This year, we’re thrilled to be teaming up with four local communities in Pennsylvania to make accessing parks safe, convenient, and equitable for people walking and biking. As we celebrate National Parks and Recreation Month this July, we want to uplift this year’s theme, “where community grows” from our partners at the National Recreation and Parks Association by sharing a couple of highlights from our Safe Routes to Parks Pennsylvania Activating Communities.

This blog was written by Amy Johnson, GIS Intern, and Portland Community College student.

Thinking of my childhood trips to the park brings me right back to the feeling of the sun on my face and summer days when all I was worried about was not missing the neighborhood ice cream truck.  As a kid, I would go to several nearby parks with my grandparents after school or on weekends on foot, bicycle, or skates. Living in Queens, New York meant I had sidewalks to walk or roll, and depending on the destination of my park of choice, a few high-traffic intersections that required the assistance of a guardian.

This blog was written by Maria Gabrielle Sipin.

This guest blog post is written by Noah Lenstra, Associate Professor of Library and Information Science at the University of North Carolina Greensboro (njlenstr@uncg.edu

The start of a new year is an inspiring time.  We embrace this moment as a fresh start, setting ambitious resolutions to adopt positive or healthy habits in our everyday lives. We hope these changes will eventually lead us to become healthier, happier, or kinder individuals.  With enthusiasm and gusto, we take significant leaps to realize our newfound commitments.  

With the Georgia Senate runoff results decided on December 6, 2022, the mid-term election officially comes to a close, and we can take stock of what it means for walking, bicycling, and Safe Routes to School in this upcoming Congress.  

In 1969, the Nixon Administration hosted the first ever White House Conference on Hunger, and it resulted in the creation of the school lunch program and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). In September 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration held the first White House Conference on Hunger since that initial conference over fifty years ago and established ambitious, yet attainable goals.