Alameda County Kids Can Win a Sneaker From The Golden State Warriors

ALAMEDA COUNTY, CA - Students from one classroom in each of 96 Alameda County schools will walk away with a Golden State Warriors sneaker if they win a contest to promote a healthier earth, officials with the Alameda County Transportation Commission said.

The Safe Routes to Schools Golden Sneaker Contest ends March 10. It encourages students to make the earth healthier by giving their classroom a trophy for using green modes of transportation. In each school, the classroom with the highest percentage of students who use a green mode of transportation to go to and from school will win a sneaker.

Carpooling, bicycling and walking are a few of the acceptable modes of transportation.

"The Golden Sneaker Contest is a great opportunity for students and families to try a new way to get to school," commission Chair Rebecca Kaplan said in a statement.

Kaplan is also an Oakland City councilmember at large. Students whose families must travel by car or truck to school can participate by parking several blocks away and walking to school or by carpooling or taking a bus.

About 65,000 elementary and middle school students from the county are expected to participate.

Students from the school with the greatest percentage increase in students using green modes of transportation will win a platinum sneaker award and be honored by county transportation commissioners at a commission meeting March 23.

"Competing for these coveted awards helps support healthy transportation choices and habits that we hope will last a lifetime," Kaplan said.

This year is the first year the trophies will be made with sneakers donated by the Golden State Warriors, transportation officials said.

Contest information in English and Spanish can be found at the Safe Routes to Schools online resource center

— Bay City News; Image by Alameda County Transportation Commission