Americus – The Furlow Charter School, River Valley Regional Commission, the City of Americus, Sumter Cycling, and members of the community in Americus will join nearly 200 schools across Georgia to celebrate International Walk to School Day on Wednesday, October 5, 2016.  Approximately 150 of students and their families, along with school teachers and administrators, Mayor Barry Blount and city staff, River Valley Regional Commission staff and members of Sumter Cycling will start walking and bicycling to school at 7:50 a.m. from the Georgia Southwester State University Golf Course, with walking school buses and bicycle trains arriving at school by 8:10 a.m.   Once at school, Mayor Barry Blount and Julio Portillo from the River Valley Regional Commission will have a special announcement and presentation for the student body.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Walk to School Day and features a multi-faceted focus on safety, such as the Georgia Department of Transportation’s Drive Alert. Arrive Alive Statewide safety campaign aimed at educating drivers about making simple changes in their driving behavior that can prevent crashes and safe lives. Driver behavior is especially important near schools. The campaign is a partnership between the Georgia Department of Transportation, the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, and the Department of Public Safety. Mayors nationwide are also committing to safer streets for children traveling to and from school through the Mayors’ Challenge and Walk to School Day promotions. Participating mayors are taking steps to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries through an effort called Vision Zero.