Partnerin to achieve our missiong: 2002 will be our year to shine. (National Programs: Fitness and Active Lifestyles) (Cover Story).

Welcome to this annual issue of Parks and Recreation magazine, which focuses on NRPA's National Programs agenda. It has been three years since the division opened and there continues to be expansion in the number of program offerings and partner resources. Dedicated to enhancing member services that more effectively communicate, facilitate, and advocate the benefits of parks and recreation, the division has successfully expanded resources supporting the needs of NRPA, state affiliates, and member agencies.

The national programs missions is not just about collecting more programs or stockpiling more partners. NRPA aggressively pursues partnerships in the areas of health throughout the lifespan, youth development, environmental stewardship, and advanced technology. Through these partnerships, NRPA endeavors to accentuate the essential role that the multi-faceted parks and recreation profession has in securing a quality of life for an increasingly aging, culturally diverse, and technologically advanced society.

Programs are the foundation of our efforts to connect people with healthy lifestyle choices. Sustainable park systems are the places people pursue their own definition of happiness. Each program or partnership is designed to add value to the ongoing efforts of local agencies, not simply add something more. When designed by NRPA, program resources will include new methods of evaluation such as the "Hearts N' Parks" and "Active Options" health promotion resources. It is important to advance new methods of documenting the impact these programs have at the local, state, and national level to garner the resource support needed to make a lasting difference.

Have you ever heard the old adage that it is far more effective to have someone else tell your story than if you shared it yourself? NRPA has a clear goal to advance the Benefits agenda through collaborative relations that create a continuum from programs to public visibility that results in greater public advocacy efforts supporting park and recreation issues. How have we done this? Take the United States Tennis Association, for example. They have over 600,000 members and last year, the USTA encouraged their members to support federal legislation for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (CARA). Just recently, the USTA featured a story about tennis champions that started playing tennis at park and recreation facilities in the US OPEN program book. The US OPEN is the premier spectator sports event in America. Another example would be with our technology partner, Active.com.

Recently, they encouraged their online visitors to support federal funding through an online letter writing campaign that resulted in over 2,000 letters from concerned citizens in just one week. Flaghouse [R] provides a discount for NRPA members and has created increased visibility by offering NRPA membership incentives to their customers. The National Football League arranged for NRPA to be interviewed and placed in a USA TODAY article about youth football in America.

The public health community has come to understand the role of parks and recreation in preventing disease and promoting health. The year 2002 will be an unprecedented benchmark for addressing the issues of obesity and physical inactivity and NRPA members and citizen advocates will play a central role in improving the health and well being of youth and adults. Here are just a few of the major initiatives scheduled to launch in 2002:

* The Centers for Disease Control Prevention and Promotion is scheduled to launch a massive ($80,000,000) media campaign to engage youth 9-13 years old and their parents in regular physical activity ... that's right, $80 million!

* The Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association is poised to launch a comprehensive effort to promote physical activity to youth and adults.

* The Steering Committee to implement the President's Report on Better Health for Youth Through Physical Activity and Sports will work through the National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity to build synergy among youth serving organizations to focus on healthy children, healthy families, and healthy communities.

* The United States Department of Health and Human Services will award over 100 "micro-grants" to support the leading health indicators, including physical activity and obesity, through Healthy People 2010, our national health objectives.

* The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute will fund a heightened intervention focus for the Hearts N' Parks initiative in ten states where cardiovascular disease rates are highest through parks and recreation.

* The International Food Information Council will launch ACTIVATE in 2002, a web site for kids and parents that provides accurate information about nutrition and physical activity.

It will be a landmark year ... will we be ready to respond? Some skeptics have already suggested that the supply of activities won't meet the demand of interest generated by this focus on physical activity and that we don't have an urban reach. There is no question that we have the infrastructure and services to reach all population groups and geographic locales, but we will need to strategically expand our program offerings and evaluation efforts to include approaches that increase participation among INACTIVE youth and adults. Traditionally, we have reached participants that already had an interest and were motivated to participate. However, we now have a significant public health crisis resulting from our sedentary lifestyles. Kids are more obese than ever and over 300,000 deaths a year are attributed to "lifestyle" related chronic diseases. The health impact of diabetes, heart disease, stroke and other chronic conditions will be reduced by having more people adopt healthier behaviors like regular physical activity and better nutrition. We have an extraordinary capacity to showcase how we reach and support all groups by being strategic with our partnerships, programs, and promotions for healthy behaviors.

