PROSPECT HILL – Reggie Nelums goes by the biker name of Wolf when he’s roaring around town on his Yamaha Venture. But he seemed more like a gentle lamb on Friday, July 25, when he pulled into the Prospect Hill Community Health Center to take part in the health center’s annual back-to-school event.

Nelums was among about two dozen members of area motorcycle clubs taking part in the event, a day of healthy fun. The health center provided health check-ups for the kids and supplied popcorn and ice pops as well as music and hula hoops for them to play with. The bikers donated school supplies, which they brought via a motorcycle caravan. After offloading the supplies, they let kids sit on their bikes.

“This is a worthy cause,” said Nelums, a Durham resident and disabled veteran. “It helps our school kids to get healthy and to get a better education. We need to help our children because a lot of them are forgotten. This is something that is worthwhile to do. I’m glad to be a part of it.”

The event was the second annual back-to-school day for Prospect Hill Community Health Center, one of eight health centers in central North Carolina operated by Carrboro-based Piedmont Health. Tinesha Smith, Assistant Care Manager for the center, explained to the gathered crowd that the fun-filled event had a larger purpose.

“Too many times, parents take their kids to the doctor only when they’re sick,” Smith said. “We figured going back to school was a good time to focus on preventive care… We’re just trying to educate our parents and focus on preventive care.”

An added benefit was that children could get vaccinations, which in some cases are required before school begins, she explained.

At the event, more than two dozen received medical care and preventive dental check-ups getting them ready to return to school. Caswell County’s first day of school is August 25, and Orange County’s first day is August 26. Four physicians and three dentists provided the care.

Smith led the bikers – clad in leather vests representing the club to which they belonged – on a tour of the center. She explained the center’s operations to the bikers: how it offers a variety of health-related services beyond medical care, such as dental care, nutrition counseling, social work and programs such as the farm worker outreach program. “We like to call it a one-stop shop,” she said.

While the center accepts all forms of health insurance, it provides high-quality care regardless of a patient’s ability to pay, Smith said. A partnership with the University of North Carolina School of Medicine has helped expand services to the point where the center has added five examination rooms in the past year, upping the total to 20, she explained.

The biker contingent also rose from last year – up from three motorcycle clubs to four: United Riders of Martinsville, Horses of Steel of Roxboro, The Spot of Danville, and Drag Racers of Cedar Grove. Dr. William Sweezer, a heart surgeon at Duke University who is the informal leader of the biker contingent, said the group has grown through social media and word-of-mouth.

Safe Kids of Durham and Sista Girlz, a social club based in Cedar Grove, also sponsored the event. Ten health center employees, including four medical providers, also provided support for the back to school supplies.

“Everyone has children, everyone has grandchildren,” Sweezer said, explaining the event’s appeal. “We all know the importance of education. We all know how important it is to take care of ourselves.”

All well and good, but other aspects of the event seemed to resonate more with Ryan Pherribo, 13, of Cedar Grove, and Miles Jefferson, 11, of Pelham. The boys were sitting in the health center’s lobby enjoying ice pops after playing a corn hole game.

Asked what their favorite part of the day was, Ryan said it was “cooking popcorn,” while Miles said it was “getting on the motorcycle.” The boys got their photos taken on the bikes; Miles said he was going to post his photo on Instagram.

The Scott Community Health Center in Burlington will hold a similar back-to-school event on Tuesday, Aug. 19 from 4-7:30 p.m. If you want your child to take part in a fun health care event, please contact Fabiola Chavez at (336) 421-3247.