October 2013 - Parks & Recreation - 66

NRPA Update

National Recreation Foundation Spotlight

youth to view education as a means
to economic and social mobility. This
particular program provides comprehensive academic enrichment and
physical activities with the interdependent components of exercise, gardening and vocabulary building. The
HUB primarily serves students from
the City of Detroit who are from
high-poverty areas and are potential
first-generation college students.

s part of an ongoing series
on the National Recreation
Foundation, Parks & Recreation highlights grant recipients for
the foundation's program benefiting
at-risk youths. This month features
programs from Colorado, Michigan
and Illinois.

Colorado UpLift
Model Replication Training Center
Grant: $150,000
Colorado UpLift has been serving
the Denver metropolitan area since
1982 and works to build long-term,
life-changing relationships with urban youth. The programs UpLift
provides teach character values, hone
life skills, enhance leadership abilities and develop teamwork skills for
their young participants. Youth who
are involved for three or more years
in the program have achieved a 90
percent rate of high school graduation. The successes of UpLift have
been documented, leading to replication models launching in four cities
across the U.S. (Orlando, Phoenix,
New York and Portland). This is the
second year of the grant, and it has
helped Colorado UpLift train and
support other organizations around
the U.S. to implement the UpLift
model. Specifically, this grant helped
Colorado UpLift transition this training into a formal and independent
501(c)(3) organization called the

UpLift Model Replication Training
Center (UMRTC). The ultimate goal
of the Model Replication is to lift up
and support the next generation of
urban leaders nationwide.
Cranbrook Schools HorizonsUpward Bound
Exercise, Gardening and Reading
Grant: $99,090
This continuing grant is in its second year of funding and has served
to support the Exercise, Gardening
and Reading program, which helps
students develop leadership skills,
healthy habits and improved physical fitness. Horizons-Upward Bound
(HUB) has been improving the quality of life in the Detroit metropolitan area for more than 40 years by
offering a program that encourages

Boys & Girls Club of
Lake County, Illinois
Grant: $120,000
The Boys & Girls Club of Lake
County is committed to creating a
cross-cultural and safe environment
that promotes self-esteem, teamwork and responsible community
commitment for young people ages
6-18. This is the first year of the
continuing grant that supported the
Community Engagement Initiative
for Healthy Lifestyles for At-Risk
Youth. The NRF provided funding
for a comprehensive program that
supported academic improvement
through the intentional collaboration and integration of the broader
community, with the help of volunteers and parents in the community,
emphasizing family unity, wellness
and physical fitness. The BGCLC
strives to support the academic, social, emotional and physical well-being of children.

The National Recreation Foundation and NRPA, along with NRPA's predecessor organizations, have had a close working relationship
since 1919. In addition to NRPA, NRF supports many other not-for-profit organizations and government agencies throughout the United States. In 2011-2012, grants were made to 35 programs for a total of $1.7 million. The mission is " to be a life-enhancing force on the
youth of the nation by investing strategically in recreation with a special focus on programs for those who are economically, physically
or mentally disadvantaged. " NRF gives funding priority to organizations working to coordinate efforts among local, state and national
agencies that address this mission, as well as to programs focusing on outcomes leading to significant social change. The foundation
views recreation and the leisure services as a broad and holistic perspective that assists youth at risk by encouraging healthy lifestyles
for all. For more information, visit www.nationalrecreationfoundation.org.

Parks & Recreation

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October 2013 - Parks & Recreation

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