Students hit the pavement for Bike to School Day and ACES Day 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2015
CONTACT: Ben Kohrman, Director of Communications, Michigan Fitness Foundation, 517-908-3883, bkohrman@michiganfitness.org  

Students hit the pavement
for Bike to School Day and ACES Day 2015

Fast facts:
- Bike to School Day and All Children Exercise Simultaneously (ACES) Day are on Wednesday, May 6.
- Thousands of Michigan students, parents, teachers, and community leaders are expected to participate.
- Gov. Rick Snyder has declared May 6 to be Bike to School Day in Michigan.

April 29, 2015 -- More than 150 schools in Michigan will join students around the country in observing the 3rd annual Bike to School Day in coordination with All Children Exercise Simultaneously (ACES) Day on Wednesday, May 6. Thousands of Michigan students, along with their parents, teachers and community leaders, are expected to participate.

            Wednesday's event is organized by the Michigan Fitness Foundation's Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program, which works to create new, safe routes for children to travel to and from school, and promote mental and physical health.

            "Bike to School and ACES Day events help raise awareness of the need to create safer routes for bicycling and walking, and emphasize the importance of increasing physical activity for children," said Meg Thomas Ackerman, Safe Routes to School director. "These events build connections between families, schools and neighborhoods while enhancing pedestrian safety, reducing traffic congestion, and encouraging regular physical activity.”

            In order to showcase the importance of biking to school and being physically active in our everyday lives, Gov. Rick Snyder has officially recognized May 6, 2015, as Bike to School Day in Michigan.

            This year, to further encourage the health and wellness of students in Michigan, Bike to School Day is partnering with ACES Day, presented by the Michigan Fitness Foundation and sponsored by Farm Bureau Insurance. The Bike to School Day and ACES Day partnership is part of a coordinated effort to reinforce the importance of safety and the development of life-long physical activity habits in young people. Both events take place nationally and internationally each year, promoting the growth of active communities that encourage safe use of nonmotorized transportation options.

            As part of the Michigan Fitness Foundation, the Michigan SRTS team partners with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to work with schools, families and communities across the state to enhance active transportation through a variety of modes. Federal funding for SRTS programs was established by Congress in 2005 and continued under the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) of 2012. MDOT's role is to administer the federally legislated SRTS program.

             "We are excited to work with the Michigan Fitness Foundation on Bike to School Day 2015," said Mike Kapp, MDOT Office of Economic Development administrator. "Getting kids out and biking or walking to school not only encourages activity in their everyday lives, but it also allows students to learn about the environment around them."

            The mission of the Michigan Fitness Foundation is to inspire active lifestyles and healthy food choices through education, environmental change, community events, and policy leadership.

            For additional local information about Bike to School Day and ACES Day, as well as Walk to School Day, contact Ben Kohrman at 517-908-3833 or bkohrman@michiganfitness.org. For additional information, visit:
            - Michigan Safe Routes to School: www.saferoutesmichigan.org/b2sd  
            - Michigan Fitness Foundation, ACES: www.michiganfitness.org/ACES  

            Follow the Michigan Fitness Foundation on Twitter at www.twitter.com/michfitness or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/michiganfitness. Use the hashtags #Bike2School15 and #ACESDay in your social media posts.

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Download MDOT's Mi Drive traffic information app: www.michigan.gov/drive 

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