Pard-ners in fun: Heflin, Ala.

Just ten years old, Heflin's Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) has already worked to take the leisure needs of a small (pop. 6,500, including parts of Cleburne County outside Heflin) resident base to an enviable level. With five full-time staff members, eight part-timers and a host of volunteers, PARD is committed to providing a wide variety of sports and recreational opportunities for its citizens. Bolstered by its setting amid natural beauty--the 29-mile-long Talladega Scenic Drive leading to the Cheaha Mountain State Park, which offers a view from the highest elevation in Alabama, is but a long baseball toss away--Heflin offers all manner of recreation opportunities year-round, from swimming to boating to fishing and even panning for gold.

Despite being one of the smallest towns in the state that includes a parks and recreation department, Heflin features a smorgasbord of youth programs: baseball, softball, football, soccer, basketball, wrestling, volleyball, cheerleading, karate and gymnastics. Children as young as 3 or 4 can start participating in most sports. Moreover, Heflin ensures universal accessibility to these programs by waiving fees and providing equipment for those families unable to pay As an agency staffer notes, "We firmly believe that every child needs to and should participate in a sports program and should be given every opportunity to do so." In fact, approximately 70 percent of the children in the community participate in at least one recreational sports program.

For their part, adults can indulge in softball or volleyball, with the occasional game of basketball or flag football thrown in for good measure. And PARD is keenly attuned to the needs of its older residents as well: Last year, a new $2 million recreation center, including an indoor track and offering aerobics classes, was built. These improvements have been enormously popular with the area's senior citizens.

In embracing this spirit of community involvement, Heflin's main emphasis is on recreational, participation-based activities. But PARD is also committed to providing ample avenues for the competition-minded. Organization is paramount: Coaches are educated through the National Youth Sports Coaches Association (NYSCA), and attend sport-specific seminars, and even parents learn standards of conduct through the NYSCA. Officials at competitive events also require certification. Upcoming PARD programs are publicized in print, on the radio, with street signs and via flyers distributed to area residents; children who participated the previous year are telephoned. Medical personnel are on hand for large functions, and at smaller events, coaches--all trained in first aid are prepared to act in the safety interests of players and fans alike.

In addition to the new recreation center, Heflin has spent almost $400,000 in capital improvements to recreational facilities in recent years; these include the installation of new baseball-field lights, the purchase of both a school (earmarked to become a combination community center/practice area) and a football field, new fences on every ball field and new playground equipment. Clearly, these disparate endeavors were intended to serve the entire community, not just one segment. The town also has an ambitious, focused plan for upgrading and expanding its recreation facilities in the next five years, the centerpiece being the construction of a five-field sports complex.

Not surprisingly, the entire town--not just budding athletes and their parents--contributes time and energy into making recreational endeavors in Heflin a success. The Boy Scouts come out in force to assist with larger events. The Athletic Booster Club is on hand to help park cars when needed. Elderly ladies furnish baked goods. That these people have no affiliation with a club or organization demonstrates the impact PARD and its programs have had on the vibrancy and goodwill of the entire community. whose members recognize that children who participate in sports and recreation are statistically far more likely to avoid the pitfalls of modern-day youth than are those deprived of such opportunities.

More than anything, Heflin seeks to deliver a broader message to its youth than the importance of "finding the open man" or the need to tag up on a fly ball. The programs teach kids about sportsmanship, discipline and social skills, but most of all, they teach the kids about life--how to roll with the proverbial punches, keep pushing in the face of adversity, and maintain confidence and dignity even when all seems lost. In espousing that theme, this tiny little town demonstrates an enviable amount of heart.