Wearing a helmet while riding a bike or skateboarding can mean the difference between receiving a small bump on the head and being seriously injured.

But knowing how to pick out the right helmet and have it correctly fitted can be difficult. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. tomorrow, parents can bring their kids to the Kohl’s at 17601 N.E. Union Hill Rd. in Redmond for a free helmet fitting and giveaway.

Seattle Children’s Hospital and Kohl’s will host the event.

Stacy Helton, Health and Safety Van coordinator for Seattle Children’s, said they will be giving away bike helmets and multi-sport helmets for youths from ages 1-18 on a first-come-first-serve basis. The kids and teens will be fitted by a trained helmet fitter, who will also talk parents through the process so they will be able to do fittings themselves in the future. Families will also receive a flier with information on how to do a helmet fitting for reference.

Helton said they will also be educating families on the importance of helmets, adding that wearing a proper helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent when involved in a crash.

In addition to bike helmets, Seattle Children’s will also be giving away multi-sport helmets, which Helton said are made for more “aggressive” sports such as trick biking, Rollerblading and skateboarding.

Helton said Seattle Children’s has done these helmet fitting events throughout the Puget Sound area and Tri-Cities in eastern Washington for four years. The last time they held an event in Redmond was in 2010.

“We’re really excited to go back and serve the City of Redmond,” Helton said.

She said when they were in Redmond the last time, the lines got long really fast and they gave away about 300 helmets. For tomorrow’s event, they are bringing 500 helmets.

“I learned,” she said with a laugh.

In the four years of the program’s existence, Seattle Children’s has distributed 19,000 helmets and Saturday’s event will push the program past its goal of distributing 4,000 helmets this year.

While Seattle Children’s provides the bike and multi-sport helmets in the spring, summer and fall months, Helton said they also give away helmets for skiing and snowboarding during the winter months.

“That can really make a difference for (families) financially,” she said, referring to the high cost of skiing and snowboarding equipment.

Seattle Children’s holds these events thanks to a grant through the Kohl’s Cares program. Mike Whatley, district manager for Kohl’s, will be onsite to present Seattle Children’s a check for $162,676 to fund the helmet safety program.

“Since 2007, Kohl’s has donated more than $1 million dollars to the hospital, and this Saturday, we are happy to announce our latest gift,” Whatley said. “We are very proud of the incredible work the hospital is doing to keep kids safe in our community.”

In addition to providing grants to community programs like the one at Seattle Children’s, Whatley said Kohl’s sells Kohl’s Cares merchandise including books and plush toys. All of the net profits from these sales benefit health and educational opportunities for children nationwide, he said.

“Each Kohl’s Cares purchase helps Kohl’s support more than 160 hospital partners nationwide,” Whatley said.