December 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 21

your federal elected officials and their
staff year-round.
This powerful storytelling, showand-tell method is exactly what's behind the Park Champion campaign,
NRPA's signature grassroots advocacy
initiative. It engages park and recreation professionals, park advocates
and decisionmakers across the nation in park and recreation advocacy.
Through webinars with expert guest
speakers, comprehensive toolkits and
staff on-hand, the Park Champion initiative is making it easy to bring Capitol Hill to a park near you.

Instead of relying on
standard advocacy
techniques, you have
resources to draw on, such
as beautiful parks...and a
deep connection with your
community.
In the second year of the initiative, Park Champions from across
the county invited their members of
Congress to exciting events they had
already scheduled. Members of Congress and their staff, eager to get out
of their offices and into the community to interact with constituents,
jumped at the opportunity to attend
events, ranging from park dedications
to summer meal programs, in parks
and community centers in their districts. Through these impactful interactions, Park Champions are making
a big difference, one event at a time.
As we look forward to 2017, we're
excited to see even more NRPA members step up as Park Champions. With

the resources NRPA provides, it's easier than ever to become part of the
parks and rec advocacy movement.
Our staff is on hand to help you plan
your event and assist in coordinating
with your volunteer and friends networks to plan your Park Champion
event. To get started, visit the Park
Champion website (www.nrpa.org/
park-champions) and sign up to re-

ceive monthly updates and access to
key advocacy resources and toolkits.
If you have questions or simply want
to talk about how the Park Champion
initiative can work for you, reach out
to Jayni Rasmussen at jrasmussen@
nrpa.org or 440.522.9162.
Jayni Rasmussen is NRPA's Advocacy and
Outreach Specialist (jrasmussen@nrpa.org).

2016 Park Champions
of the Year:
With so many incredible Park Champion events this year, it was quite a challenge to choose the recipient of the 2016 Park Champion of the Year Award. This annual award is given to the Park Champion who hosts a creative event that best showcases their park and recreation agency to a member of
Congress or the congressional member's staff. The recipient of the 2016 Park Champion of the Year
Award will receive a plaque and roundtrip flight and lodging to travel to Washington, D.C., in spring
2017 to advocate for parks and recreation on Capitol Hill. After much deliberation, the NRPA Public
Policy Committee selected the following winner and finalists:

Winner, 2016 Park Champions of the Year
Tracy Willette, Director, Bangor Parks and Recreation, and Deb Smith, Executive
Director, Maine Recreation and Park Association
Event: Senior Little League World Series - Bangor, Maine
Guests: Senator Susan Collins, Congressman Bruce Poliquin, staff from the office of Senator
Angus King

Finalists:
* Som Subedi, Coordinator | Parks for New Portlanders
Event: Portland World Cup
Guest: Senator Ron Wyden
* Michele Potter, Director | Gaithersburg Parks and Recreation
Event: Celebrate Gaithersburg Days and Naturalization Ceremony
Guests: Senator Ben Cardin, Congressman Chris Van Hollen, Congressman John Delaney
* Azade Perin-Monterroso, Program Manager - Healthy Communities Office | City of
Providence
Event: USDA Summer Meal Program Visit and Speech
Guest: Senator Jack Reed
* Tony Collins, Director, and Brandi Braun, Chief Communications and Development
Officer | Columbus Department of Parks and Recreation
Event: USDA Summer Meal Program Visit and Speech
Guest: Senator Sherrod Brown
Do you want to be the next Park Champion of the Year? Host your members of Congress or
their staff at an event highlighting your parks and programs by the end of August 2017 to be
eligible for next year's award. It's easy to plan a Park Champion event with the Park Champion
Advocacy Toolkit, so get started planning yours today!

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Parks & Recreation

December 2016 - Parks & Recreation

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