about us

The ThinkFirst PEI Chapter, though relatively young, has benefited tremendously from its affiliation with the Island Network for Injury Prevention (INIP), which has been addressing injuries to children and youth since its inception in 2000. ThinkFirst PEI and INIP joined forces in 2004 when INIP was looking for a curriculum on injury prevention for kindergarten aged children and discovered TD ThinkFirst for Kids Kindergarten Wonderers!

For more information, please contact Chapter Coordinators Sally Lockhart at sally@spectrumsolutions.com and Rhonda Garland at garland_rhonda@hotmail.com.

what we do

ThinkFirst PEI works in partnership with INIP members Public Health, Family Resource Centres, Kindergartens, the Police, Highway Safety, and the Medical Society of PEI. We focus on brain and spinal cord injury prevention in kindergarten aged kids through the ThinkFirst Hard Heads Bicycle Helmet Program, taught by kindergarten teachers to their students. We also participate in Family Expos and the WalMart Helmet Fitting Clinics.

success stories

• Our ThinkFirst Hard Heads program has been delivered to more than 900 children since we began. We have also participated in a research study evaluating our program led by Dr. Michael Cusimano from St. Michaels Hospital in Toronto. Dr. Cusimano has found that knowledge increased significantly between the pre and immediate post test following the program and that this knowledge remained for at least one month following the program. Findings from this research have been presented at Canadian and International injury prevention conferences.
• Operation Headway was an extremely successful event in 2009 and had a huge media draw. ThinkFirst PEI was able to mobilize the police force to give tickets for not wearing helmets and rewards to helmet wearers (ice cream shops, like Dairy Queen, donated coupons for free treats for those wearing helmets). Those ticketed had the option of going to an education seminar on head injury and helmet use in lieu of paying fines.

fundraising initiatives

While we do not have any events planned at the moment we are always thrilled by donations of any size. Help us spread the ThinkFirst message! Please donate to the PEI chapter by clicking here, be sure to note in the instructions that funds are to be directed to the PEI chapter. Alternatively, you can send a cheque care of the National Office at Suite 314-750 Dundas St. W, Toronto, ON, M6J 3S3. Please note on your cheque that the donation should be directed to the PEI Chapter.

advisory board

We are grateful for the valuable expertise from our Advisory Board:

Marie Brine, Occupational Therapist
Rhonda Garland, ThinkFirst PEI
Sally Lockhart, Chair of the Island Network for Injury Prevention
Karen MacCarville, Kids West Family Resource Centre
Cathy McCormack, Department of Education and early Childhood Development
Jan Rankin-Collie, Kids Count The Learning Fund

55

55 helmets given away this year!

15

15 classrooms presented to!