Liberty Student-Athletes Support Walk to School Day
10/7/2011 12:00:00 AM
Student-athletes from many of Liberty's athletic teams joined six Lynchburg City Schools on Wednesday, volunteering to help with International Walk to School Day. Participation in the event was coordinated by Academic Affairs for Athletics office, who has been spearheading Liberty Athletics' community involvement with local schools.
Dearington, T.C. Miller, Perrymont, W.M. Bass, Linkhorne, and Payne Elementary schools took part in International Walk to School Day, which serves multiple purposes. Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS) is the driver of the initiative, aiming to create safer routes for children to walk and bike to school.
On the morning of the event, students met in several central locations close to their school. Parents, teachers and volunteers then walked as a group with the students, helping demonstrate a safe route to school while stressing the use of sidewalks and being cautious of traffic.
Liberty's volunteers, which included both student-athletes and staff members, helped in most aspects of the event. Aside from greeting students at the meeting points, volunteers were also placed at locations along the route to school. At these locations, they helped instruct the kids how to properly cross intersections, while also giving encouragement to participants.
Aside from encouraging safety in travel practices, International Walk to School Day emphasizes the importance of physical activity for youth, encouraging them to walk or bike to school opposed to taking the bus. While a large number of students used to walk to school in the morning, walktoschool.org reports that approximately 10% of children nationwide walk to school regularly.
Other issues highlighted by the event include traffic congestion, concern for the environment and building connections between families, schools and the broader community.
Walk to School Day was founded in 1997. This year, more than 3,800 schools across the nation registered their event online.
More pictures from the Flames' involvement in International Walk to School Day are available on Liberty's Academic Affairs for Athletics' facebook page, which can be accessed here.
