Maitland City Talk

At our last City Council meeting, I had the honor and pleasure of proclaiming Wednesday, Oct. 6 as International Walk to School Day in the city of Maitland. I was honored to have presented the proclamation to Dr. Toni Moody, founder of Health Masters Club and Jody Lazar, involved parent and member of the Parks and Recreation Board.

Since 1997, communities around the U.S. have been celebrating Walk to School Day and globally, International Walk to School Month, brings together more than 40 countries in recognition of the common interest in walking to school. In 2007, participation increased 35 percent, reaching a record high of 2,755 events!

With our busy schedules and hectic days, we oftentimes forget the simple tasks that bring us quality time with our children. I encourage you to take this time in the mornings to talk to your children, get them excited for the day, and just spend a few minutes enjoying their childhood, as it will be over before you can blink an eye!

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. Here in Maitland, our schools are a major part of our community and there are convenient walking paths to make traveling to school easier for our residents.

Some interesting facts about Walk to School Day are:

•Walk to School Day was established in the U.S. in 1997 by the Partnership for a Walkable America. In 2000, Canada, Great Britain and the U.S. 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.

•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.

•In addition to improving our health, walking or biking to school helps to protect the environment. When our kids make the decision to walk or bike to school instead of being driven, they reduce the amount of air pollutants emitted by automobiles.

As a community that is striving to become a green city, I encourage each of you to take those extra few steps in the morning and reduce our carbon footprint in any way we can. Many thanks to the countless volunteers who work so hard for the betterment of our children and families.