September 2019 - Parks & Recreation - 84

2019
NFERENCE
A N N U A L C O BALTIMORE, MD
|
SEPTEM BER 24-26

The Importance of Parks Build Community
Donors and Their Shared Vision
By Suzanne Nathan

ach year, NRPA conducts a complete park makeover in partnership with park equipment manufacturers and community
organizations within the city hosting the NRPA Annual Conference. Parks Build Community (PBC) is a national initiative
demonstrating the transformative value of parks on the health and vitality
of communities across America. Some previous projects included restoring
existing parks, while others involved building new parks completely from
scratch. The vision to build and revitalize parks as thriving gathering places for youth, families and adults is one shared by NRPA, its industry and
nonprofit partners, and the thousands of park and recreation professionals
who develop and maintain these treasured public places.
Construction is in full swing on
the 2019 Parks Build Community (PBC) renovation of Catherine
Street Park in Baltimore, Maryland. The revitalized park will become a new space for children and
adults to gather, play and experience a safe and fun environment.
This project would not be possible
without the generous contributions
of donors and an invested local
park agency, such as Baltimore
City Recreation and Parks (BCRP).
NRPA asked the 2019 PBC donors why they decided to participate in this year's PBC project and

Parks & Recreation

to describe their assessment of how
parks benefit local communities.
Some of the 2019 partners have
been with NRPA since the PBC
initiative began in 2008, others are
new to the project this year. All
share valuable viewpoints on how
parks build communities.
Sam Mendelsohn, Greenfields
Outdoor Fitness, Inc., President
and CEO
" NRPA's Parks Build Community project dovetails perfectly with
Greenfields' mission of 'Promoting Wellness and Fighting Obesity
One Community at a Time.' This
is not just our slogan and mission,
but the path we have chosen to take
every day. We take great pride in
the fact that we can help improve
tens of thousands of people's lives
daily. We also take pride in our
partnership with NRPA and love
the opportunity to visit the sites
designated for the PBC Project
prior to planning. Visiting Catherine Street Park and interacting

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with the local community firsthand
only emphasizes the importance of
the joint effort and collaboration
demonstrated by the teams that
donate to this project. It is ever so
clear to me that we have an obligation and responsibility to invest
in our communities. Partnering in
support of the PBC project is only
a part of it, and we will continue to
support this initiative for as long as
we can. "
Anne-Marie Spencer, PlayCore
Corporate Vice President of
Marketing
" PlayCore is intrinsically focused
on our mission and values, and
we understand the many ways that
great play and recreation spaces
can promote the overall health and
wellness of families. We're excited
to have the ability to help provide
environments that act as a catalyst to make that happen. People
need places to go to be together, to
share community, to be active and
to promote health and wellness.
Parks are uniquely able to serve all
these needs and build community
capital and a sense of pride. CDC
research has shown that creating,
improving and promoting places
to be physically active can improve
individual and community health
and result in a 25 percent increase
of residents who exercise at least
three times per week, which is so
important in reversing the health
issues that affect so many people. "

September 2019 - Parks & Recreation

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