From a dream realized.

The National Recreation and Park Association's 32nd year of existence was one of its most historic and memorable The completion and dedication of the Ahrens NRPA Institute on June 27,1997, was truly a magnificent moment for all of us. First and foremost, we finished the challenge that Mr. Claude Ahrens delivered in 1993, when he stepped forward at our Annual Congress for Recreation and Parks in San Jose and donated $1 million toward the construction of a modern, state-of-the-art facility -- with the stipulation that NRPA match that amount. NRPA raised the stipulated $1 million in just one year and gathered a total of $2 million in pledges to add to the original gift.

While our new Institute provides us a fantastic setting for moving parks and recreation into the future, it is the energy and motivation of all NRPA members that will guarantee our future success. This energy must be focused not only on advancing the profession but also on building a strong citizen base. We must recruit more citizens from across the country who recognize the value of parks and recreation and support the growth of these services.

NRPA works diligently to assist its members to provide the best service possible. This is accomplished through many educational program initiatives.

Our National Playground Safety Institute initiative has enabled our members to not only learn how to best avoid and prevent accidents in play areas, but also serves as a licensing body to educate and certify individuals to become playground safety inspectors. Combine this with our partnership with the US. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in which we help educate and familiarize members about federally recommended safety guidelines, and you can see we are clearly a leader in this field.

The "Active Living/Healthy Lifestyles[TM]" initiative, for which NRPA has received both significant funding and recognition by the US. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, has become the single largest health-promotion strategy launched through public parks and recreation. The ALHL program enables individuals to get in shape through enjoyable recreational activities and can certainly play a major role in the reduction of health costs in this country

The Parks & Recreation: The Benefits are Endless...[TM] program is teaching our members how to show the public the many ways that park and recreation services address today's challenges. Training sessions, videotapes, public service announcements and specialty-advertising products are all integral parts of communicating our message to the public.

The highlight of NRPA's public policy agenda was a successful campaign to save Federal Emergency Management Act (FEMA) funds for park and recreation agencies after natural disasters. We also have furthered the message to the US. Justice Department of the critical role recreation plays in crime reduction. The Association positioned itself as a key player in saving statewide funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Through our Recre-Action Network, an online/fax program enabling our members to reach their local politicians, we were able to have our collective voice heard.

Our ever-expanding NRPA Home Page and private network (NRPAnet) continue to enable NRPA to reach out to the cyberspace world to show members and citizens how important park and recreation services are. In fact, the first image one sees when signing onto our Home Page (www.nrpa.org) is an icon promoting the "Recreation Fact & Benefit of the Day." The popularity that this initiative has enjoyed proves that the benefits of parks and recreation are, indeed, endless.

Initiatives to educate our membership and the public are best illustrated through the availability of 23 schools and seminars, in addition to our Annual Congress for Recreation and Parks, which is the largest public park and recreation convention in the country. In addition, more than 200 publications and resources are available through our publications division, providing the latest in "know-how" for our members. As a certifying body for leisure service professionals, as well as providing accreditation for park and recreation university curricula, the Association plays a major role in advancing professionalism. We help prepare the next generation of park and recreation graduates for the changing world ahead.

Throughout this annual report you will read in greater detail about these initiatives as well as a host of others Upon reviewing these pages, you will have a better understanding of the benefits of parks and recreation and the valuable role that NRPA plays in advancing its many goals.

We ask that you join with us in sharing this message to the public at large.

Ahrens Dedication

On Friday, June 27, a standing-room-only crowd gathered in Ashburn, Virginia, to witness the dedication of the state-of-the-art Ahrens National Recreation and Park Association Institute The Institute, which will preserve the proud history of the parks and recreation movement, is also a catalyst for growth into the twenty-first century.

The day's events included a keynote address from Washington Redskins quarterback Gus Frerotte, as well as words of inspiration from Claude Ahrens, who initiated the drive for the Institute with a $1 million challenge-donation to NRPA in October 1993, and NRPA executive director R. Dean Tice.

Situated on a 120-acre tract in the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority's Brambleton Regional Park, the land will be developed into a model park that will contain sports fields, jogging paths, nature trails, picnic sites, and an aquatic facility.