Walking for Health Skills and Safety

Safe Routes Berks presents:

A one-day professional development experience for K-8

Health and PE Educators

Safe Routes Berks is a new program that introduces walking and cycling as fun, healthy, and environmentally friendly activities for children ages 5-13.  This professional development training is comprised of a 6 hour tutorial on pedestrian skills and safety lessons – including getting on and off of a school bus safely. Berks County teachers, public or private, who complete the training receive full access to the online resources and print materials, including teacher’s guide, activity books for students, and educational videos.  Teachers will be given creative lessons and activities to fill existing curriculum -- as everything provided is aligned to state standards both for PE/health related lessons, and cross-curricular lessons.  In addition to walking for health skills and safety lessons, teachers will be provided materials for their students to learn to view their feet as good means of recreation, exercise and transportation.

Where and when: March 20, 2012 8 AM – 3:00 PM BCIU Education Centre 2101 Centre Avenue (Route 61) Reading, PA 19605

Why: Obtain 6 Act 48 hours Receive new PDE lessons for life-long fitness Augment your school’s wellness plan Substitute teacher costs reimbursed to your district No cost to participate

Don’t forget: Bring your walking shoes- - this is an active workshop!

Instructions for Registering on MyLearningPlan: ·         Go to www.berksiu.org ·         Click on the “Quick Links” drop down box toward the top of the main page. ·         Choose “MyLearningPlan” from the list. ·         Select Step 1: “Click here to view course catalog”. ·         Events are in order by dates. Scroll down to “date of event” or enter the title in the “Search Term” box. Then click “View Now” ·         Choose “title of event” session by clicking on the course title for course description and enrollment information. ·         Select “Click to Enroll” and then choose the link that applies to you. Example, “I’m a new user”. ·         Enter your information as instructed.

The Safe Routes Berks educational program is funded in part through a Transportation Enhancement grant from the Federal Highway Administration - U.S. Department of Transportation, through the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Reading Area Transportation Study.

MOTHER LEADS FOUR DAY -- 75 Mile -- WALK FROM EARTH DAY TO PA STATE CAPITOL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
MOTHER LEADS FOUR DAY WALK FROM EARTH DAY TO PA STATE CAPITOL

Contact: Michele Barrett, mbarrett@walkbikeberks.org, 610-323-2999, 484-638-1391

Berks County, PA: 8:30 AM Saturday, April 30: From Earth Day to the Stairs of the Pennsylvania State Capitol Building, a suburban housewife and mother of two is beginning a four day journey (75 Miles) to bring attention to transportation needs of those who do not drive a car for every trip they make.

Founder of WalkBikeBerks, and now Safe Routes To School Coordinator for the organization, Michele Barrett will be walking to Harrisburg to draw awareness to the importance and the needs of those that bicycle and walk for transportation and recreation. " I am walking for Freedom, Mobility and Safety -- because the loss of even one more life on our transportation system is not acceptable. Recently, a news reporter asked me if we are doing enough to provide safety on our streets. I could only answer, 'When a person dies on the streets we pay for and build -- no -- we obviously have not done all that we can do.' Too often, we blame the victim of the collision, without ever asking: Was there any responsibility in the design of the street?"

In an effort to build a better transportation system that meets the needs of all road users, WalkBikeBerks was formed to bring Complete Streets and Safe Routes to School to Berks County PA. Now, Michele hopes to bring the message from Transportation for America's recent publication: Dangerous by Design, which can be found here: http://t4america.org/docs/dangerousbydesign/dangerous_by_design.pdf.

This walk to the PA State Capitol Building will end at the PA Walks & Bikes Summit. Along the Schuylkill River Trail: Thun Trail from Pottstown to RACC, other people will be joining Michele at various locations. She will be stopping in Birdsboro, PA on April 30th on her way to the Wyomissing Earth Day where WalkBikeBerks will be a presenter. Michele will stop in Birdsboro to highlight one of several Transportation Enhancements projects that will make locations in Berks County safer for pedestrians and all road users. Michele plans to be in Birdsboro mid-morning.

