Dedication. Passion. Commitment. These are all words that describe our Safe Routes to School champions across the nation, as evidenced not only by the great turnout for Bike to School Day but also by the increases we continue to see in bicycling and walking to school. As the school year winds down for our students, teachers, school administrators, and parents I must say Thank You to all of you for your efforts this year to continue to drive change for our children and communities. We all know that active kids do better and we know that walking and bicycling to school should be the norm. While it has only been two months since I took the position of Executive Director for the Safe Routes Partnership, I still could not be more excited and committed to supporting and expanding our work for many years to come. As such, I have an invitation for you. 

Five years ago, the Safe Routes Partnership released a strategic plan after an extensive process to garner input from the field, champions, staff and partners. This summer we are gearing up to start this process again. We would like to hear from you, our key stakeholders who give passion and power to our movement every day. What challenges do you see impacting our work to encourage biking and walking to school and in everyday life? What opportunities are there that we have not harnessed? What would you like the Safe Routes Partnership to do in the future to help your efforts?  Send me your comments and feedback at cass@saferoutespartnership.org—we want to hear from you! 

The strategic planning process will be an ongoing conversation that will culminate with the development and release of our new strategic plan in early 2016. I will share updates via the blog, e-newsletter, and other channels as we move through the build of the plan. This is an exciting year as we celebrate 10 years of Safe Routes to School. We still have much work to do but together we are ready for the challenge. Can’t wait to hear your ideas!