Gunther steps up for Walk to School Day

Jacob Gunther School in the North Bellmore School District joined schools across the nation and around world to celebrate International Walk to School Day on Oct. 7.

Organized by the Gunther School PTA, parents were asked to walk to school with their children as a way of encouraging physical activity and pedestrian safety, as well as to reduce traffic congestion and pollution. The hope is that the one-day event will promote walking as a popular choice throughout the year.

The Partnership for a Walkable America sponsored the first National Walk Our Children to School Day in Chicago in 1997, modeled after a similar event that took place in the United Kingdom as a way to create awareness of the need for communities to be walkable. Today, about 5,000 schools from all 50 U.S. states participate, joining walkers in 40 countries around the world.