IBC offers up to $20,000 for bike helmet safety tour

The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) is sponsoring four medical students who are cycling across Canada this summer to raise awareness about how to prevent brain and spinal cord injuries.
The IBC is offering up to $20,000 in sponsorship money as part of its Be Smart. Be Safe. Injury Prevention Program. Also supporting the bike tour is ThinkFirst, a national non-profit organization dedicated to preventing brain and spinal cord injuries.
“Insurers understand the importance of helmet safety and their sponsorship of the tour is a real boost,” ThinkFirst executive director Jim Russell said.
The cyclists are Scott Smith of Ottawa, Marieke Gardner of Halifax, Peter Ceponis of Sarnia and Alun Ackery of Toronto.
The cyclists began their ThinkFirst Heads Across Canada Tour in Vancouver on May 28 and arrived in Ottawa July 10. Cycling an average of 150 km a day, they will have covered 5,558 km when they complete their journey.
“These young people are an inspiration and true ambassadors of injury prevention,” IBC spokesperson Mark Yakabuski said. “We are proud to help them take this important safety message to Canadians across the country.”
To learn more about the cyclists and their journey, or to make a donation, visit www.headsacrosscanada.com. IBC will match all donations made to ThinkFirst during the tour to a maximum of $20,000.
“We are thrilled to welcome Canada’s home, car and business insurers as our lead sponsor for the Ottawa-to-St. John’s leg of the tour,” Russell said.
Each cyclist has a personal reason for taking part in the trek:
Smith, who has worked in hospital emergency rooms, is committed to keeping people out of the ER.
Gardner lost a close friend in a cycling incident because he wasn’t wearing a helmet.
Ceponis has worked in intensive care units and has seen
First-hand the devastation caused by trauma injuries.
Ackery became determined to promote increased helmet use after conducting research into spinal cord and traumatic sports injuries.