Our Park and Recreation Story

The pandemic has strained our healthcare system and exposed the significantly different outcomes people face depending on their race and ethnicity. These disparities are a direct result of systemic racism, unjust policies, failing systems, and our lack of investment in prevention and upstream solutions. Add on the toll of failing mental health, and it’s clear that all levels of government should invest in park and recreation’s ability to positively impact the whole person. 

NRPA is paving the way for park and recreation professionals to center health equity in their work as they look to the future. This work needs to be done in power and partnership with community members most impacted by COVID-19 and other chronic diseases. NRPA’s new  Health Equity Framework  can serve as a guide to park and recreation professionals on this journey. Additionally, NRPA continues to build strategic partnerships that support this work and advocate for federal funding that can enhance park and recreation’s role in health equity, mental health and well-being, and so much more. 

Many people can thank parks and recreation for their first job. Popular first jobs include lifeguards, camp counselors, coaches, park maintenance workers and instructors. However, only a percentage of those people go on to pursue a career in parks and recreation.

Park and recreation departments need to recruit new professionals to the field to ensure they meet their communities’ needs and challenges for the future. Additionally, they must ensure their agencies are representative of the diverse communities they serve. Park and recreation workforce development programs are a mutually beneficial way to recruit future professionals and provide job training to the communities they serve.

NRPA’s research on workforce development discovered 56 percent of urban park and recreation agencies currently have a workforce development program, compared to 36 percent of suburban agencies and 24 percent of rural agencies. Why does this matter? All park and recreation agencies need to build a diverse workforce and community members need jobs in fulfilling careers that make a difference right where they live.

NRPA will continue working with and learning from agencies, like Columbia Parks and Recreation, to develop  best practices for workforce development . With continued investment, we can fund pilot programs that not only benefit the field of parks and recreation, but also the communities where these programs are conducted. These programs improve overall community health and well-being by addressing economic disparities and promoting equity and inclusion. They also create partnerships and bring young adults, youth development and career opportunities to the forefront of a sustainable park and recreation model for the future.

All kids deserve a fun, safe place to play where they feel like they belong. Yet, the average child  drops out of youth sports by age 11 , often because the sport doesn’t feel fun anymore — or because the options are simply too expensive for their family. As a result, these kids miss out on the lifelong benefits of sports.

This past year, thanks to support from The Walt Disney Company, NRPA helped park and recreation professionals develop and implement solutions that drive equitable access to youth sports. Through this work and our research, it became clear that park and recreation professionals are passionate about ensuring all youth have an opportunity to play sports. However,  insufficient funding  — among other challenges — stands in the way of park and recreation professionals’ mission to deliver sports activities to all youth. 

Additionally, the pandemic has only increased inequities in access to youth sports. The gap in youth sports participation has  more than doubled  during the pandemic between children living in households making more than $100,000 versus those living in households making less than $50,000. Plus, widening economic inequities are disproportionately  impacting youth from diverse backgrounds  who already face additional barriers in accessing quality youth sports opportunities. With increased capacity, park and recreation professionals can help address barriers and inequities.

In Vivian, Louisiana, park and recreation professionals are seeing firsthand how increased capacity can help them identify and address barriers in access to youth sports. Thanks to technical assistance provided through the grant program supported by Disney, staff from the town partnered with the local school district to disseminate a survey to local youth. Results from the survey uncovered that 27 percent of respondents, mostly girls, felt they were not good enough to play sports. To address this gap in girls’ participation, park and recreation staff in Vivian plan to leverage strategies learned in their grant cohort, such as sports sampling events that include sports girls said they were most interested in trying and recruiting older girls to host sport workshops. By prioritizing community feedback, Vivian is on track to increase girls’ participation in their youth sports opportunities.

COVID-19 has detrimentally impacted youth sports programs for  nine in 10 park and recreation agencies . Over the next year, NRPA is launching a national campaign to raise awareness about the benefits of sports and disparities in youth sports participation, as well as encourage parents to choose park and recreation youth sports programming. NRPA also will develop resources to support the creation of equitable policies, host convenings to share innovative solutions, advance quality coaching recruitment and training, and create tools to measure and evaluate equity initiatives informed by local pilot programs. With support, NRPA will continue to invest in youth sports programming that reduces the gap in access, so all kids can experience the joy and benefits of youth sports. When we ensure equitable access to youth sports, all children win.

NRPA profoundly believes that close-to-home parks and recreation and the professionals who make it all happen are essential. But not everyone is aware of how parks and recreation can solve some of the toughest challenges facing communities today.

Park and recreation agencies create and maintain critical infrastructure, build more equitable health outcomes, support climate resiliency, and bring people of all backgrounds together. To do this, though, park and recreation agencies need support and investment.

For example, East Bay Regional Park District in Oakland, California, has a  long history of community engagement . Because the staff have made the case for parks time and time again, the district has led four significant voter-approved tax measures over the past 30 years. That funding is used in conjunction with local state and federal grants to not just acquire more land for preservation and recreation, but also to ensure EBPRD’s parks and programs can be maintained and expanded over time. The district’s staff knows that data, community engagement, advocacy and a plan of action are all critical components for acquiring and maintaining investment.

