BonnerSprings.com

While attending a sports camp last summer, Lynnea Davis never imagined she'd get the opportunity to affect children's lives back home in Bonner Springs.

At the Julie Foudy Sports and Leadership Academy in Moraga, Calif., Davis, 15, was able to not only hone her soccer skills, but also to learn something about the importance of volunteerism. The camp brought in speakers such as retired tennis player Billie Jean King to talk with the participants about leadership in a community and making a difference.

On the last day of the sports academy, staff members passed out a grant application form and challenged the students to do something for their community and "Choose to matter," which was the theme of the camp.

Davis decided to take that opportunity and was able to receive $250 to give to the Bonner Springs Head Start program to purchase new helmets for a total of 68 students.

"I hate seeing kids out with no helmet," Davis said.

Getting to that point wasn't easy, however. Davis spent a lot of time trying to come up with an idea for the grant money in the first place. She eventually settled on a program that she had become familiar with through her mother, who is a member of the Rotary Club. Davis said she learned about the Head Start program through helping her mother organize a book drive and decided it was a good cause that could benefit from the grant.

Her brainstorming wasn't over yet. While Davis was set on helping the Head Start students, she wasn't sure exactly how to do that. With the help of Chellie Bonebrake, Head Start family service coordinator, she decided on an idea.

Bonebrake said that all of the students who attend Head Start are part of a family that is at or below the poverty line. Because of this, she said many families can't afford to purchase helmets, which means many young people are riding around unsafe.

The grant money, along with an extra $20 donation from Davis, purchased helmets for all the current Head Start students. Bonebrake said that small token would make a big difference for many families. She said she was impressed with Davis and her dedication to the project.

"I thought she was an absolutely amazing kid," Bonebrake said. "15 years old and writing a grant to get helmets; she's just a really neat kid."

Davis said she liked the idea of a Bike Day and the helmet giveaway because she'd heard stories of children seriously injured because they didn't wear a helmet. She said she thought that this was an opportunity to "save lives."

On the night of the helmet giveaway event on May 1, Davis and a couple of school friends who volunteered to help set up a few tables at the Head Start office, 441 N. Neconi. Popcorn and lemonade were provided for the families at one table. At another table, Davis passed out helmets to the children and wrote their names on the back. She also provided bike safety information for the parents.

Many of the participants then borrowed Head Start bikes and rode around the track wearing the new helmets. A storm rolled into Bonner Springs and the event was cut short, but Davis and Bonebrake made sure each child got a helmet.

One of the moments from the event that stands out in Davis' mind is a mother who told her she was scared every time her daughter went out riding without a helmet.

"I want parents to know that their children are safe," Davis said, adding that a scraped knee because of a crash with a helmet is much better than a trip to the hospital if the child wasn't wearing a helmet.

Davis hopes to make the Bike Day and helmet giveaway an annual event. While next year she won't be eligible for the grant because she doesn't plan to attend the same camp, she said she will look for new ways to raise money. She also hopes to ask the Bonner Springs Police Department to participate to provide more safety information to the parents and children.

"It was definitely stressful at times," Davis said of planning the event. "At the end I was so relieved. It made me happy to know I helped these lower-income families."

Davis tries to volunteer her time as much as possible. She said she usually picks a random volunteer opportunity off the "Volunteer Board" at Notre Dame de Sion in Kansas City, Mo., where she attends school, and has helped her mother in the past with Rotary Club projects.

Davis said that volunteering was just part of who she is. As a Christian, Davis said she just wants to be able to help other people anyway she can.

"It makes me definitely feel better about myself," she said. "I like helping people. It makes me feel good and it's something everyone should do."

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