We make physical activity FUN ... we call it active recreation and sports. It is our time to shine by reaching out to populations with lower rates of physical activity such as women, African-Americans and Hispanics, individuals with lower income and education, older adults, and the physically disabled. Physical activity may be viewed differently by less active groups that it is for those already motivated to play regularly. It may be music and dance, gardening, or inter-generational nature programs that will attract these groups to become more active. Whatever it might be, we need to consider ways to make physical activity FUN for everyone. As NRPA launches the Discover the Benefits [TM] campaign, the focus on healthy lifestyle is natural, but we must stretch our creativity further than we have before to reach new groups with opportunities to be active and to enjoy life more.

NRPA will be actively involved in all of the national initiatives cited above and many more during 2002. The public health agenda is too important for parks and recreation not to take a central role in dealing with the crisis of obesity and physical inactivity. Many agencies are already deeply committed to advancing the active living/healthy lifestyles agenda and we will continue to showcase their success and share it with others looking to address this important public health trend with programs, visibility, and advocacy efforts.

We will also continue to advance our core emphasis on quality sport environments and advanced technology and view them as vital to achieving recognition for our role in health promotion. We have listened to our membership about the challenges of managing or facilitating quality youth sports and a number of partnerships, programs, and resources are in development to ensure that every department has national support to advance a quality sport model that provides healthy youth development. The efforts to complete the ActiveParks database will take on a heightened emphasis in 2002. We have consistently heard from our health and sport partners that it will be critical to complete this database if we are going to be successful in getting more people physically active. We are committed to making the database easier, more user friendly, and essential to the daily work of park and recreation agencies nationwide.

The synergy developing at the national level for advancing lifestyles to address "quality of life" issues such as youth development, health throughout the lifespan, bridging the digital divide, and environmental stewardship is timely. It seems as though the focus has finally shifted from just what institutions want (outputs) to what is best for the target audience (outcomes) and how we can all win when working together on common cause issues. NRPA continues to navigate opportunities that will be genuine and authentic for member agencies to utilize and we will be working diligently with you over the next year to increase our collective voice, visibility, and efforts as essential partners in the process of improving the health and quality of life for all people.

I invite you to contact us at programs@ nrpa.org with any ideas, insights, or recommendations for us to consider. Enjoy the issue.

Kathy J. Spangler, CPRP Director, National Programs

WIDE VARIETY WITH CATCH

Town of Clarkstown Parks Board and Recreation Commission Administration Bldg. Zukor Park 31 Zukor Road New City, New York 10956-4301

The Town of Clarkstown purchased ten boxes of the CATCH Program this past Spring. We are using it at our camps and playgrounds for the summer. We have found them to be an excellent resource for our counselors. The program has a wide variety of activities and has explicit directions on how to run them.

The counselors are finding the program very helpful and easy to follow and can choose a variety of games based on the equipment available at their location. This program allows the counselors to provide innovative games to the campers which helps to keep their recreation attitudes afloat.

I find the program to be cost-effective as it allows us to utilize our present equipment and eliminates the need to purchase new equipment. We are pleased with the CATCH Program and feel it will get better as our counselors use it more and more.

Sincerely,

Jo Anne Oldenbarger, CPRP Asst. Superintendent of Recreation & Parks

FLAG FOOTBALL IMPROVED WITH GRANT

Dear NRPA:

The NFL Youth Football Grant award to the City of Napa has greatly improved our youth flag football program. In the past two seasons of play, we have attracted an average of 125 participants in 3rd to 6th grade. This valuable program teaches basic football skills and concepts and focuses on positive team spirit, participation and fun!

Due to the grant, our plans for the Fall 2001 season include the same program for elementary age children and a new Flag Football after-school program for 7th and 8th grade students as well. Many studies have indicated that 10-14 year olds are often under-served, and it is a very challenging period for youth due to the variety of cognitive, physical and emotional changes that are experienced by this age group. We are happy to provide more programs for this age group and the NFL Grant Program is making it possible.

Thanks again to NRPA and NFL for supporting youth football and our most precious resource ... our youth!

Kathryn Obayashi-Bartsch Recreation Superintendent City of Napa, CA

RALEIGH STAFF "CATCH" THE SPIRIT!

In 1998, Raleigh was a pilot site for the "Hearts N Parks" program sponsored through the National Recreation and Park Association and National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute. At that time, the CATCH curriculum was only minimally introduced into our programs and no specific training was provided, just a brief explanation of the box as a games resource. "The Box" did not see a lot of use.

It took Ron Bugg, of Flaghouse, and workshop facilitator, Patti Strikemiller to enable the staff to really maximize the use of these magical boxes! They actually "came alive" in June 2001, when directors from recreation camps all over the city had the opportunity to not only read about innovative games, but actually put those games into practice with the CATCH philosophies.

