Shape Your Future and the Tulsa County Wellness Partnership Encourage Oklahomans to Walk or Bike to School<\/p>\n
TULSA, OK – [October 6, 2014] \u2013\u00a0\u00a0Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett, the Tulsa County Wellness Partnership and Shape Your Future are encouraging students, families, communities and schools to \u201dwalk \u2018n\u2019 roll\u201d during International Walk or Bike to School Day on October 8.<\/p>\n
Bartlett has proclaimed this Wednesday as International Walk to School Day in the City of Tulsa.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shape Your Future is a statewide health initiative funded by the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) and the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) that encourages Oklahomans to eat better, move more and be tobacco free.<\/p>\n
Walk or Bike to School Day promotes physical activity and raises awareness for the need to have walkable communities that are safe for pedestrians, especially children. Not only is Walk or Bike to School Day an easy way for kids to stay active, but it also advocates the need for policies and projects that promote safe walking and bicycling, such as sidewalks, bicycle lanes, crosswalks and walking trails.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In addition to naming health benefits of walking to school, the mayor\u2019s proclamation states \u201cthe lives of hundreds of children could be saved if communities take steps to make pedestrian safety a priority.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last year, there were 4,467 registered events for Walk or Bike to School Day across the nation, including 75 events in Oklahoma.\u00a0 Activities will be going on throughout the day around the city including at Eliot and Mark Twain Elementary Schools where parents will walk or bike with their children to school. The parade at Mark Twain begins at 9:00am.\u00a0 Later on in the month of October at Sequoyah Elementary there will be a parent appreciation walk that will recognize parents who participate in their walking school bus.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWalking or riding bikes to school is a fun, easy way for your kids to get some of their daily physical activity,\u201d said Elizabeth Hebert, TCWP school health and policy sub-committee chair. \u201cWalking or biking together as a family is also a great way to feel more connected to your family and your community, doing your heart good in more ways than one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shape Your Future and the Tulsa County Wellness Partnership are setting the stage with several ways participants can \u201cwalk n\u2019 roll\u201d on their way to school on October 8:<\/p>\n
Start a \u201cwalk n\u2019 roll\u201d band. Take the whole family along, and invite friends and neighbors to participate too, making it a neighborhood event.
\nIf you live too far from school or do not have access to safe routes, designate a starting point for you and your family to park. Then, get the show on the road and walk or bike from there.
\nHost an event at your school, like a \u201cwalk n\u2019 roll\u201d parade. Have it during a school assembly, and let students become \u201cwalk stars.\u201d<\/p>\n
To register a Walk or Bike to School Day event, visit\u00a0www.walkbiketoschool.org. Registering a Walk or Bike to School Day event provides organizers access to free, downloadable materials, including stickers, certificates and customizable fliers. Events that register on the Walk or Bike to School website will be displayed on an interactive U.S. map, where neighboring communities, media and other organizations can identify who is holding an event in their area.<\/p>\n
For more information about Walk or Bike to School Day, visit\u00a0www.ShapeYourFutureOK.com.<\/p>\n
Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust
\nThe Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) serves as a partner and bridge builder for organizations working towards shaping a healthier future for all Oklahomans. TSET provides leadership at the intersections of health by working with local coalitions and initiatives across the state, by cultivating innovative and life-changing research, and by working across public and private sectors to develop, support, implement and evaluate creative strategies to take advantage of emerging opportunities to improve the public\u2019s health. TSET \u2013 Better Lives Through Better Health. To learn more go to:\u00a0www.tset.ok.gov.<\/p>\n
Tulsa County Wellness Partnership
\nThe Tulsa County Wellness Partnership (TCWP) is a sponsored group of the Family Health Coalition and a Communities of Excellence grantee of the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust. TCWP is dedicated to changing policy and environments in Tulsa County to make healthy nutrition and fitness the easy choice in schools, workplaces and communities. To learn more about local events or how to work toward a healthier school, workplace or community, please contact Daphne Gaulden at 918-595-4039 or\u00a0dgaulden2@tulsa-health.org.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Shape Your Future and the Tulsa County Wellness Partnership Encourage Oklahomans to Walk or Bike to School TULSA, OK – [October 6, 2014] \u2013\u00a0\u00a0Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett, the Tulsa County Wellness Partnership and Shape Your Future are encouraging students, families, communities and schools to \u201dwalk \u2018n\u2019 roll\u201d during International Walk or Bike to School Day […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n