International Walk & Roll to School Day
Firefighters of the Prince William County Fire and Rescue System will join students, from selective schools around the county, to celebrate International Walk to School Day. Although the official event occurs on Wednesday, October 4th, Prince William County schools will be extending the activity throughout the month known as “Walktober”.
The Walk to School Day/Walktober event will begin at various times corresponding with the school’s opening. Students, along with parents, and community leaders will walk from meeting points along the walker’s route. Walkers at some schools will be joined by Fire & Rescue personnel as they exit the buses and enter the schools for the day. The event raises awareness of the need to create safer routes for our children when walking and biking. In addition, it emphasizes important issues as increasing physical activity among children, pedestrian safety, traffic congestion and concern for the environment. International Walk to School Day is a global event involving communities from more than 40 countries walking and biking to school on the same day.
“Communities deserve safe places to walk and bike,” states Chief Tom LaBelle of the Prince William County Fire & Rescue System. “What better place to start than with our children who travel to and from school, nine months out of the year. Participation in Walk to School activities, by our schools, not only heightens the importance of safe routes, daily, to and from school, but encourages students to be active and healthy. These events build connections between families, schools, and the broader community. We’d like to thank our partner, Prince William County Public Schools, for their support and commitment to the health, safety, and well-being of our students in Prince William County.”
For additional local information and a complete list of schools participating, please contact Christopher Brothers at 703-792-7736. For additional information, please visit these websites:
National Center for Safe Routes to School
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 United States.
• 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 United States, 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.