MENASHA, Wis., (August 22, 2011) – East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission’s (ECWRPC) Safe Routes to School initiative announces its refreshed brand, featuring a new logo and campaign. The updated and innovative look reflects the initiative’s goal of getting children and parents engaged about creating healthier lifestyles and traveling safely to school.
“We wanted the energy of kids to be at the center of our brand,” said Melissa Kraemer Badtke, coordinator of Safe Routes to School. “Our new look is meant to create awareness and further engage parents and kids about making the choice to get active and start walking and biking to school.”
The new brand also is meant to distinguish ECWRPC from the national brand and other statewide initiatives. ECWRPC’s regional Safe Routes program is a pilot site for the state of Wisconsin, and ECWRPC’s new brand will help to encourage other regional planning commissions to get involved with the initiative.
The brand will be showcased at the National Safe Routes to School Conference in Minneapolis, Minn. on August 16-18. Joe Horvath, a teacher at Omro Middle School, will be presenting the Omro Safe Routes to School program at the national conference. Horvath has led efforts in the Omro community to create a culture of biking, with activities such as an 8th grade 26-mile bicycle field trip. Three students at Omro Middle School chose to bike to school everyday of the 2010-2011 school year, even throughout the winter.
Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs encourage children ages K-8 to walk and bike to school by creating safer walking and biking routes. These programs are funded through the revised federal transportation act – SAFETEA-LU – signed into law on August 10, 2005. This legislation provides funding to state departments of transportation to create and administer SRTS programs. SRTS programs improve walking and biking travel options, promote healthier lifestyles in children at an early age and decrease auto-related emissions near schools.
Parents and community members will also be able to follow the ECWRPC’s Safe Routes to School program through recently launched social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube.
