January 2025 – Parks & Recreation - 8

PERSPECT I VES A MESSAGE FROM NRPA' S LEADERS
New Year, New Opportunities
As I write this, we are in the midst of the holiday season - a time for reflection
and gratitude. Everywhere I turn I am reminded of the great and powerful
work park and recreation professionals achieved throughout 2024.
It's the time of year when work slows down for many industries and professions,
but not for parks and recreation. These are the months when park and
recreation professionals are deep into planning and preparing for spring and
summer while simultaneously hosting winter programming and continuing to
care for communities.
While this day-to-day work is still in full swing, it can be difficult to pause
and reflect. However, welcoming the new year is a great milestone moment for
assessing current operations, identifying gaps, and exploring new and innovative
solutions. This includes, of course, looking at the funding landscape for
projects and operations.
For our part, this month we are excited to launch the new NRPA Strategic
Plan 2025-29, a five-year plan aimed at driving maximum community benefits
through park and recreation leadership and durable funding. From strategies
to case studies, this issue of Parks & Recreation is kicking off the new strategic
plan with a focus on stories and information that will help your agency to explore
new arenas for funding.
In the feature article, " Fishing Alternative Funding Streams in Parks and Recreation, " author Kelly
Schmidt, director of parks and recreation for City of Durango, Colorado, outlines many avenues
for finding funding, including grants, partnerships, foundations, capital campaigns and more. " Like
fishing, it's imperative to keep at it and attempt a multi-pronged approach, " says Schmidt. " Agencies
seeking alternative funding sources must be patient, learn from failed approaches, and keep casting
their lines until that trophy fish is caught! "
Another article, titled " From Recovery to Resiliency, " highlights a funding success story from City
of Lake Charles, Louisiana. The piece explores a successful program in which private donations are
matched with city funds to repair neglected parks and produce a wide range of programming for the
community.
While securing funding is a necessary part of our work, doing so is about more than the money
itself. It's about finding creative and lasting solutions to funding challenges and positioning ourselves
as essential for strong, healthy communities. Investing in our people, programs and spaces does something
truly powerful - it builds communities and changes lives.
I hope that as you kick off the new year, you find time to celebrate your work and fill your cup with
joy. I know that the team at NRPA looks forward to a new year full of opportunities to lift up our 2025
theme, " Build Together, Play Together. "
Happy New Year.
KRISTINE STRATTON
President and CEO
8 Parks & Recreation |
J ANUAR Y 2 0 2 5 | PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G

January 2025 – Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2025 – Parks & Recreation