Walk/Bike to School Day, October 7

On Wednesday, October 7 you can be part of a walking school bus, or lead a group of young bicyclists …and join the Dear Congress campaign!

Join the Safe Routes to School “Dear Congress” campaign.

Deadline extended to October 23, 2009

Three weeks ago, the Safe Routes to School National Partnership called on parents, children, school officials, and community leaders to write “Dear Congress” letters to demonstrate the importance of the Safe Routes to School program. We’re now extending the campaign deadline until Friday, October 23.

So far, we have received over 150 meaningful and powerful letters from around the country. A few examples include: whole classes of students in Milwaukee, WI and Las Cruces, NM showing through words and pictures why they love to walk and bicycle to school; several city leaders in Tonganoxie, KS describing the numerous SRTS infrastructure needs remaining in their community; and parents and grandparents in Santa Cruz County, CA explaining why it’s important that children be able to safely walk and bicycle to school.

Even so, we know there are thousands more SRTS supporters out there who can lend their voices to this campaign. And now that Congress is delaying consideration of the six-year transportation bill for several months, we have some additional time to continue building support for Safe Routes to School.

The easiest way to get letters on Walk to School Day is to use our new “Dear Congress” letter template –it takes less than three minutes for a parent or attendee to fill in a few sentences about why they support SRTS, and to add their mailing address. Here are some instructions:

Print out at least 50 copies of the “Dear Congress” letter template and put them at the check-in area of your Walk to School Day event;

Make sure you have several pens, crayons, and clipboards there;

Have friendly volunteers ask adults to take a few minutes to fill out the letter and to encourage parents to have their children add a little drawing or note in crayon; and

Collect all the completed letters and mail them to the Partnership after your event.

We thank SRTS supporter Dawn Groth from Anchorage, Alaska for this great idea-she gathered over 60 letters from community members using this approach!

If you are not planning a Walk to School Day event in October, please consider writing your own letter for the “Dear Congress” campaign. For additional information, including ideas on what you can include in your letter, visit the website at www.saferoutespartnership.org/national/299443.

All letters should be sent to Margo Pedroso with the Safe Routes to School National Partnership by October 23, 2009. You can scan and email electronic versions to margo@saferoutespartnership.org. Or you can mail letters to: Margo Pedroso, Safe Routes to School National Partnership, P.O. Box 442328, Fort Washington, MD 20749.

Please do not send your letters directly to your Members of Congress. We want to bundle the letters so they have a greater impact, so it’s important that you send them to the Safe Routes to School National Partnership by October 23.

Thank you very much to everyone who has participated in the Dear Congress campaign so far – your letters are exactly what we need to make sure that Congress strengthens and expands the federal Safe Routes to School program, which will improve safety, health, and the livability of communities throughout the nation.