Parks & Recreation June 2021

J U N E 2021 N R PA .O RG

THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS ISSUE A CIRCLE OF SOLACE SUPPORTING MENTAL HEALTH IN PARKS AND RECREATION

Tyler Norris Walks the Talk Parks Build Community: A Prescription for Healthy Living

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contentsjune 2021 volume 56 | number 6 | parksandrecreation.org

This month’s Health and Wellness issue reminds us that good mental health should begin with us.

FEATURES

32 Mental Health Care in a Pandemic Lindsay Hogeboom

Learn how park and recreation agencies across the country are providing mental health support to their professionals and to communities during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

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38 Tyler Norris: A Conversation About Health and Well-Being Vitisia Paynich

NRPA Board Member Philip Wu, M.D., interviews health and wellness expert Tyler Norris on equity in health and wellness and the importance of park and recreation professionals sustaining their mental health during COVID-19.

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44 Introducing Lynnbrook Park

Paula M. Jacoby-Garrett

In Chattanooga, Tennessee, an NRPA Parks Build Community project will provide outdoor recreation and healthy activity options for the nearby community, as well as help to restore the local environment.

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contents june

columns 8

departments

10 Editor’s Letter Good Health Should Begin With Us Vitisia Paynich

12 We Are Parks and Recreation NRPA Introduces New Health Equity Framework 12 Remembering Sandra ‘Sandy’ MacDiarmid 13 Leveraging Partnerships to Achieve Broader Health Equity Goals 14 Member Benefit: Discounted Insurance for NRPA Members! 15

Perspectives Parks and Recreation: A Critical Link to Health Michael P. Kelly

18 Finance for the Field Partnering With Hospitals John L. Crompton, Ph.D.

20 Advocacy

16 Research

Making the Grade: Supporting the Growth of Local Parks and Recreation Emily Feenstra

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Parks and Recreation Kevin Roth

17 Park Pulse Improving Mental Health With Parks and Recreation

22 Equity Giving a Voice to LGBTQ+ Older Adults of Color Tiff Cunin

50 Operations Essential Operations for an Essential Summer Kelley Freridge

24 Conservation From Pines to Prairie: Putting Adaptive Resource Management to Work Tim Schetter, Ph.D.

51 Park Essentials 55 Advertiser Index

26 Law Review ADA Challenge to Segregation of Program Participant James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D.

56 Park Bench Virtual Mentorship Program Yields Great Rewards Cathy Cloukey

Parks & Recreation is printed using soy ink on at least 10 percent post-consumer recycled paper and is mailed in a wrap — only when required — that is plant based and certified compostable. If you are interested in helping us go even greener, email us at prmagazine@nrpa.org and ask to opt out of receiving the print magazine. Parks & Recreation is always available to read in an ezine format at ezine.nrpa.org.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF ART WEBER

Cover image: Photo courtesy of Rawpixelimages, Dreamstime.com

Page 24

Logging operations are conducted to restore land to a native prairie at a Metroparks Toledo (Ohio) pine planting site.

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©2021 Landscape Structures Inc. All rights reserved.

P E R S P E C T I V E S A M E S S A G E F R O M N R P A’ S L E A D E R S

Parks and Recreation: A Critical Link to Health Summer is fast approaching, so let us take a minute to think about the important role parks and recreation plays in the health and wellness of our communities.

During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we demonstrated that park and recreation professionals are a key to fully integrated public health. Parks play a vital role in meeting the evolving health needs of our communities. In fact, a recent NRPA Park Pulse Survey (nrpa.org/ParkPulse) found that 83 percent of U.S. adults agree that visiting their local parks, trails and open spaces has been essential for their mental and physical well-being during the pandemic. I am grateful that NRPA prioritizes health and wellness as one of its Three Pillars and provides many resources to promote and deliver healthy parks.

Health and wellness really begin in our parks and open spaces. Lately, more people are engaging in physical activity by walking, running and biking outdoors on our paths and trails. Walking is accessible for most people since fitness equipment is not necessary — just a sturdy pair of shoes. Getting our steps in benefits our health in so many ways. For example, walking clubs provide social connections with friends and neighbors.

As a pilot city of the Move Your Way initiative, Chicago prioritizes and promotes the importance of physical activity in decreasing chronic disease and improving mental health.

A variety of apps on your smartphone or mobile device can track steps and encourage people to reach their fitness goals. Many communities are taking advantage

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of outdoor fitness equipment at parks and in open spaces to achieve fitness goals through running clubs, fitness classes, yoga and leisure activity. Throughout the pandemic, we have offered hundreds of virtual classes online to community members.

