News Release
October 2, 2006
Denver Public Schools Celebrate International Walk To School Day On October 4, 2006
Colorado Walks will be joining Denver Public Schools, the City of Denver, and representatives from the Colorado General Assembly in celebrating International Walk to School Day at University Park Elementary School, 2300 S. St. Paul, in Denver on October 4, 2006. Telephone 303-756-9407.
Approximately 340 students from University Park will be walking to school Wednesday, October 4, 2006 along with parents, teachers, and community leaders. Community leaders participating in the walk include Denver Public School Board President Theresa Pena, Denver City Councilman Charlie Brown, and local state legislators.
The walking school buses begin at 8:15 a.m. with kids, parents and community leaders walking from the Observatory Park tennis courts at E. Warren Avenue and S Milwaukee St., and S. St. Paul St. at E. Harvard Ave. Walkers will arrive at the school at 8:35 a.m. The walk will conclude will a press conference on the South side of University Park Elementary at 8:40 a.m.
Colorado expects approximately 20,000 students from over 50 schools in 16 towns to join the movement and walk to school on October 4, 2006. 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 create safer routes for walking and bicycling and emphasize the importance of issues such as increasing physical activity among children, pedestrian safety, traffic congestion, concern for the environment and building connections between families, schools and the broader community.
The event is being organized by the University Park Parent Teacher Organization, Denver Public Schools, and Colorado Walks. For additional information, please contact Gay Page at 303-549-5081.
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.