YOUNGSTOWN — Sarah Lowry, an organizer of Walk and Ride the Valley, wants people to think differently about how to move from place to place.

“We want to see people out and active more,” Lowry said.

She said walking is beneficial for physical and mental health and also provides an opportunity to explore an area and interact with businesses that people otherwise might drive by.

Walk and Ride the Valley started as “Walk Youngstown,” a campaign trying to combat the mindset that driving is the best way to get around. That initiative saw 60 signs showing walking directions to local attractions, government buildings and historical sites hung in downtown Youngstown in fall 2019.

At the time, a “Walk Wednesdays” group formed to take weekly, roughly one-mile walks around the city. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a hiccup.

“Last year, Walk Youngstown was kind of interrupted a little bit,” Lowry said. “We decided to use that as an opportunity to kind of think about what’s next.”

Lowry said “there was a desire” to expand from Youngstown and to be more inclusive, thus Walk and Ride the Valley was born, and more daily, weekly and monthly walks were planned.

Read more in Sunday’s Vindicator.