Participants in the walk are only asked to do one thing: please carry your own message for why walking -- Freedom, Mobility and Safety -- is important to you. Bring the whole family? Berks County has some beautiful trails. The weather forecast calls for a high of 69 degrees and sun.

Click here[http://www.schuylkillrivertrail.com/index.php?/trail/overview/pottstown_to_reading/] for Route Map, a total of about 20 miles from Pottstown to the location of the Wyomissing Earth Day event.

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Help us make your neighborhood better for walking and biking. Join us today.
www.walkbikeberks.org

If you Run, Walk, or Bicycle in Berks County, Take Our Survey.

Walk Bike Berks Travel Survey: Click Here to Begin.

Mount Penn Elementary School Wins Berks County Walk to School Challenge!

Here is our letter of Congratulations to the Winner:
WalkBikeBerks ● PO Box 6795 ● Wyomissing ● PA ● 19610
February 23, 2011

Mount Penn Elementary School
Antietam School District
2310 Cumberland Ave.
Mt. Penn, PA 19606

Dear Mrs. Bleacher,

Congratulations! Your commitment to increase the number of students who use active transportation to and from your school each day is a remarkable achievement.
WalkBikeBerks would like to recognize you for the wonderful efforts you make every day to care for the health and safety of the students at Mount Penn Elementary.

WalkBikeBerks is awarding your school $500.00 to build better walking and bicycling for Mount Penn Elementary School. Please email info@walkbikeberks.org with a good time for us to present you and your students with the Walk to School Challenge Cash Prize of $500.00.

We applaud you for identifying walking and bicycling as every day activities that will help school age students maintain healthy body weights, breathe cleaner air, and prepare their bodies for a successful day of study while at school.

Please find the attached graphs which reveal the results of our Walk to School Challenge. You can see that Mount Penn is the winning school for the highest percentage of students who walk and bicycle to school for this competition! Well done! Your program is an excellent example for all of the school districts in Berks County. Your students, your staff, and your community should be proud that you are making student health and safety a priority.

We look forward to helping you continue to build on your past success. When you work to increase the number of students who walk and bicycle to school, fewer students may suffer from overweight/obesity related issues such as Type II Diabetes, asthma, heart disease, some cancers, and mental health concerns such as depression and anxiety. WalkBikeBerks remains committed to helping you increase the number of students who use active transportation to Mount Penn Elementary.

Sincerely,
Michele Barrett
Safe Routes to School Chair

Our Streets Are Dangerous By Design

Dangerous By Design

Recently, several pedestrians in various locations in Berks County have been struck while walking across our streets. Too often, the victim is found to be at fault for walking where pedestrians are not allowed to walk. Such is the case with the following story reported in the Reading Eagle Newspaper:

"A woman and her adult son were struck by a car and injured Monday night while crossing the Fifth Street Highway near the Fairgrounds Square Mall in Muhlenberg Township, police said.

The 60-year-old woman and her 25-year-old son.... were walking to the mall and crossing the road ... when they were both struck by a southbound car ... Reading, police said.
...
[Driver] was not at fault, police said, adding that the area is clearly marked with a "No pedestrian crossing" sign

...Investigators said she had a green light and did not see the pedestrians in time to stop..."

In the report released by Transportation for America:
In the last 15 years, more than 76,000 Americans have been killed while crossing or walking along a street in their community. Children, the elderly and ethnic minorities are disproportionately represented in this figure, but people of all ages and all walks of life have been struck down in the simple act of walking. These deaths typically are labeled “accidents,” and attributed to error on the part of motorist or pedestrian. In fact, however, an overwhelming proportion share a similar factor: They occurred along roadways that were dangerous by design, streets that were engineered for speeding cars and made little or no provision for people on foot, in wheelchairs or on a bicycle.

The answer: Prevent deaths and promote health with safer design!

YOU can make walking and bicycling better in Berks!

