Hope for Hunter Day at Concord Brings Lessons in Bike Safety

A sea of shiny orbs filled the gym classes Tuesday at . 

The kids wore their bike helmets to class so Officer Nick Skweres could fit them properly while giving them a lesson on cycling safely.

The safety tutorial was part of , an event sprung from the imagination of 8-year-old Hunter Long. 

After hearing about Hunter Himes, the student in February, Hunter Long was compelled to do what he could to help the boy who shared his name.

“All the Hunters in the world would be broken if one of the Hunters were hurt,” Hunter said. “They really want to do something for him because they feel really bad for him.” 

Skweres said Concord’s students were very enthusiastic about the safety lessons.

To bring the message home, Skweres shared a story about a time that he chased someone while riding a police bike and flipped after striking a hole.

He tumbled to the ground and wound up with a chunk of grass stuck in his helmet but was otherwise unscathed.

“If I didn’t have my helmet on, I probably would have cracked my head,” he said.

A few kids raised their hands when Skweres asked them if they thought helmets looked dorky.

“It’s OK to look dorky,” he said. “You know why? Because when I fall off and hit my head, I’ll be all right. … Then we’re the cool kids.”

Hunter’s mom, Ginny Long, said that she was so proud to see how many kids brought their helmets to class. In one group, all but two students had helmets in tow. Seeing that some kids didn’t have helmets, however, made her think the next step will be to organize a helmet drive.

In addition to the safety talk, the kids also had the opportunity to buy $2 orange rubber wristbands that said “Hunter’s Heroes” and “Hunter’s Hope.” All proceeds from the bracelet sales will go to benefit Himes’ and his family. The 14-year-old was recently moved to a local rehabilitation center to continue his recovery.

Nearly every student said they knew about Himes’ accident, Long said. His story, as well as the safety lessons, connected with the kids, most of whom had their own stories of falling from bikes.

Second-grader Elli Dooley said that she scraped her elbows soon after starting to ride her bike without training wheels, even though she was on her driveway.

“I flew in the air,” she said. “And my bike came along with me.”

Fortunately, Elli was wearing a helmet, as she said she always does.

As for Hunter Long, he couldn’t have been more proud of the day’s success.

“I feel really good,” he said. “I feel really happy that (my classmates) are going to be safe.”