July 2010 - Parks & Recreation - 35

Says

Celebrity

Jane Goodall isn't the only
well-known person making
a difference for youth. In
recognition of July Is Parks
& Recreation Month, these
three celebrities offered their
views on parks and recreation.
In addition to their personal
fondness for parks, they also
recently helped playground
organization KaBOOM!
judge a playground design
competition where winners
were given $5,000 in grants.
Here's what they have to say:

What kind of recreation do you like
to do in your free time and why?
Basketball star
Antawn Jamison

of the Cleveland Cavaliers: Since I'm
a professional athlete, I'm always
doing recreational activities that
range from working out in the gym
to playing with my kids on the playground. In my free time, I enjoy
relaxing at home and being a vegetable. Since I have to stay in top
shape, I can't afford to be too lazy!

Miss American
Caressa Cameron

In my free time, I enjoy going
for walks in parks, and swinging on swing sets. Since I am so
busy with life, I love to just take a
few minutes to myself and relax.

Hockey star Dustin Brown of
Antawn Jamison

the Los Angeles Kings and USA
Olympic Team: Mostly I spend
time with my kids. We go to the
park around our home a lot. They
are still really young, so it's a lot
of fun to see what they can do
physically with each new day.

Do you have any childhood
memories in a park or recreating
that you could share?
Jamison: While growing up in
Caressa Cameron

Shreveport, La., I lived around the corner from a small park that had a basketball court. I would sneak out a night
to go to this park and work on my
game! It was a true santuary for me.
My parents always knew where to find
me if I ever went missing! Who knows,
if it hadn't been for that park, I might
not be playing in the NBA right now!

Cameron: I spent a lot of time in

Lorella park in Fredericksburg, Va. It

was a meeting spot for my friends
and I. The park had tennis courts, a
pool, picnic tables, and baseball fields.
We had lots of fun all throughout my
school years and still continue to meet
up there during summers when my
friends come home from college.

Brown: I spent a ton of time on
the playground at my school once
school was over for the day. Anytime I could, I would play. If I wasn't
playing a sport, I was doing something physically active. Playgrounds
were and are so important because they provide another option away from the athletic field.
Why do you think parks and
recreational activities are
important to communities?
Jamison: Parks and playgrounds

are important because that's
where some of our first friendships are formed. They provide
a fun environment that makes
it easy to be yourself. I met my
first friends playing on a playground when I was growing up!

Cameron: Parks are a great way
to keep the community together, it's a great meeting place for
festivities in the community and
a place that houses many memories and will continue to facilitate them for years to come.

Brown: Parks and recreational activities are important to communities
for a lot of reasons. It gives kids and
their families a free, safe place to play.
It encourages them to get out of the
house and away from the televisions
and computers and get some fresh
air. Active kids are healthy kids and
there aren't many places better than
your local parks to make that happen!

Dustin Brown

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Parks & Recreation 33

July 2010 - Parks & Recreation

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