A free helmet for a promise
The Ian Tilmann Foundation was formed in 2006 by Ian's parents, and in memory of Ian who died from traumatic brain injury suffered from a skate boarding accident. The Foundation’s mission is prevention of traumatic brain injury, with focus on skateboarding. their approach is simple and direct…If a skater will promise to wear a helmet they give them one…..FREE. Since 2006 the Foundation has given out over 1,200+ helmets to skaters on the Florida west coast and south Louisiana.This is an incredible idea, and I'm impressed that the Tilmanns have taken this on themselves, but they need help. They raise half the funds for helmets from private donations (both corporate and individuals) and half through skate event productions including amateur, sponsored and soon professional skaters. They did 450 helmets in 2007. So far in 2008, they have already done over 300 helmets!
Can you help them out? They are looking for contributions (it costs about $25 to put a helmet on a kid), volunteers, and groups, companies or philanthropists who will help the program with sustaining funds. In 2008 the Foundation is expanding the helmet program to public skate parks and they plan to place over 2,500 helmets. For more info, check out the Ian Tilmann Foundation website.
Photo © Ian Tilmann Foundation
Comments
Wonderful pursuit, anyone know how Ian died? My understanding is that there are very few skateboard deaths each year, and those there are come mostly from being pulled by a car. In the end though, I’d like a helmet but surely cant make this promise without breaking it. Here is a great legal article about skateboarding, pads, skate parks and limiting liability for skateboard injuries:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Flaw.bepress.com%2Fcgi%2Fviewcontent.cgi%3Farticle%3D1108%26context%3Dexpresso&ei=7UMaSLWECYOkoASH9J2uDg&usg=AFQjCNFLJGbBKHNWw-nA69OlP3Wayp-kMw&sig2=_cFurt5WN3_d-NZUIvK1VQ
Read
more knee injurues are formed (PER CAPITA and in numbers) each year from running than skateboarding; about 20 times as many. running is a dangerous recreational activity and should be banned. America is the land of the free; why should an American art be restricted? its un-patriotic.
btw, if you didnt notice any sarcasm, you should be castrated. RIP friend!
Ian Tilmann was longboarding on his favorite street run in Clearwater, Florida. The run is known as Cemetary Hill (there is an old family plot that splits the street). Skaters hit 20-25mph on the run.
Ian hit a street reflecter that set in speed wobble. As he corrected for the wobble he had a wheel bite that threw him forward. His head hit pavemen and fractured the back of his skull.
Ian was in NICU for ten days and died on May 26, 2005. He was 28 years young.
There is only one proven cure for traumatic brain injury…..it’s called PREVENTION.
A7777, obvisouly you are not a parent, but instead all knowing on the important issues and facts of life. you took the time to read the article and yet you felt the need to insult the great work the tilmann parents are doing to channel their greif. put a feather in your cap, but be sure not to take a spill on your board because the cap won’t protect your shallow cranial cavity.
I have two teenage sons who skateboard everyday, the only way they wear a helmet is if they visit a skate park that requires it. It’s great to see younger skaters wearing helmets because their parents make them, but how many skaters over the age of 12 do you see wearing a helmet? No amount of free helmets will change their minds unless the culture of skateboarding as a whole changes. How many times have we gone to a skate competition and the announcer makes fun of the one kid wearing a helmet. The only way this will change is if the culture changes. Besides vert skaters, how many professional skaters do you see wearing helmets? Have you ever seen a professional skate video where the street skaters are wearing helmets? In the minds of many skaters only “posers” wear helmets. It’s a sad mentally but it’s the truth and we can criticize them, criticize parents, but it’s the truth. The only way this will change is if the culture changes; how does that happen? Maybe if the larger more well known venues such as the AST Dew tour requires all their pro skaters wear helmets, making it more acceptable, if the pros begin to wear helmets, if stricter laws are passed requiring helmets, maybe if laws are passed that even privately owned parks require skaters to wear helmets, if somehow helmets become “cool” or if more people heard Ian’s story. I don’t know, I don’t have the answer. All I know is what the skaters tell me and it is not cool to wear a helmet. God bless the Tillmanns for the work they do, only God knows the lives they may have saved.