Registration is now open for Walk to School Day – October 7, 2009
News Release
April 27, 2009
CHAPEL HILL, NC —Registration is open for 2009 Walk to School Day, aninternational event where communities from more than 40 countries jointogether to walk and bicycle to school. Walk to School Day is October7, 2009.
To register a Walk to School event, please visit www.walktoschool.org/register. Registration is free and available to individuals or organizations holding an event in the U.S. Registered schools will be displayed on an interactive map on the U.S. Walk toSchool Web site (www.walktoschool.org), where neighboring communities, media and other organizations will be able to view participating schools.
By registering, Walk to School organizers gain access to a variety ofdownloadable materials, including certificates, templates for printingstickers and a frequent walker punch card. Registrants can alsosubscribe to a weekly Walk to School e-newsletter with tips and resources on holding a Walk to School event.
Since 1997, communities around the country have been celebrating Walkto School Day. In its twelfth year, participation reached a record high with more than 2,800 events from all fifty states and the District of Columbia registering on the Walk to School Web site(www.walktoschool.org) in 2008. Many more communities held events but did not register. Around the globe, International Walk to School Month brought together more than 40 countries in recognition of the common interest in walking to school.
Walk to School events are a way for schools and communities to build enthusiasm for walking to school, promote the benefits of walking and bicycling and bring visibility to any safety concerns. More than one-half (55 percent) of events are part of ongoing efforts to promotewalking and bicycling throughout the year. According to a survey by the National Center for Safe Routes to School (www.saferoutesinfo.org), the top three reasons communities participate in Walk to School Day are: physical activity/obesity prevention, support for a Safe Routes toSchool program, and pedestrian safety.
For more information on Walk to School activities in the U.S., pleasevisit www.walktoschool.org.
To see photos from past events, pleasevisit www.iwalktoschool.org/photos/. Both the U.S. and the International Walk to School Web sites are hosted by the National Center for Safe Routes to School. For more information, contact Raquel Rivas at (919) 962-5835.
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