LIVE WRIGHT NEWS

September is Farm to School Month

September 2011

More MN Schools are Serving up Locally Grown Food Favorite ways to Celebrate Farm to School Month Farm to School: So Fresh, So Easy - A series of 5 on-line trainings designed primarily for food service professionals.

In This Edition:
Farm to School & SRTS (pg. 1) Calendar & Grant Opportunities (pg. 2) Walk to School Day & SHIP 2.0 Update (pg. 3)

As of 2010 in Minnesota 123 school districts and 811 schools participated in Farm to School!

3rd SRTS National Conference in Minneapolis Hosts 600 Attendees

The conference featured mobile workshops to explore the beautiful streets and trails of Minneapolis, a multitude of break-out sessions and receptions and motivating keynote speakers ranging from Mayor R.T. Rybak, Congressman Oberstar, the father of Safe Routes to School, to Kimberly White, an eloquent youth cycling and environmental justice advocate from New York City. Conference materials can be found at www.saferoutesconference.org
Did you know? In 2010, 12 million bikes were sold in the United States while 9 million cars were sold!

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LIVE WRIGHT NEWS

LIVING WRIGHT INTO FALL

September
(MN Farm to School Month)

October
10/1 Timberdash 5k Trail Run + WalkLake Maria State Park 10/2 Medtronic TC Marathon & TC 10 Mile 10/5 Walk to School Day 10/13 CLT Meeting @ 3:00pm 10/24 Food Day 10/29 Boo-ffalo Fun Run
Looking Ahead

November
11/6 World Run Day 11/10 CLT Meeting 11/14-11/16 Making it Better Conference 11/17 Great American Smokeout

9/15 CLT Meeting @ 2:30pm be sure to note date and time change 9/24 Worldwide Play Day 9/25 Steps for Hospice 5k Family Fun Walk/Run 9/28 Opening Doors Harvest Potluck Dinner 5:307:00 Functional Industries

Do you have an event or training you want added to the list? Please share those items with Joel or Catherine and we will add it to the calendar.

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES!
Grants Available for Minnesota Schools to Integrate Environmental and Outdoor Education
The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is pleased to announce a RFP from Minnesota schools committed to integrating environmental and outdoor education into grades 7-12. The deadline to apply is September 30, 2011. Application materials, are available on the MDE website.

Safe Routes to School Funding Opportunity

The National Center for Safe Routes to School is now accepting applications for 25 mini-grants of $1,000 each. These mini-grants support the goal of Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs, which is to enable and encourage children to safely walk and bicycle to school. Applications are due Wednesday, October 19, 2011. Visit Safe Routes Mini-Grants for more information.

DNR announces new solicitation for parks & trails grants; matching funds requirement lowered
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced a grant opportunity for funding park and trail projects across Minnesota. The Parks and Trails Legacy Grant Program, Local Trail Connections Program, and Regional Trail Program are soliciting applications. All applications are due Oct. 31, 2011. Program information is available on the DNR website. For more information or to learn how to apply, contact the grants staff listed on the program web pages.

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LIVE WRIGHT NEWS

October 5th is International Walk to School Day!

International Walk to School Day is taking place next month on Wednesday, October 5, 2011. This years theme is Hike it, Bike it, I like it! More than 1,000 schools are currently registered. You can register your school today at www.walktoschool.org/ register. For more resources, such as promotional tools, event ideas and more, visit www.walktoschool.org. As you are planning your event, the Safe Routes to School National Partnership encourages you to think about the bigger picture of who to invite. Inviting your Congressional member and local elected officials to your event is a great way to show them Safe Routes to School in action and to generate more support for future funding. Otsego Elementary is the 1st school in Wright County to participate in the Walk to School Day event! Thank you Erin Talley (Otsego Elem. Principal), Judy Johnson (Elk River School District) and Wright County Sheriffs Office for making this possible. We will give you an update on the event next month. We would also like to recognize Pinewood Elementary in Monticello for also committing to promoting Walk to School Day! Let your school know if you want to get involved or contact Live Wright and we will do our best to help!!

A great promotion idea and educational tool is a video called the Ped Safety Dance. Check out our blog where we have linked to the video