Walk to School Day Celebrates Walkable, Active Communities in North Carolina and Nationwide
October 7, 2014
North Carolina schools join more than 4,000 Walk to School Day events around the country.
Raleigh, N.C. (October 6, 2014) – On Wednesday, October 8, thousands of students and parents in hundreds of communities across North Carolina will walk and bicycle to school in celebration of International Walk to School Day. This one-day event is part of an international effort to encourage more families to get out of their cars and onto their feet to enjoy the many benefits of safely walking and bicycling to school.
More than 140 schools across the state have registered for the eighteenth annual event, setting record participation for North Carolina. The total number of events is expected to grow as celebrations continue through October.
Walk to School Day was founded in1997 as a way to bring community leaders and children together to bring awareness of the need for communities to be more walkable. The first Walk to School Day began with a single school. Since then, Walk to School Day participation has grown every year, with a record setting 4,458 registered events in 2013.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation and the North Carolina Division of Public Health work together to support walking and biking to school through Active Routes to School. Active Routes to School is a North Carolina Safe Routes to School project encouraging safe and active travel to and from school by promoting a safe, appealing environment for walking and biking.
“Walking and bicycling is a healthy form of transportation,” said Lauren A. Blackburn, AICP, Director of the Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation. “The NCDOT encourages families to look for ways to celebrate Walk to School Day in early October and throughout the school year.”
North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Safe Routes to School Program will join the students at Hominy Valley Elementary School in Candler, NC for their Walk to School Day celebration on October 8th. Students will be joined by the State Highway Patrol, the Sheriff’s Department and the Superintendent for Buncombe County Schools.
Walk to School events will be held nationwide on Wednesday and throughout the month of October. To view the names and locations of registered U.S. schools participating in Walk to School Day 2014, visit www.walkbiketoschool.org/go/whos-walking/2014.
Harnett Central Middle School – October 8th – All Day – Walk at School Event
Gentry Elementary School – October 8th – 8:30 – Walk at School Event
Highland Middle School – October 8th – 7:30 – Walk to School Event
Buies Creek Elementary – October 10th – 7:40 – Walk to School Event
Erwin Elementary – October 21st – 7:40 – Walk to School Event
