On Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019, Walk to School Day will once again be the catalyst for encouraging physical activity for thousands of students in Kane County.

Last year, 85 schools participated with an estimated 21,000 students walking, bicycling, or participating in school activities.

Kane County was the No. 1 county in all of Illinois for highest participation!

International Walk to School Day is an annual global event involving communities from more than 40 countries walking or biking to school on the same day. Thousands of schools across America — from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico — participate every October.

As a local host of Walk to School Day for the 10th year, Making Kane County Fit for Kids invites Kane County elementary and middle schools to participate and provides funding to PTOs or schools to implement walks or additional healthy initiatives.

The goal of Making Kane County Fit for Kids is to reduce Childhood Obesity includes guiding efforts on the local level through countywide mobilization.

The Making Kane County Fit for Kids Board of Directors leads and funds these efforts and includes Fox Valley United Way, Rush Copley Foundation, Kane County Health Department, Kane County Division of Transportation and Northwestern Medicine.

Making Kane County Fit for Kids Board Chair Jackie Forbes said walking to school incorporates the regular physical activity children need daily while igniting a routine culture of healthy habits at school and home.

“Working with schools to create environments that support healthy behavior is proven to make kids healthier, and help them become better learners,” she said.

A strong countywide group of sponsors are supporting Walk to School Day 2019, including title sponsor, Batavia-based ALDI.

“We believe all kids deserve access to resources that encourage healthy living,” said ALDI Divisional Vice President Laura Branneman. “We are proud to work toward that goal and positively impact our local community in partnership with Making Kane County Fit for Kids”.

Additional sponsors include silver sponsors Shodeen Family Foundation, the city of Elgin, the city of Aurora, and Edgenuity. Bronze sponsors iinclude Advocate Sherman Hospital, AMITA Health Mercy Medical Center Aurora, AMITA Health St. Joseph Hospital Elgin, Aurora Rotary, Batavia Rotary, Geneva Rotary, and Elgin Rotary.

For all Kane County elementary or middle schools, there is still time to sign up for Walk to School Day! Register at www.makingkanefitforkids.org.

About Making Kane County Fit for Kids

A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that promotes community based initiatives of healthy eating and active living to reduce Childhood Obesity.

Making Kane County Fit for Kids collaborates with community organizations, schools, municipalities, and other partners by funding implementation projects that support the Fit Kids 2020 Plan, a blueprint to create a Kane County that is “Fit for Kids.”

To date, Making Kane County Fit for Kids has invested $800,000 in 110 projects, such as community gardens, bike racks, refrigerators at food pantries, nutrition workshops, Link Card accessibility at farmers markets, safe route education, demonstration wellness kitchens, heart rate monitors and salad bars at schools, playground equipment, and hosting 10 annual International Walk to School Day events.

For more information, visit makingkanefitforkids.org

About ALDI U.S.

A leader in the grocery retailing industry since 1976, ALDI operates more than 1,900 U.S. stores in 36 states.

For the eighth year in a row, ALDI was recognized as the value leader among U.S. grocery stores by a Market Force Information® survey of U.S. consumers.

For more information about ALDI, visit aldi.us.