It's simple. Sharing your story can change the lives of others in Berks County. Tell us about yourself. You decide what you do and do not want to share online -- but know that your story will encourage others to try biking or walking more often.

Over the coming months, WalkBikeBerks will be posting photos and stories of those who choose to walk or bike in Berks County. Answer the easy questions below, and make a better Berks County for all of us. Send your photo and email to info@walkbikeberks.org with answers to the following questions:

1. Tell us about your first bicycle. What did you love most about riding that bike? In a word, what did that bike mean to you?
2. Tell us about the bike you own today. What do you love most about your bike -- and your bike ride?
3. Did you walk or ride your bike to school as a child? If yes, take a moment to describe your walk or bike ride to school.
4. What in a word, what do you miss about those moments?
5. Do your children / grandchildren walk or bike to school now? Why or why not?
6. If you could change anything about your bike route -- what would you change and why?
   
7. Will you consider joining us in October for Walk (Bike or Roll) to School Day in Berks County?
8. And again in May for Bike Month?

Thank you for helping more people walk and bike safely in Berks County.

BCTV: Special Guest -- Berks County Conservancy

Click the Image to watch Mr. Lloyd from the Berks County Conservancy speak to Bob Hospidor about walking the trails in Berks County -- Neversink Mountain.

Let's Move!: First Lady Column on Physical Activity

Let's Move!: First Lady Column on Physical Activity

I remember when I was a kid, all my friends and I wanted to do after school was run around outside until dinner. And even then, we didn't really want to come inside. But now, with video games, the internet, and entire TV networks geared toward kids, there's a lot more competition for our children's free time. And as we've seen more and more, when kids aren't moving, when they're not active, they're less likely to grow up healthy — and it's a significant factor in our country's building epidemic of childhood obesity.


So in our first year of Let's Move!, we've worked hard to reignite the magic of play and get kids moving again. We've worked with sports leagues like Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League, with pro athletes and nonprofit leaders. And with Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees and gold-medal gymnast Dominique Dawes at the helm, we've established a revamped President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition.

Kids are moving all over the country, from schools to our greatest national parks. Families have joined in as we reach for our goal of one million Americans to take the PALA Challenge. With this program, everyone, from a pre-schooler to grandma and grandpa, can earn the President's Active Lifestyle Award with just an hour a day of physical activity for kids and 30 minutes for adults. So we're working to set good habits that can continue long after the challenge is over.

Plus, more than 3,500 schools participated in Walk to School Month. Gyms have introduced family days with fun activities for the kids, and neighborhoods all across the country have broken ground on new playgrounds and parks for families. And the Departments of Interior and Agriculture have teamed up to get kids outdoors — from local parks and pathways to our beautiful national lands and waterways — with Let's Move Outside!

So Let's Move! isn't just the name of an initiative. Those two little words are a call to action — something we want kids to say more and more. Because playing around shouldn't be something they feel like they have to do — it should be something they want to do. The more they dance, the more they kick around the soccer ball with friends, chances are they're going to want to keep doing it even more.

That's what we're working toward — a future where kids are having fun, feeling better about themselves, and on the road to a healthier future. And if we as parents have to call a couple extra times to get them to come inside for dinner, that's not all bad either.

- First Lady Michelle Obama

This article is being distributed in celebration of the Let's Move! one-year anniversary and can be shared with your friends, neighbors and anyone else interested in solving the epidemic of childhood obesity materials. Check www.letsmove.gov for additional free materials, including copies of our new PSAs.

Meet Me At the Crowne Plaza

I just KNOW that you are planning to watch the Steelers VS Packers game tomorrow night. Please, watch the game with me! I'll serve you drinks and snacks...and you can relax and enjoy the game! A special thank you to community members who are stepping up to help us make the night a success for you!

Michele Barrett, Guest Bartender
Judy Schwank, Celebrity Bartender

Crowne Plaza
1741 Papermill Road, Wyomissing, PA 19610
6:30 - 8:30 PM

WalkBikeBerks will earn 10% of Sales and ALL tips/donations earned at the bar during the Super Bowl XLV .

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