March 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 61

of Miamisburg, Miamisburg, Ohio
■C
ity of Rock Hill Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department, Rock Hill, South Carolina
■V
an Buren Township Parks & Recreation, Belleville, Mich.
■Y
uba City Parks & Recreation Department,
Yuba City, California
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he Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Greenbelt, Maryland
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rand Forks Park District, Grand Forks, North
Dakota
■B
ismarck Parks and Recreation District, Bismarck, North Dakota
ACHIEVE encourages the development
of collaborative partnerships in all sectors
of a community, and aims to combine public
health expertise from the state and local levels
with the experience of organizations-such as
park and recreation agencies-that know how
to provide community support and outreach.

istock

■C
ity

" ACHIEVE is about changing not only the
way we react to our health, but also the way we
think from the beginning in terms of our longterm wellbeing, " says Barbara Tulipane, CEO of
NRPA. " By promoting policies that improve access to nutritious foods and physical activity in
local communities, we can prevent health problems before they happen and increase our overall quality of life. "
Through a partnership between NRPA, the
National Association of County and City Health
Officials, the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, and the YMCA of the USA, a total
of 40 U.S. communities in 24 states were chosen
to be ACHIEVE communities for 2011. The 2011
communities will build upon the successes of the
2008, 2009, and 2010 ACHIEVE communities.
For more information on ACHIEVE, contact
Zarnaaz Bashir at 703.858.4746 or zbashir@
nrpa.org.

NRPA Receives
$150,000 in
Support of National
Community Garden
Program

RPA has received $150,000 from
the J.R. Albert Foundation to support community garden programs
in 10 park and recreation agencies in the
Midwest, providing opportunities for youth
in underserved communities to connect
with nature, participate in their community, and learn the benefits of a healthy diet
and lifestyle.
The gift from the J.R. Albert Foundation will support NRPA's Grow Your Park
program-now in its second year-which
provides grants to 20 U.S. communities
to create and expand community garden
programs (supporting staffing, supplies,
materials, and outreach), with a goal of
encouraging and increasing participation
among children and teens.
The J.R. Albert Foundation funds research and programs supporting nutrition,
fitness and health education, particularly in disadvantaged populations. The

NRPA's Grow Your Park program helps create and expand community garden
programs.

foundation supports scientific and behavioral research related to nutrition and obesity, local sustainable agriculture efforts as
a means of increasing access to healthy
foods and hands-on community health
education programs. For more information about the J.R. Albert Foundation, visit www.jralbertfoundation.org.
" Community gardens are becoming
highly desirable features of local areas
across the country, " says Barbara Tulipane,

CEO of NRPA. " Through this gift from the
J.R. Albert Foundation to expand NRPA's
Grow Your Park program, park and recreation agencies will continue to serve their
local communities and make a positive impact on America's young people through
outdoor engagement, nutrition education
and stewardship. "
For more information about Grow Your
Park, contact Jimmy O'Connor at joconnor@nrpa.org.

www.NRPA .ORG

MARCH 2011

Parks & Recreation 59

March 2011 - Parks & Recreation

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