July 2021 - Parks & Recreation - 8

PERSPECT I VES A MESSAGE FROM NRPA' S LEADERS
Our Park and Recreation Story
As the favorite perennial issue
of the magazine, this July we
celebrate Park and Recreation
Month - the most glorious
time of year for parks and recreation!
This year's theme, " Our
Park and Recreation Story, " is
sure to bring out countless wonderful
stories. From walking and
hiking our public trails to playing
sports to gathering for summer
camps and summer picnics
to going on trips to community
gardens and farmers markets,
we are all filled with the abundance
that parks and recreation
offer. And, we are creating new
park and recreation stories every day.
Recently, I've had the pleasure of hearing park and
recreation stories everywhere I turned. For example,
there was the person who delivered siding to my house.
Once he saw my parks and recreation logo, he immediately
began asking questions about NRPA and sharing
how much parks and recreation have meant to him and
his family. And, there was the bank loan officer who
assisted me with my mortgage refinancing. After I had
explained to him what NRPA does, he replied, " that's
the coolest thing I've heard.... " He then launched into
describing all the fantastic parks and outdoor recreation
opportunities his community in Ohio offers.
Our park and recreation stories are embedded in why
professionals joined this field and stuck with it. Recently,
I had the honor of meeting Gorham Recreation Department
Director Cindy Hazelton in Gorham, Maine,
and her team. In her 30 years of doing this work, she's
been motivated by the opportunity to serve the community,
to help kids and adults alike stay healthy, and to
find creative ways to solve problems and engage people
in her community. One fun example she shared was an
immersive summer camp that she developed to help
kids learn about emergency services - 911 Summer
Camp (tinyurl.com/33629anf).
Another renowned leader in this field who is always
a joy to talk with is the incomparable storyteller Jodie
Adams. She has been a passionate advocate for cap8
Parks & Recreation | JULY 2 0 2 1
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turing stories from across the field of park and recreation
professionals and is in conversation with NRPA
about an oral history project to do just that. One of her
signature lines that captures the spirit of the park and
recreation profession is " Go for it! " Going for it - creating
great spaces, programs and communities - is the
foundation of the stories we hold dear.
In keeping with the story theme, we have a special treat
for this year's Park and Recreation Month - a crowdsourced,
community poem created by the renowned
poet, educator and author Kwame Alexander. Our
project launch conversation revealed that he, too, has a
park and recreation story. His story was rooted in " the
rec, " where he would go after school to meet up with his
friends and play. He described it as a place where he was
understood, accepted and free to be himself. It seems to
me that his story is so often our shared story.
My park and recreation story started with " programs
at the playground. " I had the chance to play, craft and
learn new things, all while feeling safe and free to be
myself. That opportunity to play, explore, express oneself,
and feel safe, free, seen and supported is something
- valuable beyond measure.
Our local governments, and by extension our park
and recreation departments, are required to put a price
on that, of course. And yet, as we immerse ourselves
in all that summer in parks and recreation has to offer,
I hope that we recognize that these memories we are
creating are truly priceless. Telling " Our Park and Recreation
Story " (nrpa.org/July) helps us show our advocates
and elected officials that these priceless stories
- the ones that shape our lives and enrich our communities
- are stories that deserve investment. The longterm
payoff is immeasurable.
Borrowing from last year's Park and Recreation
Month theme, let me remind you that at parks and recreation,
we are strong, we are confident, we are selfless,
we are passionate, we are driven, we are essential, and
THIS IS OUR STORY.
KRISTINE STRATTON
President and CEO
http://www.nrpa.org/July http://www.tinyurl.com/33629anf
July 2021 - Parks & Recreation

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