We are pleased to announce the award of a $10,000 grant from the Hugh and Michelle Harvey Family Foundation. The grant will help fund Bicycle Colorado’s education programming in schools through our Safe Routes to School program.

The grant funding will be applied towards our work in six Jefferson County schools for the 2013/2014 academic year. Jeffco schools are in their fourth year of partnering with Bicycle Colorado to encourage an increase of safe biking and walking to and from school.

Safe Routes to School program highlights

• Classroom instruction
• Student bicycle riding on a skills course
• School‐wide encouragement program for biking and walking to school, entitled “Walkin’ & Wheelin’ Week”
• Pre‐ and post‐survey of parents, students and educators
• Tracking of pre‐ and post‐program rates of biking and walking to school
• Identification of short‐term and long‐term solutions to barriers preventing biking and walking
• Collaboration with public safety officials to address traffic and safety concerns
• Resources and plans for program sustainability

For this academic school year, Bicycle Colorado is delivering Safe Routes programming in 16 schools in three school districts. The goals of increasing biking and walking to school include reducing the epidemic of childhood obesity, better preparing students to engage in learning, improving academic performance, reducing motor vehicle traffic congestion in and around schools and reducing the environmental impacts of vehicle pollution.

Colorado was the first state in the nation to establish a statewide Safe Routes to School program in 2005. Through last school year, Bicycle Colorado has provided programming across the state, serving 58,000 students and their families in 130 schools. Results have shown that 95 percent of schools served have seen an increase in the number of students biking and walking.

Bicycle Colorado thanks the Harvey Family Foundation for their commitment to healthier and safer communities.