May 2013 - Parks & Recreation - 55

Network Buzz

NRPA's Online
Community Forums
Discuss Ways to
Engage Seniors

Currently, aquacize, yoga and bridge
have been our most successful programs to engage our Boomers and
Beyond age group. Most of these programs are not targeted solely to that
age group, and that has been a bonus.
Part of the challenge in serving this
age group, and I am in it, is that there
are probably at least three age stratifications within the population to be
served, and each has distinct needs.
Steve Baysinger
Executive Director
Blue Valley Recreation Commission
Overland Park, Kansas
sbaysinger@bluevalleyrec.org
With more than 700 programs offered
just at the Cary Senior Center, we have
expanded offerings to the other community centers (primarily exercise and
sports) as well utilizing the Arts Center
for events. Athletics has been coordinating 50+ and 60+ softball leagues for several years, and the Tennis Center hosts
55+ -only events that attract more than
50 participants twice a year.
The fastest-growing population in
our 140,000-person town is of retirement age. Our community garden,

computer classes, exercise programs
(yoga, weight training, nia, aerobics,
etc.) and creative arts classes (drawing, painting, photography and art
history to name a few) are the most
filled activities. Several programs fill
at midnight on the first day of online
registration!
We offer night and weekend classes
for the 50+ crowd at the Cary Senior
Center as well as all-age programs for
overflow use from community centers,
and this has increased the comfort level of using our facility by the boomer
population. The average age of our
participants has dropped in the past 10
years from 74 to 69. We continue to offer programs for social interaction that
are mostly popular with our 75+ age
group, including luncheons, holiday
parties and card groups. As our community ages, the needs of each generation
changes, and we are using input from
our participants to keep up!
Jody L. Jameson, CPRP
Senior Center Supervisor
Town of Cary Parks, Recreation and
Cultural Resources
Cary, North Carolina
jody.jameson@townofcary.org

Network Buzz appears monthly in Parks & Recreation. Questions are posed to members
of NRPA Connect, the interactive social media section of the association's website. It's a
convenient and effective way for NRPA members to connect, collaborate and communicate. For more information and to join one of the site's many groups, visit www.nrpa.org/
membership/NRPA-Connect-Online-Community. Topic suggestions are always welcome:
email dtaylor@nrpa.org.

Test Your Park
& Recreation
Knowledge
The following question is a sample Certified Park and Recreation
Professional (CPRP) examination
question.
A park and recreation professional has been assigned responsibility for planning a day
camp program. The total cost is
$8,000, and policy dictates that
this program receive no more
than a 25 percent subsidy. At
a level of 50 participants, what
is the per-person fee to participants once the maximum subsidy has been applied?
A. $40
B. $120
C. $160
D. $200
Calling all beginning to mid-level professionals! The Certified
Park and Recreation Professional
(CPRP) is the national standard
for all park and recreation professionals who want to be at the
forefront of their profession. For
more information on the CPRP
certification program, please visit
www.nrpa.org/cprp.

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

Answer: B. $120

" W

hat programs does your agency provide
to engage seniors in your community with
parks and recreation? "

Parks & Recreation

May 2013 - Parks & Recreation

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