A ceremony before the Oak Harbor Youth Football League games at Fort Nugent Park Saturday, Sept. 6, acknowledged the Oak Harbor Rotary Club’s purchase of 77 helmets for the local teams.

A combination of a Rotary Club donation of $5,100 and a Rotary International grant of $4,250 purchased the helmets.

The helmets and accompanying face masks are state-of-the-art Xenith X2 models, noted for reducing the risk of concussions.

Oak Harbor Rotary Club President Aaron Syring said the club received “a lot of input from club members on what projects could make an impact in the community,” and the purchase of the helmets “seemed like a good opportunity to help our community.”

This was the first time the local club requested a grant from Rotary International, Syring said.

“It was neat that Rotary International agreed that it was a need,” he said. “They saw its as a way to broaden the brand.”

Eric Marshall, president of the Oak Harbor Youth Football League, said, “Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of the Rotary Club of Oak Harbor and Rotary International District 5050, we were able to allocate funds normally used to recondition and replace helmets, which is a huge expense for our league, toward purchasing new shoulder pads and other safety equipment.

“Additionally, because all helmets can only be reconditioned so many times before they become unsafe for use, this donation has increased the shelf life of our helmets.”

Jim Bird, who was the Oak Harbor Rotary president when the club first submitted the grant request, said, “The need is pretty profound; helmets are a pretty important feature. Preventing brain injuries is at the top of our list.”

The club is requesting more grant money, Bird said, to “complete the purchase” of more helmets.

Mike Hakanson, who has since moved from the area, wrote the original grant, Bird said. Brian Jones, who helped initiate the idea of purchasing helmets, is writing the follow-up request, according to Bird.