At their February meeting, the Virginia Parent Teacher Association (VA PTA) joined the Virginia Safe Routes to School Network (SRTS).  The primary goals of the Virginia SRTS Network are:

• To increase physical activity in school-aged children by improving safety
• To increase the number of children walking and bicycling to schools
• To help ensure the success of the federal SRTS program
• To institutionalize the SRTS program so that it is not dependent on one short burst of federal funding

"The Virginia PTA will greatly enhance the reach of the Safe Routes to School Network," said Stephanie Smith, Virginia Network organizer and BikeWalk Virginia education director.  "We are excited about what we can do together." 

Virginia is part of a SRTS State Network Project, which includes nine states and the District of Columbia selected by the SRTS National Partnership, that will initiate policy tactics to ensure success for the federal program. The SRTS State Network Project, managed for the Commonwealth by BikeWalk Virginia, is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. For more information, visit the Virginia SRTS Network or contact Smith at ssmith@bikewalkvirginia.org or 757-229-0507.

The Virginia Recreation & Park Society's 54th Annual Conference with the Governor's Conference on Greenways, Blueways and Trails is scheduled for October 4-7, 2008 and also serves as BikeWalk Virginia's annual conference. The Education Committee invites proposals for regular CEU sessions and poster sessions. Go to the Virginia Recreation & Park Society or the BikeWalk Virginia website to download proposal forms. Proposals are due by March 31, 2008.

Kennan Garvey passed away unexpectedly on January 19, 2008, following a heart attack. Kennan's widow, Libby, and daughters Shannon and Ruth and their families are asking his friends and others who support bicycling to make a donation to the Kennan Garvey Memorial Fund of Phoenix Bikes, Arlington, Virginia. The fund will help the organization secure a more permanent site to better serve South Arlington's young people, furthering a project that reflects his and his family's interests in youth development, cycling, and the environment.

In a statement establishing the fund, Kennan's widow Libby said that Phoenix Bikes teaches kids how to repair bikes and was one of the organizations Kennan was planning to support in his upcoming retirement.  "Kennan was an avid cyclist and always did most of his own bike maintenance," she said. "He would have taken great satisfaction in teaching kids to be self-reliant operators of his favorite environmentally-friendly vehicle!"

Checks may be made payable to "Greenbrier Learning Center" with notation in the memo line to "Phoenix Bike Shop/ Kennan Garvey Memorial" and mailed to:

Injury Reports from VDH - The Virginia Department of Health, Division of Injury and Violence Prevention recently released reports on Injuries in Virginia and Suffocation-Related Injuries in Virginia. The reports highlight the importance of prevention and serve as a call to action. Information in the reports can be used to target resources, write or support grants, assist in developing data-based injury prevention and control strategies, initiate or support legislative action, encourage further research, and promote better understanding of the burden of injury. Reports can be downloaded from www.vahealth.org/civp/datacivp.asp. Members of the Injury Prevention Network or Virginia Injury Community Planning Group may request hard copies by contacting jennifer.schmid@vdh.virginia.gov. 

Denney Joins Alta Design + Planning - Former BikeWalk Virginia Board of Directors Chairman Charlie Denney has taken a position with Alta's new office in Arlington. A professional planner with over 15 years of experience in bicycle and pedestrian planning and design, Charlie most recently served as the Bicycle & Pedestrian Program Manager for Arlington. The Arlington office will serve clients in the Middle-Atlantic and Southeastern States focusing on trail planning and design, municipal bicycle and pedestrian planning, complete streets projects, safe routes to schools, and marketing and programs.