Be Cool Walk to School, Be Alive Don't Drive: International Walk to School Day is Wednesday

School children in Mill Valley will be joining schools from around the world to celebrate International Walk and Roll to School Day on October 9, 2013, among the 50+ Marin County Schools who will be participating as part of the Transportation Authority of Marin’s Safe Routes to Schools (SR2S) program. 

Several hundred students from Mill Valley will be walking and biking to school (or taking carpools) Wednesday, October 9th, 2013 along with parents, teachers, and principals.

County Supervisor Kate Sears will walk with families from the Alto Sutton neighborhood to Edna Maguire School. Mayor Andy Berman will walk with school families to Old Mill School; City Council members Stephanie Moulton-Peters will walk from City Hall to Old Mill School and Shawn Marshall will join the Middle School for the festivities.

The event will begin at 8:00 am with kids, parents, and community leaders walking from many rendezvous points around the City. Parent volunteers will greet students as they arrive at welcome tables offering fun walk and bike buttons and healthy snacks.

In the U.S., International Walk to School Day is expected to include 5,000 schools from all 50 states. Walkers from the U.S. will join children and adults in 40 countries around the world. 

Walk to School events work to encourage families to switch from driving alone to walking and biking or carpools, they highlight the need for safer routes for walking and bicycling and emphasize the importance of increasing physical activity among children, pedestrian safety, reducing traffic congestion, concern for the environment and building connections between families, schools and the broader community. 

The event is being organized by volunteer teams at each school supported by the Marin County Safe Routes to Schools program and the Mill Valley SR2S Task Force, Chaired in Mill Valley by Stephanie Moulton-Peters.

For additional local information, please contact Stephanie at smoultonpeters@comcast.net , or 415 302-6032.

About International Walk to School Day

• Walk to School Day was established in the United States in 1997 by the Partnership for a Walkable America. Canada and Great Britain already had walk to school programs in place. In 2000, these three countries joined together to create International Walk to School Day. 
• In May 2006, the National Center for Safe Routes to School was established to assist communities in enabling and encouraging children to safely walk and bike to school. 
• The National Center for Safe Routes to School serves as the national coordinating agency for Walk to School activities in the USA.
• Today, more than 5,000 schools in the USA participate in International Walk to School Day. Nearly 4 million people participate in approximately 40 countries as part of International Walk to School. 
• Walk to School Day began as a simple idea – children and parents, school and local officials walking to school together on a designated day. It is an energizing event, reminding everyone of the simple joy of walking to school, the health benefits of regular daily activity, and the need for safe places to walk and bike. Schools focus on health, safety, physical activity and concern for the environment.
• Organizations supporting International Walk to School Day in the U.S. include America Walks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Highway Administration, the Institute of Transportation Engineers, the National Center for Bicycling and Walking, the National Center for Safe Routes to School, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Safe Kids Worldwide, and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership.