Local organizations receive grants for safer routes

Several area organizations received grants from the Missouri Department of Transportation to improve children's routes to school, MoDOT announced Friday.

MoDOT's Safe Routes to School advisory committee awarded 34 noninfrastructure grants worth $582,000 to communities statewide. The program, administered by the Federal Highway Administration, encourages children to walk or ride bikes to school and makes the routes safer, according to a MoDOT news release.

In southwest Missouri,

• the city of Nixa received $3,000 to develop a Walking School Bus program;

• Ozark R-VI School District received $7,700 for public awareness and education, including a Walking School Bus program;

• Ozarks Regional YMCA received $20,812 for a Walking School Bus program; and

• Republic R-III School District received $21,528 for public awareness activities including education for a crossing guard program.[[In-content Ad]]