Health and wellness include prioritizing the importance of nutrition through healthy eating and offering access to food. I am proud that Chicago has been selected to receive a Parks as Nutrition Hubs grant, which builds community nutrition hubs to help expand access to healthy foods and nutrition education through the power of parks and recreation. These nutrition hubs are a strategic piece of the broader vision of parks and recreation serving as community wellness hubs.

NRPA and the Chicago Park District have a long history of collaborating on the Commit to Health initiative (nrpa.org/CommitToHealth).

Many of us will support our communities this summer through federal food programs that feed day campers and kids during out-of-school time activities. We provide that crucial link to food at times when many kids need it most. Parks across the country also host farmers markets and other opportunities that increase food access.

This summer, remember that parks and recreation offers a critical link to health in our communities.

Get moving in your favorite way, whether it be walking, jogging or just enjoying green spaces. See you in a park!

MICHAEL P. KELLY Chair, NRPA Board of Directors

2377 Belmont Ridge Rd. | Ashburn, VA 20148 2 703.858.0784 | nrpa.org

NRPA’S MISSION: To advance parks, recreation and environmental conservation efforts that enhance the quality of life for all people.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Chair of the Board of Directors Michael P. Kelly

Chicago Park District Chicago, Illinois

Chicago Park District Chicago, Illinois

Gurnee Park District Gurnee, Illinois

Past Chair Jack Kardys J. Kardys Strategies Miami, Florida

Treasurer Xavier D. Urrutia Alamo Colleges District San Antonio, Texas

Secretary Nonet T. Sykes

Susie Kuruvilla

Joanna Lombard University of Miami School of Architecture; Miller School of Medicine Department of Public Health Sciences Miami, Florida

Carolyn McKnight-Fredd, CPRP Eagle Methods Management Consulting Dallas, Texas City of Bristol Parks & Recreation Bristol, Connecticut

At Large Carolyn McKnight-Fredd, CPRP

Nonet T. Sykes

At Large Mike Abbaté, FASLA, LEED AP Abbaté Designs Portland, Oregon

President and CEO Kristine Stratton, Ex Officio

Atlanta Beltline, Inc. Atlanta, Georgia

Xavier D. Urrutia Alamo Colleges District San Antonio, Texas

Lakita Watson, CPRP Richland County Recreation Commission Columbia, South Carolina

National Recreation and Park Association Ashburn, Virginia

Greg A. Weitzel, M.S., CPRP

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Michael Abbaté, FASLA, LEED AP

Philip Wu, M.D.

Abbaté Designs Portland, Oregon

Kathy Abbott Boston Harbor Now Boston, Massachusetts

Jesús Aguirre, CPRE Seattle Parks and Recreation Seattle, Washington

Jose Felix Diaz Ballard Partners Miami, Florida

(Retired) Kaiser Permanente Northwest Region Portland, Oregon

nrpa.org/blog

NRPA

Fort Mill, South Carolina

CONNECT

James H. Evans New York, New York

Rosemary Hall Evans

Gastonia, North Carolina

Angelou Ezeilo

Charles E. Hartsoe, Ph.D. Richmond, Virginia

Harry G. Haskell, Jr. Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania

Kathryn A. Porter Mendham, New Jersey

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Ashburn, Virginia

Perry J. Segura

Jack Kardys

R. Dean Tice

J. Kardys Strategies Miami, Florida

Round Hill, Virginia

Eugene A. Young, CPRP

Michael P. Kelly

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Blog

Anne S. Close

Earl T. Groves

Monica Hobbs Vinluan

@openspaceradio

Lexington, South Carolina

Sugar Hill, New Hampshire

San Diego Parks and Recreation San Diego, California

(or your favorite podcast app)

LIFE TRUSTEES Beverly D. Chrisman

Victor Dover

Richard Gulley

openspaceradio.org

City of Las Vegas Parks and Recreation Las Vegas, Nevada

Dover, Kohl & Partners Town Planning South Miami, Florida Greening Youth Foundation Atlanta, Georgia

@parksrecmag

Joshua Medeiros, Ed.D., CPRP, AFO

Atlanta Beltline, Inc. Atlanta, Georgia

Eagle Methods Management Consulting Dallas, Texas

parksandrecreation.org

New Iberia, Louisiana

nrpaconnect.org nrpa.org/connect-app

NRPA SOCIAL MEDIA @NationalRecreationandParkAssociation

@nrpa_news @nrpa National Recreation and Park Association

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EDITOR’S LET TER

Good Health Should Begin With Us During my childhood, my mother, not unlike other parents, always put the needs of her kids ahead of her own — even if she felt ill or was having a stressful day. I believe these maternal instincts are inherent in most people, but, at times, to their own detriment.

