MENDOCINO COUNTY — Oct. 3 marks the 16th annual Walk to School Day. To celebrate, the Mendocino County Health and Human Services Agency is working with schools and community members to support children to safely walk or bike to school on that day, to improve their health, reduce traffic and pollution and have fun.
Motorists are asked to keep an eye out for children on their way to or from school and drive carefully, on that day and every day.
Originally started in Chicago in 1997, Walk to School Day became an international event in 2000. Walk to School Day has grown to include more than 4,000 events nationwide, as well as many others around the world.
Walk to School Day provides an opportunity to highlight the joys and health benefits of choosing active transportation, such as walking or bicycling.
Mendocino County Public Health”s Safe Routes to Schools Program, funded through a Community Transformation Grant, is promoting Walk to School Day throughout the county by providing resources and assistance to interested schools or parent groups. Public Health will offer safety vests for parent guides, a sign board for schools to announce the event, as well as incentives for students who participate on Oct. 3. All Walk to School activities will have adult chaperones to assure the children”s safety.
Walking to school has many health benefits, including reducing the risk of obesity and diabetes, environmental benefits such as reducing traffic and air pollution around schools and helps to foster community relationships as people walk together. Public Health”s Safe Routes to Schools program aims to increase physical activity while addressing safety concerns to help create an environment where people of all ages can safely walk or bicycle as a viable means of transportation. Studies show that the higher the number of people walking and biking, the safer each one is.
Parents who would like to get involved in Walk to School Day in their communitys can contact the principal or Parent/Teacher Organization group at their school or contact Jessica Stull-Otto, Public Health”s Safe Routes to Schools coordinator, at 472-2608 or stullj@co.mendocino.ca.us. To learn more about International Walk to School Day, go to www.walkbiketoschool.org.
