FINDING CHAMPIONS FO
R YOUR IWALK CAMPAIGN
International Walk to School (IWALK) Month is October 2013. If you are planning an IWALK event and want to get a head start on the school year, this is the time to put together your IWALK team. Talk to your friends, neighbors, and parents of your children’s playmates — anyone you know who cares about walking to school. Ask them to join your IWALK event planning team. Recruiting now will really pay off once fall is here.
There are 3 steps to take at this point in the recruiting game:
1. Enlist a parent volunteer to own the campaign from start to finish
- This can be you or someone else you know who is willing to take on the organizer role.
2. Build a core team. At least 2 parent volunteers and a staff person is ideal
- Resist any tendency to go it alone. Getting others on board early will help you every step of the way. Call your friends and acquaintances today and ask them to be on your IWALK team. Plan a summer get together to talk it over.
- Picture a school staff person you’d like to have on your team. This could be the school nurse, crossing guard supervisor, or an enthusiastic teacher. If you can contact them during the summer, great! Otherwise, prepare yourselves to ask them to join you as soon as they return to work in late August.
3. Present at PTA and staff meetings to find more champions and cheerleaders
- Contact your principal or PTA president so that you have guaranteed time on the first meeting agenda of the year (20 minutes should do it). Presenting at this meeting is another chance to recruit volunteers and build your team.
Once you have a core team created, you will be in a great position to start planning your IWALK event. Our next IWALK blog will be about choosing the right campaign design for your school.
Sign up for the Feet First IWALK Challenge!
This will allow you to get news, tips, and free resources as you plan your IWALK events. Soon we will be announcing prizes from our sponsors, so sign up and stay tuned!