July 2019 - Parks & Recreation - 12

EDITOR'S LETTER

Sounds of Summer
As park professionals, there's nothing more satisfying to our ears than the sound of children's laughter coming from the playground, especially during
the summertime. Even if it's only for a short period, anytime we can persuade kids to put away their
mobile devices and go outside to enjoy the fresh air
and play in our parks is a small victory for health
and wellness advocates. The more we can promote
healthy lifestyles to our youngest community members, the more likely they will carry those good habits into adulthood.
And, what better time to promote health and wellness than in July with the celebration of Park and
Recreation Month! The NRPA team was thrilled to
receive so many entries for this year's Park & Recreation Month Cover Contest and to see how people
embraced this year's theme: Game On! We reviewed hundreds of photo submissions and had a
difficult time whittling down that number to 10 finalists. But, of course, there can only be one
winner and the public has chosen! Congratulations to Bob Gibson who earned top honors for his
photo of Juno Beach Pier and Juno Beach Park. Gibson, a resident of Palm Beach County, Florida, photographs different parks in the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department's
system. He then submits them to the park department to help raise awareness and promote its
offerings. In this month's cover story, titled " Balancing Act: Beach, Pier and Ocean Usage at Juno
Beach Park " on page 40, NRPA Communications Manager Cort Jones spoke with Chris Korbelak, CPRP, manager of the office of public engagement for Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department, who highlights the Responsible Pier Initiative at Juno Beach Pier and some
of the events taking place in Juno Beach Park, and shares how the community rallied around the
photo that Korbelak submitted to earn the coveted July cover.
While park agencies throughout the country are kicking their summer recreation programming
into high gear, Lynchburg (Virginia) Parks & Recreation is launching Sibshops, a program series
designed to support typically developing children who have siblings diagnosed with intellectual
or developmental disabilities. In the feature, titled " The Ties that Bind " on page 46, contributor
Vitisia Paynich takes a closer look at how Lynchburg is working to meet this community need
with events that encourage participants to have fun, laugh and openly share their feelings about
the good and not-so-good aspects of having a special needs sibling.
Are you beginning to pull together your schedule for the NRPA Annual Conference in Baltimore? Be sure to check out some of our conference offerings starting on page 52. After all, the
calendar may still say summer, but it's never too early to start planning for fall!
Finally, check out the annual Playground Guide supplement, included with this month's issue.
Several of the companies listed there will be at conference, so here's your chance to check them
out and learn about what's trending on playgrounds.

GINA MULLINS-COHEN
Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Publishing
Editorial Director
10

Parks & Recreation

| J U LY 2 0 1 9 | W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G

PRESIDENT AND CEO
Kristine Stratton
VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING,
COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLISHING,
AND EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Gina Mullins-Cohen
gcohen@nrpa.org
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Sonia Myrick
smyrick@nrpa.org
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Lindsay G. Collins
lcollins@nrpa.org
EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTOR
Suzanne Nathan
snathan@nrpa.org
PUBLICATION DESIGN
Kim Mabon/Creative By Design
CreativeByDesign.net
SENIOR SALES MANAGER
EASTERN REGION AND EUROPE
Kip Ongstad
703.858.2174
kongstad@nrpa.org
SENIOR SALES MANAGER
WESTERN REGION AND ASIA
Michelle Dellner
949.248.1057
mdellner@nrpa.org
SALES COORDINATOR
Meghan Fredriksen
703.858.2190
mfredriksen@nrpa.org
PHOTOGRAPHY
Dreamstime.com or NRPA
(unless otherwise noted)
MAGAZINE ADVISORY
BOARD MEMBERS
Michael Abbaté, FASLA
Anthony-Paul Diaz
Ryan Eaker
Robert García
Kathleen Gibi
Paul Gilbert, CPRP
Tim Herd, CPRE
Brian Johnson, CPSI
Roslyn Johnson, CPRP
Michele Lemons
Sam Mendelsohn
Maria Nardi
Lisa Paradis, CPRP
Gil Peñalosa
Paula Sliefert
Shonnda Smith, CPRP, AFO
Anne-Marie Spencer
Stephen Springs
July 2019 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2019 - Parks & Recreation
