March 2014 - Parks & Recreation - 68

NRPA Update

National Recreation Foundation Spotlight

s part of an ongoing series focused on the National Recreation Foundation (NRF), Parks & Recreation Magazine highlights grant recipients
for the foundation's program benefiting at-risk youths. This month
features programs from California, Connecticut and Michigan.

Northern California
Golf Association
Youth on Course Grant: $40,000
The NCGA Foundation, whose mission is to provide youth the opportunity to develop life skills and values
through golf, is in its second year of
funding for the support of the expansion of its Youth on Course program.
This program, which focuses on atrisk youth from underserved communities in Northern California, operates through seven clinic sites where
youths learn life skills and values, the
importance of nutrition and leading
a healthy lifestyle, goal-setting, and
the development of golf skills and etiquette. Funds will be used to further
invest in equipment, healthy lifestyle
materials, professional education and
instruction for participants as well as
transportation. An additional clinic
will be added to a site in Oakland,
California, to provide better service
coverage to the northern part of the
state.

Parks & Recreation

New England Science and Sailing
Stonington Harbor Yacht Club
(SHYC) Sailing Foundation Grant:
$100,000
This is the second year of funding
from NRF to support SHYC's scholarship program, which provides financial assistance to economically,
physically, or mentally disadvantaged or at-risk children so they may
participate in annual summer sailing
and marine biology programs. With
this support of the scholarship program, SHYC was able to expand

services to disadvantaged populations. SHYC initiatives, such as the
sailing program, focus on developing
life skills for dependability, independence, self-reliance, confidence, concentration, respect and becoming an
effective team member. Further, they
integrated the concepts of sailing and
science to teach children about the
environment. Finally, funding also
facilitated the creation of a manual
that can be used to help other recreational nonprofits establish themselves and create performance measures to maximize their effectiveness.
Big Brother Big Sisters
of Metropolitan Detroit
Grant: $60,000
NRF funding has supported the expansion of a highly impactful mentoring program with new components
to reach and engage girls and provide
pathways for career and higher education opportunities associated with
professional and collegiate sports.
Sports Buddies 2.0 will build off the
success of a previous NRF-supported and now sustained and continuing
program model by launching a new
approach to provide athletic offerings to at-risk females in the Detroit
area, as well as structured exposure
and linkages to sports careers.

The National Recreation Foundation and NRPA, along with NRPA's predecessor organizations, have had a close working relationship since 1919. In addition to NRPA, NRF
supports many other not-for-profit organizations and government agencies throughout the United States. In 2011-2012, grants were made to 35 programs for a total of
$1.7 million. The mission is " to be a life-enhancing force on the youth of the nation by
investing strategically in recreation with a special focus on programs for those who
are economically, physically or mentally disadvantaged. " NRF gives funding priority to
organizations working to coordinate efforts among local, state and national agencies
that address this mission, as well as to programs focusing on outcomes leading to significant social change. The foundation views recreation and the leisure services as a
broad and holistic perspective that assists youth at risk by encouraging healthy lifestyles for all. For more information, visit www.nationalrecreationfoundation.org.

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March 2014 - Parks & Recreation

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