a trick he was going to try, and the other said, ‘You’d better borrow my helmet.’ And he did. It really highlighted the need for more helmets in the community.”  

The association requested $1,000 towards purchasing helmets to give away at its April 26 grand opening. It pointed to its partnership with Board of Missoula to obtain helmets at cost for the community. The Roundup for Safety Board granted the full request.

April grantees also include:

• Kalispell Pee Wee Baseball – backstop netting -- $4,000
• Immaculate Conception Chapel – AED -- $1,395
• Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp – high frequency radios -- $2,500
• Flathead Trails Association – CPR, First Aid training -- $4,000

Roundup for Safety funding comes from participating Flathead Electric Cooperative members who allow their monthly electric bills to be rounded up to the nearest dollar. The program costs each member about $6 per year and has provided over $5 million in funding since 1997. To learn more, please visit Roundup for Safety - Flathead Electric Cooperative.