June 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 17

investing $300+ million in park system
capital improvements, 22 community
fitness zones, five community and senior centers and a dozen playgrounds.
And, while we have made significant progress in some regards, we
have a long way to go to realizing
the vision and road map that was
adopted for this community. In Miami-Dade it starts with the Parks and
Open Space Master Plan and greater
investment in parks and public spaces. Second, we encourage citizen park
champions to attend key community
events, budget hearings and town hall
meetings to get informed and help
spread the word on the importance
of parks. Third, we ask people to
volunteer their time for the revitalization and beautification projects that
benefit the community, by joining the
Conservation Corps volunteer team.
Our success is measured by community health gains and the cohesion of
the community around the belief that
there is power in a great park system
to create a healthier, happier and more
prosperous Miami-Dade County!

Douglas R. Kupper
If you want a prescription for community health, you have to start
with the parks department. This
new philosophy is paving the way
for the Oklahoma City Parks and
Recreation Department to become
a leading wellness provider in the
	

city. Beginning in May 2014, our
department has moved away from
traditional recreation models and
replaced them with more fitness
fare. New adult leagues put an emphasis on year-round exercise, and a
new cadre of more than 20 summer
camps provides local children with
opportunities to explore nature and
the outdoors, as well as participate
in fitness-based programs, sports, science and the arts.
There's also a new emphasis on
partnerships. In 2015, the department won a $35,000 grant to provide
health programming to area seniors.
The grant enabled the department to
partner with a local university and
grocery store to create a new wellness
program with an emphasis on senior
exercise and nutrition.
We are also developing a new
Wellness and Learning Campus in
conjunction with the Oklahoma
City-County Health Department.
Located on parkland in one of Oklahoma City's least healthy ZIP codes,
the campus, when built, will provide
a full array of wellness services, including health evaluations, exercise
classes, diabetes and heart testing,
and cooking classes for residents
spanning all age groups.
The biggest equalizer of community health is our trails and sidewalks.
In a city spanning 621 square miles,
walkability can be a challenge, but
our trails system, which boasts almost 100 miles of linear multiuse
trails, provides cyclists, walkers and
runners in a variety of neighborhoods with the ideal safe place to
get in their miles. And more trails, as
well as in-park paths and neighborhood sidewalks are on the way. 
- Samantha Bartram, Executive Editor of Parks & Recreation magazine

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June 2016 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2016 - Parks & Recreation
