Topekan among 18 fellows to complete 'America Walks' Walking College

America Walks, a national advocacy organization working to promote safe, accessible, equitable, and enjoyable places to walk and move, announced today that Andy Fry was among 18 fellows to complete all requirements of the Walking College fellowship program as part of the 2022 class.

"We are thrilled to add Andy to our esteemed group of Walking College alumni who are putting their skills to use across the country in making meaningful change in their communities," said Emilie Bahr, Walking College manager with America Walks. “Andy was selected from a competitive group of applicants and has been a valuable member of this year’s fellowship class. We are excited to see the yields of his hard work and his organizing and advocacy efforts translate to real change on the ground at a time when the importance of safe, accessible opportunities for moving around our communities outside of cars has never been more pronounced.”

Andy works for Topeka Metro as the Director of Planning. He uses walking, bicycling and transit modes of transportation in daily commutes and aims to improve the conditions for others that do in his efforts to enhance and improve transit and mobility connections within Topeka, KS. He also volunteers with the Topeka Community Cycle Project, Heartland Healthy Neighborhoods, the local bike ped committee and the Topeka Riverfront Advisory Council. As part of the Walking College, Andy created an action plan that focused on unifying a more cohesive, local pedestrian and bicycle advocacy effort in Topeka. This effort would align with some outcomes from a training Andy attended with the Sunflower Foundation and several Shawnee County trails coalitions.

The Walking College curriculum is designed to expand the capacity of local advocates to be effective community change agents. Topics include the history of our car-centric transportation networks; design and policy to foster active transportation; and how to organize. Fellows work with other members of their class and an experienced mentor to develop the knowledge and skills needed to create community change. At the conclusion of the Walking College, fellows develop a Walking Action Plan to serve as a blueprint for their work going forward.

America Walks is a nonprofit national organization leading the way in empowering communities to create safe, accessible, and enjoyable walking conditions for all. The National Walking College runs for six months and takes place once each year. Applications for this year’s program will open in February.