FedEx supports International Walk to School Day
Return to Grahamwood Elementary School marks 20-year anniversary between Safe Kids and FedEx to address a leading cause of injury and death for children
Government representatives, safety advocates and other community organizers joined Safe Kids and FedEx volunteers today at schools around the world on International Walk to School Day to educate kids about how to walk to school safely and advocate for safer walking environments for children. More than 170,000 children in 301 cities around the world participated in the annual event to raise awareness, prevent injuries and save lives.
A signature event at Grahamwood Elementary School in Memphis, Tennessee was a return to the site of the first Safe Kids Walk This Way school event and marked the 20th anniversary between Safe Kids Worldwide and program sponsor FedEx.
"Every day, 44 children are hit by a car in the United States and countless more are injured around the world," said Torine Creppy, president of Safe Kids Worldwide. "Working with FedEx for the last two decades has allowed us to address these preventable tragedies and make a meaningful impact in the lives of children and families around the world. In all that time, FedEx has been unwavering in its support of injury prevention and has continually gone the extra mile to make sure we're doing all we can to keep kids safe."
Since its inception in 2000, the Safe Kids Walk This Way program has grown into one of the most comprehensive child pedestrian safety programs in the world, addressing pedestrian safety through research, environmental safety improvements to school zones, and education and awareness campaigns, such as International Walk to School Day. To date, more than 20,000 FedEx volunteers have helped Safe Kids reach more than 17 million children in more than 14,000 schools around the world.
"What began as a relatively small pilot program has now reached millions of children around the world," said Tim Wertner, Senior Vice President for FedEx Express. "We are so appreciative of our relationship with Safe Kids and how our values are so well aligned around safety. The only acceptable number of childhood unintentional road crash deaths is zero. We are eager and excited to continue our work with Safe Kids until we reach this goal."
About Safe Kids Worldwide
Safe Kids Worldwide is a nonprofit organization working to protect kids on the road, at home and at play. Preventable injuries are the number one cause of death for children in the United States. Safe Kids works with an extensive network of more than 400 coalitions in the U.S. and with partners in more than 30 countries to reduce traffic injuries, drownings, falls, burns, poisonings and more. Join our effort at safekids.org.
About FedEx
FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenues of $70 billion, the company offers integrated business solutions through operating companies competing collectively and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world's most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 450,000 team members to remain focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. To learn more about how FedEx connects people and possibilities around the world, please visit about.fedex.com.