The City of Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department sponsored an all-day training, through Flaghouse, to teach approximately 40 summer Camp Directors how to use the "CATCH" curriculum and game boxes. During this training, Camp Directors learned the overall goal of CATCH, history of the program, the importance of establishing routines, effective instruction methods, games included in the box as well as modifications for small rooms or inclement weather.

Participants from that training, in evaluations, rated actually playing games, learning new methods of motivation, and how to proactively lead a game as some of the most helpful aspects of the training. The following are actual quotes from summer staff who participated in the training and are now implementing it at their sites:

"I know that from my experience at this training, the CATCH curriculum will be very effective now and in the future."

"The CATCH program is a very good program. We need to have all of our couselors participate in this training."

"Our campers are having a lot of fun with the CATCH program. I use it everyday in camp and it can be used for all ages."

"The CATCH program was very interesting. I enjoyed the training and think that it will benefit the staff as well as the children in the City of Raleigh summer camp activities."

We hope to offer this training program to new staff every year to emphasize to them our commitment to the promotion of healthy behaviors in our summer camp participants. By giving them a tool like the CATCH curriculum, it enables us to reach this goal with the confidence that our activities for youth are developmentally appropriate, teaching healthy lifestyles, and promoting more fun for the children.

Carol Moore Staff Supervisor Raleigh Parks & Recreation 2401 Wade Avenue Raleigh, NC 27601

HEARTS N PARKS AND CATCH

Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department participated in the pilot "Hearts N Parks" program during the summer of 1999. A program of heart healthy activities was implemented in forty-nine (49) day camp locations focusing on nutrition and physical activity. How to make healthy choices for lunch and snacks was the focus of the nutrition component. The CATCH (Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health) program developed by the National Health, Lung and Blood Institute was selected for the physical component. Our main reason for choosing the CATCH program was the level of participation, without elimination or spectators. The activities taught basic fundaments, while being challenging and most important, fun. After a short training session, our staff was ready to implement the program. Staff found the CATCH activity cards easy to use, you can select an activity and begin playing right away. Campers that normally found themselves sitting out most of the game, became active participants. CATCH helped us reach our "Hearts N Parks" goal of introducing heart healthy activities to all participants.

Since that summer we have incorporated CATCH into our after-school programs and physical education classes we hold for home- schooled children. We even began a Shorty Sporty Camp for preschoolers using the early elementary CATCH cards. The uses of the CATCH program are endless, we would highly recommend the program to everyone.

Terry Stowers Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation 6301 Beatties Ford Road Charlotte, NC 28216

BMX AIDED WITH GRANT

Dear NRPA/ABA:

I am writing to you to express my personal thanks for selecting Macon, Georgia as a recipient of the generous grant for a state of the art BMX facility. The partnering of organizations like the American Bicycling Association and the National Recreation and Park Association is what it takes to bring first-class recreational facilities to the grassroots level.

Our Grand Opening event was held on Saturday, January 27, 2001. We in Macon are proud to own this superior BMX competition facility and are committed to keeping this facility in excellent condition. I am happy and thankful that the cyclists of Middle Georgia, especially our children and youth, can take advantage of such a facility right here at home.

As Mayor, I encourage our citizens to participate in sports activities that improve fitness, build stamina, and foster excellence in competition. I was one of the many enthusiastic bikers at the Grand Opening of our new BMX track, so I can personally attest to the success of its ABA design and construction. We are very grateful to your organization for bringing one of the fastest growing recreational sports activities to our community.

Thank you very much. Sincerely,

C. Jack Ellis Mayor

NFL GRANT PROGRAM

Temple, Texas, as with all Texas communities has had a long and proud football history. Several young Temple men, including Bobby Dillon, "Mean" Joe Green, Brad Dusek, Booker Russell and Kenneth Davis, have developed into great athletes and gone on to play in the National Football League. For the past several years, due to the cost of equipment and a lack of volunteer support, Temple did not have a youth football program. In 2000, the Parks and Leisure Services Department as approached by the Central Texas Youth Football League about partnering together.

Parks and Recreation Departments are often approached by youth sports organizations looking for a "home'. And, in part, that was what occurred with the Central Texas Youth Football League. The league consisted of teams from several of the smaller cities around Temple. They believed Temple provided a centralized location that would be good for their league games. Temple also has a very positive reputation for its youth athletic fields which the league wanted to utilize.

In this case however, the League had just as much to offer the Temple community. The Central Texas Youth Football League is committed to finding, training and developing their coaches into good role models for the youth. All coaches not only go through a training session on the fundamentals of coaching, but sportsmanship and player safety is stressed above all else.