Anyone who travels on an airplane knows what it means when a flight attendant says, “In case of an emergency, put on your oxygen mask first before assisting others.” In other words, if you run out of oxygen yourself, you won’t be able to help others. This sage advice about self-care remains true for park and recreation professionals as well, especially when it comes to mental health. After all, how can we help community members maintain their overall health if we ignore our own health needs? This month’s Health and Wellness issue touches on these important topics and reminds us all that good health should begin with us.

In the cover story, “Mental Health Care in a Pandemic” on page 32, Associate Editor Lindsay Hogeboom takes a closer look at how park and recreation agencies are providing staff with much-needed mental health support as they cope with empathy fatigue and elevated stress due to the pandemic. In addition to offering their staff such resources and trainings, Hogeboom writes, “Park and recreation leadership at agencies across the country…found that recognizing their staff was important in strengthening their sense of purpose at work, which in turn benefitted their overall mental health.”

Mental health certainly was a hot topic during the 2020 NRPA Annual Conference: A Virtual Experience this past October, when NRPA Board Member Philip Wu, M.D., moderated the general session, “Mental Health: From My Community to Me,” featuring health and well-being expert Tyler Norris. In fact, Dr. Wu continues the discussion in the feature article, “Tyler Norris: A Conversation About Health and Well-Being,” on page 38. Norris explains how the park and recreation and healthcare professions can work toward creating a mental health support system that’s mutually beneficial. “I would encourage park and recreation professionals to reach out and help get a healthcare person out of their building for 45 minutes to go walk around the park while physical distancing and have a conversation about how we could partner,” he suggests.

Lastly, contributor Paula Jacoby-Garrett highlights this year’s NRPA Parks Build Community project in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in the article, “Introducing Lynnbrook Park,” on page 44. Located in the Oak Grove neighborhood, “the park will provide outdoor recreation and healthy activity options for the nearby community, as well as help to restore the local environment,” JacobyGarrett writes. We will be chronicling the park’s developments in future magazine issues.

I hope the editorial content in this special issue is helpful to you and your park and recreation staff. Remember, it’s important that we as professionals set a good example for our communities.

Let’s begin with maintaining our own health and well-being.

VITISIA “VI” PAYNICH Executive Editor Print and Online Content

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PRESIDENT AND CEO Kristine Stratton VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER Gina Mullins-Cohen gcohen@nrpa.org EXECUTIVE EDITOR, PRINT AND ONLINE CONTENT Vitisia Paynich vpaynich@nrpa.org ASSOCIATE EDITOR Lindsay Hogeboom lhogeboom@nrpa.org WEB EDITOR Jennifer Fulcher-Nguyen jnguyen@nrpa.org PUBLICATION DESIGN Kim Mabon/Creative By Design CreativeByDesign.net SENIOR CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT OFFICER Michelle Dellner 949.248.1057 mdellner@nrpa.org DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR Meghan Fredriksen 703.858.2190 mfredriksen@nrpa.org PHOTOGRAPHY Dreamstime.com or NRPA (unless otherwise noted) MAGAZINE ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS Anthony-Paul Diaz, Chair Michael Abbaté, FASLA Neelay Bhatt Ryan Eaker Beau Fieldsend Kathleen Gibi Paul Gilbert, CPRP Tim Herd, CPRE Brian Johnson, CPSI Denise Johnson-Caldwell Roslyn Johnson, CPRP Michele Lemons Sam Mendelsohn Maria Nardi Lisa Paradis, CPRP Paula Sliefert Shonnda Smith, CPRP, AFO Ronnetta Spalding Anne-Marie Spencer Stephen Springs

Sign-up to host a Parks for Pollinators BioBlitz this September, either virtually or in-person, to raise awareness of pollinators and gain knowledge about biodiversity in your parks! Participating agencies will be entered to win a prize to help with pollinator habitats or programs.

Visit nrpa.org/bioblitz today to learn more!

WE ARE PARKS AND RECREATION NRPA Introduces New Health Equity Framework

O

n the World Health Organization’s World Health Day — April 7, 2021 — NRPA joined the call to build a fairer, healthier world through the release of a new resource. Now is a critical time for park and recreation professionals to create more equitable access to high-quality spaces, programs and services, where all people can experience the physical, environmental, mental and social health benefits that parks and recreation uniquely provides.

