Ian’s Foundation was formed in memory of Ian Fincke to advance the safety and welfare of San Antonio’s youth. Through unique educational and recreational programming, our foundation seeks to provide a platform by which San Antonio’s youth are exposed to consequences of accidental trauma, encouraged to engage in activities and behavior aligned with personal safety, and pursue individual academic excellence

Our goal is to attend local health fairs and bicycling events throughout San Antonio and properly fit the youth of San Antonio with helmets and encourage the use of helmets when riding anything with wheels such as bicycling, skating, or riding a skateboard, scooter or hover board. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability in children in the United States. In Texas alone, over 4,000 patients 19 and younger were reported in local emergency rooms in 2013. Thousands of Texans are permanently disabled every year from TBI and many do not survive.

Every 4 minutes a Texan sustains a TBI Every 30 minutes a Texan is hospitalized with a TBI Every 80 minutes a Texan is permanently disabled by a TBI (Statistics obtained from the Texas Traumatic Brain Injury Council)

In 2010 in the U.S., 800 bicyclists were killed and an estimated 515,000 sustained bicycle-related injuries that required emergency department care. Roughly half of these cyclists were children and adolescents under the age of 20. Those who survive a TBI can face effects lasting a few days to disabilities which may last them their whole lives. Effects of a TBI can include impaired thinking or memory, movement and sensation such as vision or hearing as well as emotional functioning including personality changes and depression. These issues not only affect individuals but can have lasting effects on families and communities. (Source: US Center for Disease Control)

Why is San Antonio one of the only major cities in the state of Texas without a helmet safety law to protect our youth?

Help us be HEADS ABOVE the rest of the state of TEXAS and protect our youth by helping to get a youth helmet safety law passed in San Antonio. Ian’s Foundation is looking to partner with a large helmet safety manufacturer and with their support and expertise provide helmets and proper fitting to thousands of children that otherwise would not be able to afford one. Our goal is to work with local organizations at health fairs and other community activities as well as bike rodeos throughout San Antonio to reach the youth that enjoy participating in these wheeled activities and with our help allow them to do it safely. We are in need of sponsors to help with the cost of the helmets as well as volunteers to help organize and coordinate these safety opportunities.