May 2013 - Parks & Recreation - 54

NRPA Update
Are You Ready to Share
Your #ParkRecLuv?

his July, get ready to tell the world, and have the world tell you, all the
reasons to love parks and recreation.
This year's Park and Recreation Month is all about encouraging the
public to share and recognize the reasons parks and recreations make a difference in communities. Whether it's making an impact in the fight against
childhood obesity or bringing a community closer together - we all know
local parks and recreation is where it happens!
For 2013, the " I LOVE my Parks
and Recreation " is a unique take
on the annual theme for the month,
which has included past themes such
as " Rock your Park, " and most recently, " Get Wild! "

As in years past, a toolkit of free,
downloadable materials is available for
you to use to make celebrating Park and
Recreation Month a success in your
community. The toolkit has logos, website banners, posters, customizable calendars, social media graphics and more.
This year, you'll notice something
different on the annual social media
poster. The poster (and new smaller

Parks & Recreation

pin card) features a " fill in the blank "
where your community can add what
they love most about parks and recreation. You can find a copy of the poster in this issue of the magazine.
Download and make your
own posters or have stacks of
the pin cards available, and encourage your community to fill
in the blank. We heard from
one agency that is using the
poster image as the cover of
their summer program guide.
They are even giving out prizes to those who bring their
filled-out cover to the community recreation office!
Here are some other ideas
and ways to use the materials:
%
During festivals or
camps, hand out the posters or pin
cards and have people fill them out.
% Make posters and pin cards available at your community center,
and as people fill in the blank, hang
them in a visible space and create a
living wall of LOVE.
% Hold contests to award the best fillin-the-blank response.
% Make t-shirts and other fun giveaways with the logo - you could
even try fill-in-the-blank t-shirts.

| M AY 2 0 1 3 | W W W. N R PA . O R G

All of these examples offer you
the opportunity to share the love
on social media. Consider creating
a Facebook photo gallery where
people can tag their photo, tweeting
out photos throughout the month
or creating a dedicated Park and
Recreation Month Pinterest board.
Above all, don't forget that when
you share your Park and Recreation
Month love on social media or your
website, let us know! Email us a
link at july@nrpa.org and/or tag
us on social media (#ParkRecLuv).
You never know - your gallery of
" love " might just win you some
prizes.
NRPA hopes this year's Park and
Recreation Month will be a great way
for you to engage and interact with
your community while offering you
an opportunity to raise awareness of
the many valuable benefits that come
through parks and recreation.
Be sure to visit the Park and Recreation month website at www.nrpa.
org/july to access the toolkit of materials. You can also add your agency as an official Park and Recreation
Month participant and add your July
activities and events. NRPA will
promote the list so everyone can see
what you are doing.
Check the website frequently as
we'll be updating it with the latest
materials. Follow us on Facebook
and Twitter (use #ParkRecLuv), and
we'll keep you up to date about all
the Park and Recreation Month activities (including any contests).

May 2013 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2013 - Parks & Recreation