The Desired Effect

I headed out on the Chehalis Western Trail tonight armed with a stack of one dollar bills with "Thanks for wearing a helmet" cards stapled to each one.

Sadly, of the six or so kids I saw riding on the trail, none were wearing a helmet. When I got to the Chambers Lake parking lot, I decided to head out on the road over to Boulevard Rd. because the bugs were really thick on the trail. I did give a couple of dollars to a couple on a tandem even though they were adults because the gal who was the stoker (rider on the back) had a bright pink feather boa on her helmet. I just had to stop and reward that awesomeness!

From Boulevard I cut through a couple of neighborhoods, but still didn't see any helmeted kids.

I got back on the trail at Yelm Hwy and headed south. After getting to Fir Tree Rd and not seeing any kids, I turned around and headed for home. As I was cutting through Horizon Point I came across three boys riding bikes. Of the three, only one was wearing a helmet. I said, "Hey, you with the helmet. I've got something for you." I stopped and pulled out a dollar bill with the the card on it. I gave it to him and asked him if he knew what the card said. He read it and said, "Thanks!". Now, here's the awesome part! The other two boys said, "Did you give him a dollar just because he is wearing a helmet?" I told them that was right. They both said they would go get their helmets. I told them I'd catch them next time when they had their helmets on. The kid who got the dollar rode down his street waving the dollar and yelling to everyone on the street, "I got this dollar for wearing my helmet!" As I rode by the house of one of the helmetless boys, I heard who might have been the mom say to the little boy, "Aren't you missing something?" The helmetless boys also asked me when I was going to come back. I told them I didn't know, but they should have their helmets on for when I did! I'm guessing those two boys will be out everyday riding with their helmets on! That's what I'm looking to accomplish with my "Thanks for wearing a helmet" campaign!