ELEVATING HEALTH EQUITY THROUGH PARKS AND RECREATION A Framework for Action

Authored by Epic Health Solutions (tinyurl.com/5593pzj6), Elevating Health Equity Through Parks and Recreation: A Framework for Action is designed to help park and recreation professionals intentionally advance health equity by applying a racial equity lens when designing, implementing and evaluating programs and services, and when developing infrastructure, maintenance and operations plans.

When health inequities are eliminated, the health of individuals and their communities — especially those living in Black, Latino, Indigenous and Asian American/Pacific Islander communities — improves.

Many park and recreation agencies have made progress toward this goal, but there is still much work to be done to eliminate and prevent health inequities.

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Using this interactive framework as both a personal and agency-wide guide, the goal of this tool is to spark conversations that engage individuals and organizations in deep reflection and a process of ongoing learning.

The framework provides a foundation of guiding principles that park and recreation professionals can build upon to create more equitable spaces, programs and services to advance community health and well-being.

The guiding principles are: • Center Health Equity – When health equity is centered in strategies, initiatives and policies, the full power of parks and recreation will be realized.

• Use Parks and Recreation as a Pathway to Advance Health Equity – When park and recreation professionals create just and equitable access to programs, services and activities, they can promote better health outcomes.

• Reimagine Inclusion – In park settings, inclusion must go beyond ability and access and should include a focus on who, how and where people are included.

• Focus on Learning – This work requires a constant examination of self and systems, connection with individuals who are not like you, and a willingness to share failures and successes.

• Respect the Environment –

Parks and recreation can be a catalyst for creating, maintaining and activating spaces that are not only resilient and regenerative, but also celebrations of diversity.

The framework is divided into four parts with corresponding learning objectives, worksheets and action items: • Self-Assessment — Questions to Challenge Individual Thinking: Take time and consider your thoughts, beliefs, actions and experiences, and the ways those impact your work.

• Agency Assessment — Assessing Agency Culture: Think about your agency’s standard operations and determine whether the current ways of operating lead to the most equitable impact for the community; and if not, imagine new, more equitable ways of operating.

• Health Equity Integration — Steps to Center Equity and Change Systems: Create an action map that will guide your agency as it moves from its current state to its ideal state.

• Committing to the Call — Action Planning to Advance Health Equity: Make a plan of action to build upon current efforts and to advance equity within agency culture and agency programs, services and facilities.

When we achieve equity, everyone benefits, but achieving equity requires action. NRPA recognizes that even the smallest step in the fight toward equity and justice is never wasted, and we hope you take what you need from this guide to start your own journey toward health equity.

Learn more at nrpa.org/equity.

Remembering Sandra ‘Sandy’ MacDiarmid

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“Sandy MacDiarmid was an outstanding recreation and park professional,” says Tony Black, executive director of JRPD. “Sandy’s impact on our department and our community was immeasurable.

[She] was a very talented and multifaceted professional. Sandy worked with numerous community-based organizations and her involvement always guaranteed that their projects would be a success. Sandy is truly missed by our department and our community.”

MacDiarmid, an Illinois native, began her career as a nature, wildlife and portrait artist. After relocating to Jackson, MacDiarmid took a position with JRPD as an instructor for both child and adult art classes. Over the years, her role evolved to include contract instructor, summer camp arts and crafts director, set and costume designer for JRPD’s theater productions, program administrator, community education director and director of the Nature Park and Raptor Sanctuary, among others. Subsequently, MacDiarmid became the superintendent of recreation for the city of Jackson.

During her tenure as superintendent, she implemented a wellness program, the JumpStart Jackson initiative. “The JumpStart Jackson initiative began in 2007 in response to a city council directive to create a task force addressing

the burgeoning childhood obesity problem in Jackson, and Tennessee as a whole,” said MacDiarmid in a 2015 interview with Parks & Recreation magazine (nrpa.org/Sandra MacDiarmid). “At first, we anticipated negative pushback from the community — or at least antipathy with the community facing many more immediate, serious issues of crime, poverty and unemployment.

We kicked off the initiative with a community-wide Wellness Walk and were amazed that more than 1,000 people and school children came out to march for health and wellness.” By 2015, the initiative had grown to include more than 2,000 participants. In the interview, MacDiarmid also stressed the importance of community partnerships. “When we first began our JumpStart Jackson community health and wellness initiative, we found many groups and agencies concerned with improving health and wellness opportunities in our community, but everyone was working within their own small ‘silos.’ JumpStart Jackson provided a coming together and common ground for all to achieve more together,” she said.

