Healthy World Healthy Children

Combining the strength and passion of our community and Texas A&M University, it is the mission of Healthy World Healthy Children to positively affect the lives and well-being of children and young adults. We believe the effects of one can affect the many.

By using a helmet during wheeled sport activities (bicycle, skate board, 4-wheeler for example), the risk of a severe head injury is decreased by over 85%. Our objective: (1) elevate the awareness in young children as to the need to properly wear a helmet during such activities, and (2) promote active, healthy lifestyle choices for children as they grow. This is accomplished through an interactive program held at Texas A&M University each spring: Hard Hats for Little Heads, orchestrated by the Aggie Athletes is directed toward area second grade students (12 school districts). Each child receives a bicycle helmet at the conclusion of the event. Our success is measured by (1) the ability pay for the event venue, the helmets and the school transportation, (2) student and teacher feedback, and (3) the potential to save even one child from a severe head injury.

Testimonials

Cash Conway has a life that many would envy. The 24-year-old lives in Austin, works for GoDaddy and has a beautiful girlfriend. However, his life could have taken a very different path if he hadn't worn a helmet while driving an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) 16 years ago.

Following The Family's Rule
During a rare beautiful day in the midst of the 2003 rainy season, Cash decided that he wanted to go outdoors and ride the family's ATV at their rural home in Brenham. "We said, 'No problem. That's what they're here for,'" his mother, Brandi, remembered. "So he got the ATV out. We watched him and griped, 'Be careful. Don't think you know everything!' But the one thing that was not questioned was our family's rule of wearing a helmet when riding an ATV." That helmet proved to be a lifesaver when Cash, then a third-grade student, over-corrected the four-wheel vehicle during a turn, causing the vehicle to flip. The ATV bounced on Cash several times and the driving bars hit his head.

Avoiding a Major Head Injury
While waiting for emergency personnel to arrive, the family removed Cash's helmet, which was almost cracked in two. During the ambulance ride to the hospital, Cash slipped in and out of consciousness and had no memory of the accident. Brandi worried that Cash's head injury would impact her son's cognitive function for the rest of his life. Thankfully, the emergency room doctors diagnosed a mild concussion and said that Cash would make a full recovery. "The doctors asked to see the helmet in the emergency room," Brandi recounted. "They point-blank said, 'If he hadn't been wearing this helmet, it would have been a different story.'" Now Brandi encourages other families to make sure their children wear helmets when participating in activities that could put them at risk of a head injury. "Fortunately, we were the kind of people who felt we had to have the best and we did," she said. "We had a good helmet that hadn't been used before, resold or possibly damaged. It was a good, in-shape helmet for driving that type of vehicle." She also hopes individuals and organizations will donate to Healthy World Healthy Children so area children will have access to quality helmets. "As soon as I found out what Healthy World Healthy Children was about, I knew it was a big deal," Brandi said. "It's such a worthy cause to give a child a quality helmet to protect them when they are riding a bicycle, an ATV, a skateboard or all of the different things that kids have today that are on wheels that can cause them to easily lose control or balance."

Liz Summer spent many weekends with her then-young children competing in horse shows. Horse ownership is a big commitment and most of the family's free time was spent caring for and riding their horses. Competitions were a natural extension of the family's passion for equines. "It was nice for everyone in the family to have a horse to show," Liz said.
Liz's horse-crazy daughter, Rebecca, thrived during these events, but her son, Nathaniel, wasn't as comfortable. "Nathaniel wasn't wholeheartedly into horses," Liz said. "He was very fine-boned and weighed less than 100 pounds at the time." Therefore, Liz made sure Nathaniel participated in these contests with Curly, the family's paint horse who possessed a calm demeanor, was easy to ride and was well-trained in show events. She also required her son to wear a protective helmet while on horseback.

Spur of the moment
This after-school afternoon in 2011 was no different. The family was at the arena, practicing with their horses in preparation for upcoming big shows.
One horse show class they competed in is Trail Class. In a Trail Class, the horse and rider demonstrate how easily they maneuver through a series of obstacles, such as trotting over poles or backing around cones...