The Safe Routes to School Initiative—From Idea to Action

In November 2007, the Winter Park Health Foundation (WPHF) launched the Think~Act~Be Healthy Communities initiative to focus on identifying, developing, supporting, promoting and funding efforts likely to have a lasting impact on the healthscape of Eatonville, Maitland, and Winter Park by influencing healthy behaviors. The Foundation received more than 100 ideas for healthy projects. Of these, 38 were identified as promising and the idea sponsors were invited to submit a formal proposal. Ultimately, nine promising projects were funded and are underway.
In addition to funding the projects, the WPHF sought to educate and inspire others to take on some of the other promising ideas that were submitted but needed further development. This included the idea for a Safe Routes to School Initiative.

Here is an excerpt from one of the ideas that was originally submitted by a member of our community:

“This morning as I took my morning walk I was amazed at how many cars were driving down Seneca Trail in Maitland to deliver children to school. I'm sure many of the parents feel they do not want their children walking unsupervised and they may also be on tight morning schedules. My idea would be to either recruit volunteers or with a grant, pay stipends to adults who would meet a group of 10-15 children every morning and walk them to school. The same could be done in the afternoon. With everyone on the internet coordination would not be difficult. This would get lots of cars off the road and the children would get some exercise.”

To help further the idea, the Foundation worked with leadership from the public schools serving students from Eatonville, Maitland and Winter Park and conducted the “How to Help Kids Walk and Bike to School Safely Workshop,” on September 23, 2008. The workshop brought together the best subject matter experts at the national, state and local level at Leu Gardens in Orlando.

Speakers included Dr. Linda Crider, University of Florida, Department of Urban & Regional Planning and the Founder and Executive Director of Bike Florida, Inc. In 1997, Dr. Crider launched the “Safe Ways to School” project and produced a “tool kit” that was distributed statewide for use by schools and communities.
In addition, Kathie Carothers, a School Safety Coordinator with the Chicago Police Department, discussed the Walking School Bus program including lessons learned and recommendations for its future implementation.

One of the day’s highlights was a presentation by a panel of local parents representing Brookshire and Dommerich elementary schools who have already had some success in planning, creating, and implementing safe ways for children to walk or bike to school.
Following a presentation outlining resources available from the Florida Department of Transportation and WPHF, a special session was offered to help those who have already begun a program or are close to launching one. This training session focused on how to instruct children and parents on safe walking and biking strategies and activities.

In order to support efforts by the public schools in Eatonville, Maitland and Winter Park to set up their own programs, the Foundation offered one-time, mini-grants of up to $5,000 for approved activities, projects or programs.

Here are downloadable resources from the
September 23rd workshop:

Workshop Agenda

Why SRTS Matters in Florida by Pat Pieratte

Chicago's Walking School Bus by Kathie Carothers

Dommerich Elementary & Maitland Middle Schools’ new Walk n’ Roll Team by Lazar, Sartor & Redmon

Florida SRTS Program by Pat Pieratte

Resource List

New Mini-Grants to Encourage Students to Walk and Ride to School

Mini-grants totaling $30,150 have been approved by the Winter Park Health Foundation (WPHF) to enable seven local schools to launch and expand programs that encourage students to walk and ride to school.

Local schools were invited to apply for the grants following a How to Help Kids Walk and Ride Safely to School workshop sponsored by WPHF earlier this year. Both the workshop and grants are part of the WPHF Think~Act~Be Healthy Communities initiative designed to inspire community projects that will change the environment and/or culture in ways that encourage healthy behaviors.

The schools receiving grants include:

• Aloma Elementary School will receive $350 to support promotion of and prizes offered in its monthly Walk ‘N Roll Wednesday event which encourages students to walk, roll, skate or scoot to school rather than riding in a car.
• Brookshire Elementary School will receive $5,000 to help revitalize a Safe Routes to School Program formerly established by past parent Jana Ricci. Plans call for monthly “Walk and Roll Wednesdays” and introducing The Walking School Bus concept.
• Dommerich Elementary School will receive $5,000 to support “the installation of an aesthetically appealing bike shelter to showcase the value that the school, students and community place on bike commuting.”
• Hungerford Elementary School will receive $4,800 to improve safe walking conditions by upgrading the school cross walk and pavement markings, as well as providing a flashing beacon to slow down traffic.
• Glenridge Middle School will receive $5,000 to provide new safety equipment as well as materials to launch a Walk ‘n Roll program.
• Maitland Middle School will receive a $5,000 grant to “fund the installation of a highly visible, donated bike shelter atop a new and appealing bike rack” to “upgrade the status of the bike rider….”
• Winter Park High School, in hopes of launching a “Bike it Back to School” campaign, will receive $5,000 to cover the cost of security cameras, a DVR and bicycle racks for the bike corral so students know their bicycles will be secure at school.

Grantee contact list

“If we want to be healthier, we should change our everyday world in ways that encourage healthy behavior.”
—Dr. Deborah Cohen and Dr. Tom Farley, co-authors, Prescription for a Healthy Nation

For more information about the Think~Act~Be Healthy Communities initiative supported by the Winter Park Health Foundation, email Lisa Portelli, Program Director.

For more information on the Winter Park Health Foundation, visit www.wphf.org