October 2024 – Parks & Recreation - 28

ADVOCACY
Park Power: From Federal
Funds to Field Visits
By Kaitlyn Kaufman and Christian Miller
T
his October, it's time to unlock the power of your park. As the
2024 NRPA Annual Conference approaches, consider stopping
by a session with the Public Policy and Advocacy (PPA) team!
Our two education sessions, " Federal Grants 101 " and " 'Baby
Come Back!' How to Make Public Officials Visit Your Parks Over and
Over Again, " will help you find and create winning federal grant applications
and craft exciting site visits with your elected officials.
Federal Grants 101
Has your department ever needed
more funding? Who's hasn't? But
trying to navigate the choppy waters
of federal grants can be dizzying.
This session is here to guide you
through the process and give you
the confidence to apply for federal
funding opportunities. Throughout
the session, Kaitlyn Kaufman, NRPA's
government affairs specialist,
will walk you through the federal
grant search, application and implementation
process based on her
experience sharing federal grants
with NRPA members. In addition,
NRPA members will share how
winning Community Development
Block Grant (CDBG) funds have enriched
their communities and how
your park can do the same. Veronica
" Roni " Taylor, superintendent of
the division of parks and recreation
in Plainfield, New Jersey, will focus
on how to apply for CDBG in partnership
with states, and Sue Wood,
director of the Moore (Oklahoma)
Parks and Recreation Department,
will speak about successful CDBG
projects
in Oklahoma City and
Moore. We encourage you to attend
this informative session in Atlanta,
which will be jam-packed with practical
tips to take back home.
'Baby Come Back!' How to
Make Public Officials Visit
Your Parks Over and Over
Again
So, you've invited your senator to
see your parks - now what? How
do you turn a once-in-a-lifetime visit
into a lifetime partnership? Throughout
the session, you will learn how
to conduct a successful site visit with
your member of Congress and other
elected officials. Dan McCarthy,
NRPA's senior manager of advocacy,
will teach you how to reach out to
your member of Congress, how to
structure a site visit and what to do to
follow up on your visit. Katie Groke,
director of community services for
Apex Park and Recreation District,
will share her real-life experience conducting
site visits in Colorado to highlight
the practical realities of hosting
a successful event. Christian Miller,
NRPA's government affairs manager,
will elaborate on the value of these
visits for advancing policy change in
Washington, D.C. After attending
this session, you will have all the tools
and knowledge needed to host anyone
- including elected officials - at
a park in your community.
We know you have a lot of choices
when it comes to education sessions
at this year's conference. So,
we hope you will consider stopping
by the PPA team's sessions! What
could be better than winning federal
funds and achieving policy change
through site visits with elected officials?
Do not miss this opportunity
to unlock the full potential of your
park. See you in Atlanta!
SEE ALSO: " Federal Earmarks -
Win Funding for Your Department
This Year, " Calli Wilsey, Parks &
Recreation, February 2024, Vol. 59,
Iss. 2, tinyurl.com/yh29vyum.
Learn how to find
and apply for federal
grants and engage
your elected officials
at the 2024 NRPA
Annual Conference.
28 Parks & Recreation | O CTOBER 2 0 2 4 | PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
Kaitlyn Kaufman is Government Affairs
Specialist at NRPA (kkaufman@nrpa.org).
Christian Miller is Government Affairs
Manager at NRPA (cmiller@nrpa.org).
http://tinyurl.com/yh29vyum
October 2024 – Parks & Recreation

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