Being a nationwide nonprofit that advances secure, equitable, accessible, and fulfilling communities, supporting native advocacy is crucial. Listening to the voices of particular person communities and supporting their particular wants is the most effective and handiest strategy to enhance walkability. America Walks is proud to undertake the Walk2Connect program and proceed the wonderful on-the-ground work with frontline communities. 

For a few years, Walk2Connect has labored independently to nurture native management in frontline communities by offering Strolling Motion Chief trainings, Program Launch/Kick-off/Themed Weekends, Volunteer Assist and Technical Help, and so on. A lot of this work has been completed via mutually useful partnerships with native authorities companies, mission-aligned non-profits, and personal foundations. Beneath are a handful of examples of what could be completed via Walk2Connect.

As a program of America Walks, Walk2Connect seeks to develop extra partnerships like these – please contact us for extra info.

Transportation Departments or Businesses (state, regional, county, native)

Metropolis of Boulder, Colorado

The multi-year partnership assisted the town’s Transportation and Mobility Division in constructing the Boulder Walks program and strengthened the neighborhood of city walkers via Strolling Motion Chief trainings, expert-led curated occasions for winter and summer season stroll/bike months, expert-led stroll audits for core arterial community enhancements, expert-led walks with Council, technical help and storytelling in the course of the growth of the Pedestrian Grasp Plan, Secure Routes to College – youth engagement analysis, and rather more. 

Nationwide Foundations and nonprofits

AARP Livable Communities, Wisconson and Minnesota

With a give attention to pedestrian security, public well being, and livable communities, AARP Wisconsin employed Jonathon Stalls to host a sequence of Pedestrian Dignity occasions, Walk2Connect Strolling Motion Chief coaching classes, and WALK ebook talks. This partnership labored instantly with neighborhood residents, native mobility advocates, native planners and engineers, college students, elected leaders, and extra throughout the state of Wisconsin (particularly Milwaukee, Madison, Appleton, Wauwatosa, and La Crosse). Jonathon returned in April of 2023 to host extra occasions and “walkshops” in Wisconsin. He was additionally sponsored by AARP Minnesota to host Pedestrian Dignity strolling/rolling occasions and a Walk2Connect Strolling Motion Chief coaching (Twin Cities).

Native/Regional Nonprofits

Denver Public Library, Colorado

For a number of years we’ve labored with native Denver Public Library branches and the Older Grownup Program (serving all the branches) to host a wide range of occasions targeted on cross-neighborhood connection, native historical past, the advantages of strolling, pedestrian security, creator talks, nature themes, and extra.

Public Well being/Healthcare Nonprofits

Kodiak Space Native Affiliation, Alaska

The partnership helped plan, design, launch, and help a whole-health strolling neighborhood within the higher Kodiak area. This concerned marketing campaign and model creation constructed out of native and common instruments, growth of outreach technique, coaching of Strolling Motion Leaders, website visits to launch applications, and long-term technical help and help.

Healthcare Departments (State/native)

Maryland Division of Well being, Maryland

Maryland Division of Well being, Continual Illness and Prevention and Management division companions with Walk2COnnect to advertise strolling as a neighborhood technique to handle inhabitants well being, strengthen neighborhood promotion of bodily exercise, and improve walkability inside 9 rural communities, plus Baltimore.

Richland County Public Well being, Ohio

Our partnership with Richland County Public Well being in Mansfield, Ohio was considered one of our first neighborhood launch initiatives. We began with months of planning round a full launch weekend together with two strolling motion chief coaching classes, a sequence of public neighborhood walks, and extra. The “Simply Stroll Richland” neighborhood program sponsored by the general public well being division turned a signature partnership for sustained neighborhood programming alongside Walk2Connect. Their program continues on with part-time help from public well being employees. A number of years after the launch, we hosted a train-the-trainer digital coaching to empower their crew to coach new/ strolling leaders.

Greenways and Conservations Organizations

Excessive Line Canal Conservancy, Colorado

By its dedication to boost and shield the 71-mile path in Colorado, the Conservancy partnered with Walk2Connect all through the years to ship instructional strolling applications alongside the Canal, contribute to the Excessive Line Canal Information, activate communities alongside the path to entry a secure and welcoming out of doors area, and in addition to increase their ambassador’s community by coaching strolling motion leaders.

Multilingual/Multicultural Organizations

Spring Institute, Colorado

Our multi-year partnership with the Spring Institute targeted on strolling/motion programming on cross-cultural connection, public well being, neighborhood networking, useful resource sharing, and rather more. We co-created strolling/motion occasions in a wide range of neighborhoods. A lot of our occasions had interpretations accessible and have been designed to be family-friendly – children, older adults, and so on. 

Federal Businesses

Sangre de Cristo Nationwide Heritage Space, Colorado

Together with rural nonprofits in Colorado’s San Luis Valley (San Luis Valley Nice Outdoor, Transfer Mountains Undertaking of San Luis, and extra), we partnered with the Sangre de Cristo Nationwide Heritage Space to advertise, practice and help summer season youth strolling chief cohorts. Youth strolling leaders have been stipend for his or her time to develop a menu of connection-focused strolling/motion occasions targeted on native heritage, nature conservation, and management growth. Our San Luis Valley youth strolling chief program was one-of-a-kind. Youth was part of designing the general public strolling occasion schedule from the very starting. 

Downtown Improvement Authorities and Enterprise Enchancment Districts

Longmont Downtown Improvement Authority, Colorado

Walk2Connect has served as a contractor on quite a few events to steer walks in sure city areas, together with in Longmont, Colorado, to enhance foot site visitors to native historic districts, to showcase environmental enhancements, and to get to know the small enterprise that makes downtown a neighborhood. Among the themed walks included: Jane’s Walks in reminiscence of urbanist Jane Jacobs, improved alleyways and breezeways, city residing choices, artwork, historic district designation, scavenger hunts, and the favored vacation cheer.

The West Colfax Enterprise Enchancment District, Colorado

The West Colfax Enterprise Enchancment District seeks to revitalize West Colfax Avenue as  Denver’s sustainable Foremost Road. WCBID partnered with Walk2Connect to steer a community-wide experiential stroll (stroll audit) alongside the Colfax viaduct, the place the Avenue meets and crosses the busy Interstate I25. The stroll introduced collectively not solely neighborhood members that work, stay, be taught and play within the space, but additionally advocates that search pedestrian and bike mobility and government decision-makers from the Colorado Division of Transportation.