Get your sneakers ready for Walk to School Day

[caption id=”attachment_30576" align=”alignleft” width=”300" caption=”Special to The Sun”]

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Tatem Elementary School in Haddonfield will join schools from around the world to celebrate International Walk to School Day on Oct. 3.

More than 500 students from Tatem will be walking and rolling to school on Oct. 3 along with parents, teachers and community leaders. Last year, almost all of Tatem walked and the mayor and commissioners, as well as some faculty and staff, walked to Tatem as well.

In 2011, International Walk to School Day was celebrated at more than 4,000 events at schools across the United States, along with children and adults in 40 countries around the world.

Tatem was the only school in the Philadelphia area that participated.

Last week, the town of Haddonfield officially proclaimed Oct. 3, to be Walk to School Day.

Walk to School Day events raise awareness of the need 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 and concern for the environment. The events build connections between families, schools and the broader community.

The event is being organized by Heather Vaughn, a parent at Tatem who has been leading the school in increasing the trend to walk to school, using Safe Routes to School guidelines, and with help from Cross County Connection TMA.

For additional local information, please contact Vaughn at (856) 857–1257.

For additional information, please visit these websites:

Walk to School Day in the USA www.walkbiketoschool.org

National Center for Safe Routes to School www.saferoutesinfo.org

International Walk to School Day www.iwalktoschool.org