Students will join kids around the world in celebrating the day.

AUBURN – Students from Sherwood Heights and Lake Street Elementary schools will join children from around the world to celebrate Walk to School Day on Wednesday, Oct. 8.

Now in its seventh year, Walk to School Day is expected to include 3,000 schools from the 50 states and 32 other countries.

The idea is to promote health, safety, physical activity and concern for the environment. It is anticipated that approximately 600 students from Auburn will walk to school along with parents, teachers, community leaders, and school and city employees.

The event will begin at 8 a.m. when students will start their walks from designated safe drop-off locations and will be escorted to their schools.

Auburn’s Pedestrian Opportunities Committee has been working on the idea for more than a year. The committee, comprised of school officials, police, transportation officials and city planners, believes the event will have a positive impact on the community.

Laurie Smith, Auburn’s community relations manager, said, “Children and parents, school and local officials walking to school together on a designated day is an energizing event, reminding everyone of the simple joy of walking to school, the health benefits of regular daily activity and the need for safe places to walk and bike.”

Auburn students will receive stickers commemorating the event and an apple from local orchards when they reach school.

“But one day isn’t enough,” Smith said, “We realize that children should be able to walk to school every day, not just as a special event. And that can lead to the kinds of permanent changes that make the community better for everyone.”

The committee’s goals include better sidewalks, safer street crossings and improved driver and pedestrian behavior.

Walk to School Day was established in 1997 by the Partnership for a Walkable America. The partnership is an alliance of organizations and agencies that have joined to make America a better place for walking, so that society can reap the associated benefits of personal and environmental health, security and community.