July 2017 - Parks & Recreation - 35

pilation of all of their artwork combined.
The weather is one of the greatest challenges Ginter faces in
keeping the program running smoothly. From snowfall and bitter cold weather to rainfall and extreme heat, they deal with it
all in Boise. In addition to finding a shady spot in the park to
stay cool and hydrated in the summer or ensuring participants
are warm enough in the winter, Ginter and his team also serve
participants healthy snacks, another added benefit that helps
kids be active and have fun.
The Calm After the Storm
When devastating floods ravaged Baton Rouge in August
2016, Michael King, who coordinates the BREC on the
Geaux mobile recreation program for the Parish of East
Baton Rouge, and so many others in his department didn't
stop working and found meaningful ways to help their community in crisis. The Red Cross enlisted BREC's help to set
up temporary shelters immediately following the flood until
everyone could be transferred to larger shelters. BREC on the
Geaux visited as many shelters as possible, including Celtic
Studios, a large local movie studio with several stages that
was converted to shelters, and the FG Clark Activity Center,
the gymnasium at Southern University.
Cheryl Michelet, BREC director of communications, and
King coordinated activities at these larger shelters with Baton
Rouge River Center staff, the American Red Cross, Louisiana Office of Child and Family Services and the Office of the
Mayor-President. They loaded up their trucks, determined a
route they could access with their vehicles and set up temporary place spaces for kids who needed to release energy, but
who also needed to relax for a while and forget about the trauma happening around them. This allowed their parents and
caregivers the time needed to deal with paperwork and the
often painful process of determining what was possible and
what was next. The kids were able to escape the stress, have
fun and be kids again - and spend time with their friends.
BREC on the Geaux allowed them to be together in a safe
environment, have fun and experience something that was familiar and comforting to them.
Anyone who has supervised this type of program will likely
tell you that kids are incredibly adept at creating fun in unique
ways and developing new games. They will generate, often independently of any adult involvement, a new set of rules, requirements and purpose for an activity all on their own. When
asked if the mobile recreation team at BREC had ever introduced an activity that was unpopular and that the kids simply
didn't like, King was silent as he thought about it. A colleague
happened to walk in the room and King posed the same ques-

BREC on the Geaux staﬀ in Baton Rouge,
Louisiana, set up a temporary play space.

tion to his co-worker. They were both at a loss. " No matter what
we do, the kids always find a way to have fun, " he responded.
Kids are resilient and good at making the best of even stressful
situations, but mobile recreation programs help facilitate their
creativity and offer invaluable opportunities for play - particularly when it is needed most.
Marla Collum is NRPA's Senior Manager of Programs (mcollum@nrpa.org).

Positive Outcomes
for Soccer in Parks
Developing Soccer 5 ® USA Small Sided Soccer Centers in
Parks within Public Private Partnership Framework
* $1 million to $2+ million additional revenues
to parks for $0 parks spend
* Creates More Spaces for People To Play and Learn Soccer
* Revitalizing Underutilized Park Spaces
* Net Revenues used to offset
Parks Operating Costs

(305) 393-5230
alan.georgeson@constructive4.com
soccer5usa.com
Constructive 4 is a leading consulting group with 20+
years of national experience in parks soccer planning
and development, and Soccer 5 USA is one of the
nation's leading small sided soccer operators.

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July 2017 - Parks & Recreation

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