NASHUA, IA - It's a favorite morning treat for kids like Brooke Glover.
"I've eaten a lot!" she exclaimed.
And she wasn't the only one. Sunday morning, families from Nashua and Plainfield filled up on flap-jacks while they were hot for the taking.
Brooke's mom Michelle even agreed, "they're excellent, excellent!"
With every bite, the youngsters are fueling up for a fun, and safe summer.
Brooke's favorite activity is bike riding, and it can be a dangerous sport for kids who don't have the right equipment.
"Every child should have a helmet to wear outside when they're playing in the summer," said Michelle.
Thanks to the efforts of a local police officer, this is about to become a reality. Officer Paul Becthold is known as "Officer Friendly" to Nashua-Plainfield Elementary kids. He spends his days teaching youngsters the in's and out's of safety.
Two years ago, Becthold went to an accident between a car and a kid on a bike.
"It was one of my officer-friendly kids, and he was not wearing a bicycle helmet," he explained.
The child is okay, but the accident turned into a mission for Becthold. He wants every one of his "Officer Friendly" kids to own, and wear, a bike helmet.
Last month he started a fundraiser. His goal is to purchase more than two hundred helmets before summer. Becthold said parents and neighbors got behind his plan immediately.
"We got to about $4,000 just with the personal donations in the community and the businesses," he said.
The pancake breakfast is topping off their helmet drive. Plates piled high with hotcakes, and generous families pitched in the final dollars police need.
"I think it's awesome that our community here in Nashua is striving to meet the demands of that," commented Michelle.
By the time the syrup ran dry, Becthold was confident they'd met their goal. And he thanks the community for supporting his safety mission.
The Nashua Police Department is handing out the helmets to K-3rd graders during their annual "Bike Rodeo" in May. Becthold said the community response is so great, he's hoping to buy helmets every year for each new class of kindergartners.
