The Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department is looking for Safe Routes superstars to share what biking means to them for a chance to win a free trip to the Youth Bike Summit.
The Health Department is accepting essay/poem, artwork or video entries from Douglas County students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades sharing what they enjoy about biking, the best local places to bike and how biking helps the environment. Grand prize winners will receive a free trip for them and a parent/guardian to the Youth Bike Summit May 27-29 in St. Paul, Minnesota. The deadline for entries is 5 p.m. April 8.
“We’re very excited to see what the students come up with for the contest,” Health Promotion Specialist Michael Showalter said. “Attending the Youth Bike Summit is a great opportunity for local students to experience the benefits of biking on a much larger scale.”
The contest is a project of Be Active Safe Routes, a local movement to create safe opportunities for children to bike and walk to and from school, and highlights the importance of biking to school leading up to National Bike to School Day, which is May 4. A full list of contest rules is available at BeActiveSafeRoutes.com/B2S. Entries must be accompanied by a consent form.
In addition to the contest, the Health Department also will sponsor a Bike Parade during Lawrence’s annual Earth Day Celebration Parade on April 23. Those interested in participating can contact Showalter at 785-856-5340 or mshowalter@ldchealth.org.