Council President Aponte to Host Ribbon Cutting for New Walking School Bus Path
PROVIDENCE, R.I.- In honor of International Walk to School Day, Council President
Luis Aponte will tomorrow host a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Walking School
Bus Path-a multi-year project that transformed nuisance properties into a safe,
welcoming public space for South Providence families and school children. Aponte
will join Mayor Jorge Elorza, leaders from Family Service of Rhode Island,
Providence Public Schools, South Providence Community Library, and other community
partners to celebrate this redevelopment and share how the South Providence
community and the PCI Walking School Bus will use the reimagined space today.
ABOUT THE PCI WALKING SCHOOL BUS:
The PCI Walking School Bus is a program of Family Service of Rhode Island under the
agency’s «Providence Children’s Initiative» (PCI). The PCI Walking School Bus was
created to address chronic absenteeism using volunteers. Our dedicated volunteers
ensure that each child, living within a mile of school and needing to walk, arrives
on time, even when a family member is unable to walk with him or her. The program
has improved the attendance of students who were considered chronically absent
(meaning they missed 10% or more of the school days) to perfect or near perfect
attendance.
ABOUT INTERNATIONAL WALK TO SCHOOL DAY:
Organized by the Partnership for a Walkable America, Walk to School Day in the USA
began in 1997 as a one-day event aimed at building awareness for the need for
walkable communities. In 2000, the event became international when the UK, Canada
and the USA joined together for the first International Walk to School Day. In the
USA and Canada, International Walk to School Day galvanizes visibility for walking
and bicycling to school. Over time, this event has been part of a movement for
year-round safe routes to school and a celebration – with record breaking
participation – each October. Today, thousands of schools across America and in more
than 40 countries worldwide celebrate walking to school every October.