ELSANOR, Ala. — Rebecca Boyington, the director of the Elsanor Nursery School was firm with her young charges.

“You have to have a helmet, or you can’t ride,” she told an anxious boy.

Fortunately there were spare helmets and trikes around, so all the youngsters got a chance to ride in the school’s “St. Jude Bike-a-thon,” an annual event at the school, just off U.S. Highway 90 in the Church Of God Of Prophecy. The bike riders ranged from 2 to 6 years of age.

“We have been doing this for a few years,” said Boyington, adding that the youngsters had raised about $600 for the Memphis hospital before the event.

The day care staff was busy keeping youngsters from colliding while riding counterclockwise around the parking lot.

But, despite their best efforts, one small boy went down in a trike-trike collision.

“Do you want to get back on or do you want to rest a while?” asked the staff member after checking the boy for injuries.

“I want to go,” said the boy, pushing off this trike.