The League was also committed to one other item that interested the department and the Temple Parks and Recreation Advisory Board more than anything else. The League is committed to its players staying in school and getting the best possible grades they can. Each of the players is offered tutoring in any school subject they feel they need help in. Not only do parents and coaches help with the tutoring, so do other players.

During its first season in working with the league, the Parks and Leisure Services Department followed-up with the league to ensure this program worked. We found it to be a real asset to many players. Players were often tutored right at the ball fields where their practices were conducted.

This season, the Central Texas Youth Football League received a mobile unit that will be located in Temple. They have a teacher who has volunteered to head up the program and use the mobile unit as a classroom. Now, more than 250 young boys and girls (the cheerleaders) will have the opportunity to participate not only in an excellent football program, but to improve their school grades.

The Temple Parks and Leisure Services Department was proud to be a recipient of the NFL/NRPA grant.

Ken Cicoa, Director Temple Parks & Leisure Services Department

WHERE FUN HAS NO BOUNDARIES

Dear NRPA:

The Houston Parks and Recreation Department appreciates the opportunity to submit this report to showcase two national youth sports programs, which have impacted the City of Houston. The first is the Hershey's Track and Field Youth Program and the second is the NFL Grant Program.

Our mission is to strive to enhance the quality of urban life by providing secure and well-maintained parks and by offering affordable programs for our community. Through the funds that have been awarded for Houston's implementation of the Hershey's Track and Field Youth Program and the NFL Grant Program, we are able to fulfill our mission by offering a variety of unique recreational opportunities for youth, at no cost.

Our department slogan is "Where fun has no boundaries!", and with programs such as Hershey's Track and Field and NFL Grant Program, children are exposed to exciting and challenging programs, where they can develop socially, physically and mentally within themselves and among their peers.

Once again, thank you for your invitation to be recognized for these outstanding youth sports programs.

Sincerely,

Oliver B. Spellman, Jr. Director

YOUTH FOOTBALL PROGRAM IMPLEMENTED

The excitement of playing America's favorite sport is no longer limited to the Junior High and High School experience. In fact, if you are old enough to run, throw and catch, you are able to learn the game of football, while having fun with your friends. The Houston Parks and Recreation Department has offered youth football for many years, but running a truly successful program translated into having the funds to support our program.

In 2000 and 2001, that support mechanism came through for the department by way of a $2500 grant from NFL Charities and the National Recreation and Park Association to help support Houston's youth football program. As a result, the development of local teams has flourished as the popularity of the program continues to grow. Last fall, teams representing three of the city's community centers traveled to Austin, Texas for the "Let It Fly" Southwest Regional Flag Football Tournament for Youth (a first in our program's history). The department was represented well during the tournament, with a victory title for the 6-9 year olds from Emancipation Park's football team and a second place title for the 10-11 year old Judson Robinson, Jr. team.

During our upcoming fall program, we plan to service 500 youth in the Houston Parks and Recreation Department Youth Football Program. We look forward to providing youth the opportunity to play football for fun in Houston, and also find it rewarding to introduce new players to the sport of football who may not have otherwise had an opportunity to play.

Al Johnson, Program Manager Youth Football Houston Parks and Recreation Department

HERSHEY'S TRACK AND FIELD YOUTH PROGRAM

Background

At the beginning of 2000, the Houston Parks and Recreation Department began exploring the feasibility of adding youth track and field to our roster of athletic programs and activities for children. We also began looking for potential partners who were cognizant of the rewards of track programs and had an interest in helping our program get off the ground. We met such a partner in the Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation, who was interested in the department's grass roots approach to track and field and provided $5000 for initial start-up costs for the program.

On December 5, 2000 the National Recreation and Park Association notified the Houston Parks and Recreation Department that we were to be a recipient of a one-year grant of $30,000 to fund the implementation of the Hershey's Track and Field Program. Once this funding was secured, the department subscribed to the Let's Play Sports, coordinator's handbook, which was instrumental in developing our track and field program curriculum.

Hershey's Track and Field Youth Program

Our main objective for the program was to develop young track and field athletes At the recreation level. With this in mind, the Houston Parks and Recreation Department, in conjunction with area track clubs, hosted five Hershey's Track and Field clinics for all interested youth ages 9-14. We had a total of 529 young boys and girls participate in these clinics.

