Students at the John Hetra Early Childhood Development Center, Farrell, took to their wheels Friday, and raised money for children's cancer research in the deal.

About 100 Head Start, early intervention and Farrell Area Day Care students participated in a trike-a-thon, ending a weeklong cycle safety program.

Parents of 28 of the students circulated sponsor sheets and their children's pedal power raised $1,037 for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tenn., said registered nurse Cindy Saulsbery, Head Start health and nutrition assistant.

Ms. Saulsbery and Janet Augustine, a licensed practical nurse, visited classrooms throughout the week.

"Every day this week," Ms. Saulsbery said Friday, "we went into the classroom and did a (tricycle) safety lesson."

At the trike-a-thon, children were invited to take their tricycles and bicycles to pedal through a safety course, with Ms. Saulsbery's husband, Ken, a Conneaut Lake Regional Police patrolman, pointing the way.

Many parents accompanied their children as they pedaled to school.

Dean Dairy Products donated drinks and Wal-Mart donated two trikes, which Kayla Barton and Brad Phillips won by raffle.

Six bicycle helmets donated by Mercer County Safe Kids Coalition also were raffled off. They were won by Jazmine Jackson, Chyna Wilson, Travis Grunlin, Tyson Andrada, Gerald Coates and Andria Eggert.

Children who raised certain levels of money were eligible to receive T-shirts, duffel bags and other items, and the district is eligible for a gift for raising more than $750.

This was the first year for the trike-a-thon, but Ms. Saulsbery said she would like to do it again.

"I was really happy with this," she said. "The parents were really good with raising the money and we had a lot of parental involvement."