DELTONA -- The Volusia County Sheriff's Office will team up with Amscot Financial Partners on Thursday to give away free bicycle helmets in Deltona. Volusia is one of a dozen counties in the state that's participating in Amscot's helmet program.
Amscot is partnering with law enforcement agencies in 12 Florida counties where the financial services company operates branch locations.
The Deltona location for Thursday's give-away will be the Amscot branch at 2177 Howland Blvd. A second Volusia site for the give-away will be the Amscot branch at 2405 N. Atlantic Ave. in Daytona Beach.
In total, Amscot will be distributing 4,160 bicycle helmets throughout Mid-Florida. Volusia County Sheriff's deputies will be on-hand at the
Deltona location to help supervise the give-away. The program will start at 6 a.m. and continue until 10 a.m., or until the helmets are gone.
The helmets are available in small, medium and large sizes and are being targeted towards children in pre-school and elementary school. This marks the seventh year that Amscot has donated free bike helmets in counties where it does business.
"We feel strongly that every child who rides a bike ought to have a helmet," said Ian MacKechnie, founder and CEO of Amscot Financial. "Wearing a properly fitted bike helmet is a very simple, common sense thing to do. We hope that kids take their helmets home and wear them every single time they get on their bike."
Sheriff Ben Johnson agrees, saying it's not just about obeying the law.
"This is about saving lives," said Sheriff Johnson. "We're pleased to be partnering with Amscot to distribute free bicycle helmets to those who need them. Because when it comes to a bicycle crash, a properly-fitted helmet can mean the difference between walking away with a few bumps and bruises or something far worse."