Opening Ceremonies for our first Hershey's Track and Field Qualifier was held on June 16, 2001 at Dyer Stadium. Guest speakers included Mr. Bill Collins, a member the 1976 Olympic Team and 1977 World Record holder in the 4x100m relay, and Mrs. Terry Hershey, who was instrumental in Houston being named as a National Recreation and Park Association grant recipient, and now serves as the Association's liaison for our program. The department was well represented with 250 participants competing for the opportunity to advance to the Hershey's State Meet, which was held on June 23 in Austin, Texas. During the state meet, 40 of our youth competed, 23 of which became finalists. One noteworthy success story for our program is that we now hold a State Championship title, thanks to an outstanding display of athleticism by Mr. Lee Council, who placed first in the 13-14 year old age division of the softball throw.

Two of our program goals for this year were to develop a team to participate in Hershey's State Meet and to have one state champion. I am pleased to report that both goals have been successfully accomplished. As a result of this program, enthusiasm for track and field within Houston's inner-city communities has bolstered. Young individuals have become more aware of the sport of track and field and look forward to continuing their skills development in the future.

Clifton Clark, Program Manager Hershey's Track and Field Youth Program

"NEVER GIVE UP! NEVER SURRENDER!"

With the help of NRPA, Local Programs Take Off Houston Parks and Recreation Department

"Never give up! Never surrender!" These words were uttered in the movie Galaxy Quest a few years ago, and they have since become the guiding force of the Springfield-Greene County Park Board as it strives to find new and innovative programs that will meet the diverse needs of the public. It has not always been an easy task, but with resources, ideas and curriculum from groups such as NRPA, the "mission" is being accomplished!

The quest to establish diversified programming through the use of NRPA National Programs began 18 years ago with the Park Board's commitment to the Hershey's Track and Field Program. It has been one of the many summer youth activities that has been scheduled into the Park Board's calendar of events. The Park Board has had the privilege to share in the accomplishments of several local participants as they enjoyed an all-expenses-paid trip to Hershey, PA. to participate in the National Track and Field Program held there.

The new Schools, Parks and Reaching Communities, or SPARC, program is a partnership between the Springfield School District and the Springfield-Greene County Park Board. These community-and school-based programs requested intramural soccer, basketball and baseball. In addition, they wanted low-cost, high-quality program with coaches who were knowledgeable in each of the sports. The NRPA's Let's Play Sports program became an integral part of this effort. Clear, concise manuals provided by NRPA and Let's Play Sports Ltd. were given to the coaches, thus allowing the training needed to be kept at a minimum. Staff members were also able to adapt the instructions for age-appropriate practices and game strategies. Easy to follow lesson plans with day-to-day, step-by-step, how to teach, coach, and play the game enabled volunteer coaches to become even better at their jobs. Not only did the children enjoy the seasons, but the positive experiences that these coaches had have even prompted them to commit their services for the next season!

SPARC, Ritter Springs, and Oak Grove Summer Day Camp programs -- which benefit approximately 380 children per week-have also benefited from the NRPA program "Chalk It Up." Campers have been challenged to be innovative with their chalk pieces, and they have produced many new forms of "out-of-the-box" sidewalk drawings. They once decorated the walk that led into the park at McBride School-Park -- a delight for many of the pedestrians, cyclists, and joggers in the area. When the rain washes the sidewalks clean, a new challenge begins once again. Children never tire of exploring their imaginations, and who are we to stop the flow of creativity?

As the City geared up for this first summer of the new millennium, the seven municipal pools took advantage of the NRPA "Pool Cool" program. Signs were placed at each of the pools to remind guests of the four Pool Cool Rules; and "Danger: SPF 15 Zone Ahead" and other eye-catching signs were a hit with all of the guests. Guests could also purchase sunscreen at the pool snack bar. Pool Cool Rules were presented at lifeguard training, and incidents of sunburned staff were minimal throughout the summer. During Safety Day of the Learn to Swim program, participants were introduced to the Pool Cool Rules, played Pool Cool Jeopardy, and received free giveaways. This part of the program alone reached approximately 450 children and their parents. Finally, the program was used with the SPARC, Ritter Springs and Oak Grove Day Camps, extending the Pool Cool Rules to an additional 500 youth! Impromptu programs were also presented to the public at each of the seven pools on various days during the summer. Bright signs, great giveaways, and easy-to-follow lessons that could be implemented anywhere and any time make this program easy and successful. This program proved that sun safety lessons could be implemented beyond the pool and into nearly every program that is provided.

With the NRPA National Programs, such as Hershey's Track and Field, Let's Play Sports, Chalk It Up and Pool Cool, the Springfield-Greene County Park Board has been able to both enhance existing programs and present new ones to the ever-growing number of people that participate in it's programs. From sports to aquatics, from SPARC to Neighborhood Development, the NRPA National Programs have helped this department keep the sprit of "Never Give Up! Never Surrender" as we work toward providing programs for our own little corner of the galaxy.