Home » Greater Mercer TMA Encourages Walking to School in “Step into Spring. Ready. Set. Win!”

Greater Mercer TMA Encourages Walking to School in “Step into Spring. Ready. Set. Win!”

by Mary Galioto

Greater Mercer TMA, as the NJ Department of Transportation’s designated regional coordinator for Safe Routes to School efforts, works to keep children in Mercer and Ocean counties healthy by encouraging them to stay active through walking and biking to school and offering safety education. 

To encourage walking and help parents plan walks, GMTMA launched a Walking School Bus App last fall.

“With warmer days approaching we’ve now launched the “Step into Spring. Ready, Set, Win!” campaign to get students back into the walking routine,” said Cheryl Kastrenakes GMTMA Executive Director.

The campaign includes a contest open to parents and their children in Mercer County and select towns in Ocean County. To participate in the “Step into Spring. Ready, Set, Win!” promotion parents need to download the GMTMA Walking School Bus App, create an account, join an existing walking school bus group or create a new group, and schedule and participate in walks to and from school. The app is easy to use and parents can search by elementary school for existing walking groups, create walking groups and invite neighbors to join, plan walks to and from school, assign parent leaders to walk with students, group text within the app, and alert the other parents when students have arrived safely at school.

Every time parents and/or children walk to and from school, they are entered to win prizes. The more you walk the better your chances of winning! The first group to organize a walk will automatically win prizes for both parents and children. Random drawings will be conducted from all entries on June 6th.  Prizes include Trenton Thunder tickets and a grand prize of $250 for the school of the winning walking group to be used for walking and biking programs, along with prizes for parents and children.

Greater Mercer TMA is a non-profit, public-private partnership dedicated to reducing traffic and improving mobility in and around Mercer and Ocean counties. GMTMA is committed to providing transportation choices that are good for commuters, business, community, and the environment.

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