June 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 33

ation agencies, are working to make
sure state, local and national leaders
are aware of emerging threats before
they become national problems.
Armed with reams of data, the latest research and enough personal stories to melt the hearts and open the
wallets of the toughest fiscal hawks,
public health advocates have moved
into the 21st century and away from
the sequestered approaches of the
past. Instead of hiding in their laboratories and sending leather-bound
journals of wonky academic papers
that were filled with unintelligible
parochial jargon, confusing charts
and NASA-approved graphs to mayors, governors and members of Congress - often without any layman's
explanation of what these journals
and articles were about - public
health advocates are meeting leaders
on their own turf: in state legislatures, city councils and the halls of
Congress.
In the case of park and recreation
agencies, Jayni Rasmussen, NRPA's
advocacy and outreach specialist,
has created the Park Champions initiative. Park Champions is NRPA's
effort to develop local park and recreation advocates in all 50 states who
are dedicated to ensuring elected officials at every level understand the
important role park and recreation
agencies play in building communities and changing lives. Park Champions has turned the traditional idea of
advocacy on its head. Instead of constantly meeting leaders where they
are to deliver our message of public
health, Park Champions embraces
a show-and-tell model. Our greatest
assets are the picturesque parks that
we manage and the inviting and accessible recreation centers that we
run, whose doors are open to anyone and everyone, and the wonder	

Instead of constantly
meeting leaders where
they are to deliver
our message of public
health, Park Champions
embraces a show-andtell model.
ful children, adults and seniors who
we serve. Park Champions allows us
to leverage our assets in a way that
most other public health advocates
can't. Scientists can't bring members
of Congress out to local parks to
discuss the importance of mosquito abatement and Zika preparation.
Researchers can't invite the mayor
to a community meeting to discuss
anti-drug awareness. Doctors can't
host a peewee league tee-ball game to

talk about childhood obesity with the
governor - but Park Champions can
do all of the previously mentioned
activities with ease.
As the country grapples with Zika
prevention and preparation efforts,
combats the opioid pandemic and
continues to fight and fund the traditional public health battles of the past
- especially those related to obesity
and physical inactivity - park and
recreation agencies are uniquely positioned to not only tell elected officials about the importance of public
health, but to also show them why
public health matters through visits
to our agencies.
Our advocacy efforts are incomplete
without a motivated and committed
legion of Park Champions in every
state. To find out more about NRPA's
Park Champions initiative, visit www.
nrpa.org/park-champions.
Oliver Spurgeon III is NRPA's Government
Affairs Manager (ospurgeon@nrpa.org).

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Parks & Recreation

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June 2016 - Parks & Recreation

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