That’s why NRPA is working with park and recreation professionals across the country to teach them how to advocate, embrace storytelling, engage their communities and create a movement of support for their profession. We’re doing this work through trainings, webinars, guest lectures, resources and much more. As the economic reverberations of COVID-19 continue, it will be imperative for local government and elected officials to strategically invest in parks and recreation facilities as vital community services. It makes economic sense and even political sense —  72 percent of U.S. adults  are more likely to vote for a local political leader who makes park and recreation funding a priority. Most importantly, it’s one of the best investments to solve equity, health, climate and economic challenges in communities everywhere.

Through an analysis by Beacon Economics, East Bay Regional Park District identified how large infrastructure projects have direct, indirect and induced benefits. The one-time impact for 93 upcoming projects would be $214.4 million in economic output, 1,199 job years of employment, $107.1 million in labor income, and $25.4 million in tax revenue. Annually, the completed projects support $23.7 million in economic output, 131 job years, $13.4 million in labor income and $3.6 million in tax revenue.

NRPA will continue to promote parks and recreation as an essential local government service and train professionals how they can do the same. With investment, we can build a groundswell of support that creates lasting and impactful change that enriches communities throughout the country.

You have the power to build strong, vibrant and resilient communities by supporting NRPA and the thousands of park and recreation professionals who make their communities better places to live, work and play. With your support, we can ensure access to safe, quality parks and recreation services that improve environmental, social and health outcomes in communities, now and into the future.

Legacy Gifts

Join  Stewards for the Future  by including a gift to NRPA in your will, trust, or as a beneficiary of a retirement plan, life insurance policy or Donor Advised Fund. Your gift ensures the work of park and recreation professionals continues for generations to come. Our partnership with FreeWill makes planned giving easier and more accessible. Visit  FreeWill.com/NRPA  to learn more.

Gifts Through a Donor-Advised Fund

You can support NRPA with a donation through your donor-advised fund.  Click here  to make a donation through your Donor Advised Fund.

Gifts of Appreciated Stock

Gifting appreciated stock is a great way to save on taxes and support the cause of parks and recreation.

Tribute Gifts

Make a gift to support the essential services of park and recreation professionals in memory or honor of someone special or to celebrate an important occasion, such as a birthday, wedding or holiday.

Workplace Giving

Help support parks and recreation by designating NRPA in your workplace giving or payroll deduction work programs.

Monthly Giving

Your monthly gift helps NRPA meet the evolving needs and challenges of park and recreation professionals and the communities they serve. Visit  nrpa.org/donate  to set up your monthly gift today.

Matching Gifts

Many employers will match their employees’ contributions to NRPA, which can double or even triple the impact of an individual gift. Let your company know of your gift to NRPA so they can match it.

Become a Partner

Your company can meet its corporate social responsibility and employee retention goals while supporting close-to-home parks and recreation.

To learn more about how to support NRPA, contact us at 703.858.2190 or development@nrpa.org or visit  nrpa.org/give .

as of June 30, 2021

• Michael P. Kelly, Chicago, Illinois (Chair)
• Jack Kardys, President, J. Kardys Strategies (Past Chair)
• Xavier D. Urrutia, Chief of Staff to the Chancellor Dr. Mike Flores, Alamo Colleges District (Treasurer)
• Nonet T. Sykes, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer, Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (Secretary)
• Kathy Abbott, President and CEO, Boston Harbor Now
• Jesús S. Aguirre, CPRE, Superintendent, Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation
• Carolyn McKnight-Fredd, CPRP, Owner, Eagle Methods Management Consulting
• Michael Abbaté, FASLA, LEED AP, Principal, Abbaté Designs
• Jose F. Diaz, Executive Vice President, Ballard Partners
• Victor B. Dover, FAICP, CNU Fellow, LEED‐ AP, Co-Founder, Dover, Kohl & Partners Town Planning
• Angelou Ezeilo, Founder and CEO, Greening Youth Foundation
• Richard B. Gulley, Board Member, Balboa Park Conservancy
• Susie Kuruvilla, CPRP, CPA, Executive Director, Gurnee Park District
• Joanna Lombard, AIA, LEED AP, Professor, Department of Public Health Sciences University of Miami, School of Architecture and Miller School of Medicine
• Joshua Medeiros, Ed. D, CPRE, AFO, Superintendent of Parks, Recreation, Youth and Community Services, City of Bristol Parks, Recreation, Youth and Community Services
• Kristine Stratton, President and CEO, National Recreation and Park Association (ex officio)
• Monica H. Vinluan, Sr. Program Officer, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• Lakita Watson, CPRP, Executive Director, Richland County Recreation Commission
• Greg A. Weitzel, MS, CPRP, Director, Department of Parks and Recreation City of Las Vegas, Nevada
• Philip Wu, M.D., (retired) Physician Consultant Kaiser Permanente Northwest Region