August 2021 - Parks & Recreation - 21

The August recess presents an opportunity
to showcase the power of parks to
our members of Congress.
way to demonstrate the tangible
benefits of parks funding, especially
at the time when the annual budget
is top of mind for officials. Vividly
illustrating the positive impact
local park and recreation facilities
have on the quality of life of
their constituents may influence
your congressperson's stance and
willingness to be a champion for
your park and recreation agencies.
Whether they fight for funding now
or prioritize parks moving forward,
having an ally in your representative
can be crucial. They might submit a
helpful community project funding
request next year or introduce and
support park-friendly legislation in
the future.
Scheduling a visit alone is a great
start, but you should maximize
the opportunity of a site
visit to
demonstrate the full breadth of your
agency's positive impacts in your
community. Your congressperson
probably already knows that your
park and recreation center offers a
public green space that people come
to for exercise, relaxation and to unwind.
An in-person visit allows you
to highlight all the valuable work
your department does beyond the
obvious activities that MOCs typically
think of - things like youth
workforce development, nutrition
and public health services, environmental
education, sustainable green
infrastructure investments, and
the many ways your department
stepped up to provide for your communities
during
the
(COVID-19)
pandemic.
coronavirus
Effectively
telling your story can expand a
lawmaker's awareness of the multipronged
community benefits parks
and recreation provides, which may
result in better legislation that recognizes
the vital role our profession
plays in local communities.
Also, don't forget to capture
your event with photos and videos,
and share them on your social
media platforms! This shows the
public and your supporters that
you're engaging elected officials.
By tagging
the
elected
officials
who attended, you're maintaining
your relationship with their office
and opening the door to future engagements.
Establish
a Relationship
However, a site visit is just the start.
More important than getting a
MOC to visit your park, fostering a
long-lasting relationship with their
staff ensures that their office knows
the critical role your agency plays
in their district. After a visit, we
recommend sending a handwritten
thank you note to the congressperson
and a thank you email to
the district staffers who helped set
up the meeting and/or joined the
visit. Now that you've established
or deepened the relationship, you
can follow up via email any time
your department rolls out a new
initiative or breaks ground on a
park. You can invite lawmakers to
subsequent site visits or to speak at
an event you are hosting. Simply
maintaining a regular relationship
with your elected officials and their
staff can be essential and rewarding,
as you will stay at the top of
their minds.
As always, please do not hesitate
to reach out to NRPA's Public Policy
team if you have any questions
about ways to strategically engage
with lawmakers. We look forward
to hearing about, and seeing, your
site visits all month long!
Thank you to the NRPA Public Policy
and Advocacy team members for
contributing to this article.
Dan McCarthy is NRPA's Advocacy
Manager (dmccarthy@nrpa.org).
PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G | A UGUS T 2 0 2 1
| Parks & Recreation
21
August 2021 - Parks & Recreation

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