June 2017 - Parks & Recreation - 40

NRPA Update
Introducing the Health and
Wellness Advisory Panel's Newest
Members

RPA's Health and Wellness Advisory Panel provides oversight, feedback and
subject-matter expertise for NRPA's health and wellness programs and initiatives. The panel serves as a sounding board for new ideas and practices that
helps to provide guidance to NRPA staff and our members. The panel is excited to
welcome two new members to the team.

Ann Conklin
Executive Director for the Michigan Recreation
and Park Association (mParks)
An almost 40-year veteran of the park and recreation field, Conklin assumed an administrative
role with mParks in 2011 following 10 years as
the Director of Canton Leisure Services (CLS),
the park and recreation department serving the
85,000 residents of Canton Township. At mParks,
Conklin is responsible for providing leadership, strategic direction, financial stewardship and corporate relations and for overseeing membership enhancement
objectives. She is passionate about ensuring that Michigan park and recreation
professionals have the tools they need to administer and advocate for parks, recreation and leisure services across the state, including a variety of health and
wellness programs and initiatives.

Sagar Shah
Research Associate at American Planning
Association's Planning and Community
Health Center
Sagar Shah is a research associate at American
Planning Association's Planning and Community
Health Center. He is also completing his doctoral degree in regional development planning at the
University of Cincinnati with a focus on healthy
urban planning. Shah is currently involved in applied research projects at the APA,
connecting urban planning and public health. Before joining APA, he worked on
the CDC-funded Communities Putting Prevention to Work program, where he
contributed his planning expertise and worked closely with the local health department and community partners. His research interest includes investigating
the complex relationship between built environment and health through the lens
of social equity.

Parks & Recreation

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Play Spaces
Grant Program

hanks to a $1 million grant
from The Walt Disney Company, NRPA is excited to expand
the Meet Me at the Park program and
provide additional communities with
increased access to play spaces in local
parks for children and families across the
United States.
As part of this program, park and
recreation agencies in all 50 states are
invited to share their best ideas on increasing access to play spaces for children and families. Agencies with the
most innovative and impactful project
ideas will receive grants, ranging from
$10,000 to $50,000 to build their projects. This investment supports NRPA
and Disney's combined goal of providing 1 million kids and families with
greater access to play.
Applications are being accepted
through June 23, 2017. For more information and to access the grant application, please visit www.nrpa.org/
disney.

June 2017 - Parks & Recreation

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