HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Wednesday is National Walk to School Day.
Students across the country will walk or bike to school.
The Hillsborough County School District has partnered with Sidewalk Stompers.
The group focuses on improving student health and safety by increasing the number of student pedestrians through community building and road safety advocacy.
“When I was a child, almost 45% of people walked to school every day. Now it’s less than 11%, and it’s even lower here in Hillsborough County,” said Emily Hinsdale, president and co-founder of Sidewalk Stompers.
The City of Tampa, Sidewalk Stompers, and the Hillsborough County School District are celebrating the day at Potter Elementary School.
In Hillsborough County, 32 schools are participating in this year’s National Walk to School Day. That’s up from only 10 last year.
“We have triple the number of schools that have registered to walk for National Walk to School Day this year than last year. This is a record for Hillsborough County. This many schools are really invested in getting kids out walking and biking,” said Hinsdale.
Leaders predict more than 4,000 students across Hillsborough County are walking to school Wednesday.
“This is fun. You get to be outside. You get to meet your friends. You get to meet people who weren’t your friends before. You can make new friends. You can explore your community and talk to your neighbors. Be participating in the place that you live and in your school family,” said Hinsdale.
“We are really excited to see the growth and the interest in this kind of program, and we would love to find more schools to partner with year-round on walk-to-school programs,” she added.