In 2017, MacDiarmid assisted NRPA in creating a video highlighting the importance of the Commit to Health initiative (tiny url.com/4ufr99kd). “Sandy was an early champion of [NRPA’s]

PHOTO COURTESY OF JACKSON RECREATION AND PARKS DEPARTMENT

n Wednesday, January 13, 2021, the field of parks and recreation lost Sandra “Sandy” MacDiarmid, former superintendent for the Jackson (Tennessee) Recreation and Parks Department (JRPD) and a dedicated champion of health and wellness for her community.

Sandra “Sandy” MacDiarmid, former superintendent for the Jackson (Tennessee) Recreation and Parks Department.

Commit to Health [initiative],” says Allison Colman, NRPA’s director of health. “She was absolutely dedicated to youth and making her community a better place, spending 33 years of her life with the [Jackson] recreation and parks department.”

MacDiarmid is remembered as an “outdoors woman,” a “courageous adventurer,” a “compassionate teacher” and a “perpetual student of life” (tinyurl.com/ whtu5npc). Her dedication to the field of parks and recreation and her commitment to furthering health and wellness will be greatly missed.

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W E A R E P A R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N

Leveraging Partnerships to Achieve Broader Health Equity Goals

By Erik Pearson

P

ark and recreation agencies, as essential parts of their communities, are uniquely positioned to address health equity issues — especially those that include access to nutritious food and opportunities to be physically active. Equity issues can be tackled most effectively through quality partnerships that allow agencies to diversify offerings to reach underserved areas. Regardless of a community’s size or resources, an agency that provides recreation services to the community can build powerful partnerships to accomplish health and wellness goals. The City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department did just that through its unique partnership with the Indiana University (IU) School of Public Health and its newly created Department of Health and Wellness Design.

Located in south central Indiana, Bloomington is home to IU and its Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Studies. “[The department] was founded in 1946 and has been a distinct academic department since its inception,” says Dr. Sarah Young, professor and interim chair of the IU Department of Health and Wellness Design. “The department was faced not only with fitting into an accredited school of public health, but was also tasked with how to develop future scholars who could conduct research at the intersection of health, wellness and traditional recreation programming. The department underwent a critical self-study, identifying research and curricular connections between recreation, park, tourism and public health.”

The faculty of the reimagined department is committed to studying various innovative approaches, methods and strategies to enable optimal health for all people with equity, dignity and impact.

The department will rely on academic programs within recre-

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ation, outdoor and tourism to set the stage for the concept of health and wellness design. As this change takes root and grows, it will expand to encompass additional areas of study into its conceptual framework. We envision graduates from the department will go on to work in applying a health and wellness lens to management in diverse sites, such as tourism and hospitality venues, parks and protected areas, community recreation facilities, government public health agencies, nonprofit organizations, universities, private industries, hospital and healthcare systems, and research centers. Central to their work will be the knowledge, skills and abilities to create a positive impact on health through systems. As health needs and challenges evolve, the power of designing and promoting healthy experiences to enhance human well-being has never been more relevant as in the 21st century.

Although earlier partnerships were more informal handshake agreements among park and recre-

ation staff and IU, the partnership has been annually formalized, reviewed and approved by the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Board of Park Commissioners since 2008.

While the details of the collaboration have evolved over time, the guiding principles remain the same: • Bloomington Parks and Recreation provides staff as guest speakers, adjunct faculty, members of boards and committees, and as student mentors.

• IU Department of Health and Wellness Design students have opportunities for internships, service learning, field experience and seasonal employment with Bloomington Parks and Recreation.

• Bloomington Parks and Recreation and the IU School of Public Health collaborate on the development of organizational plans and research efforts.

• IU Department of Health and Wellness Design offers reduced tuition for two Bloomington Parks and Recreation staff members for the annual Indiana University Executive Development Program for Parks and Recreation Professionals.

By sharing professional experience and research information, the IU School of Public Health can observe and study applications in the field and provide Bloomington Parks and Recreation with evolving methodologies to shape how the agency can provide programs that positively impact the health and wellness

of residents. This mutually beneficial partnership is a blueprint for how park and recreation agencies and academic institutions can learn from community resources to accomplish strategic goals. Paula McDevitt, director of the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department, says, “Sharing experiences from the field with researchers provides IU faculty with valuable knowledge, and [offering] opportunities for students to gain experience outside the classroom completes their educational experience and [prepares] them for their future careers.”

In 2020, Bloomington Parks and Recreation was awarded funding through the NRPA Parks as Community Nutrition Hubs grant. The grant leverages the field work of parks and recreation to help expand access to healthy foods and nutrition education. As a result, the partnership with the IU School of Public Health has evolved to include the Department of Applied Health Science, which focuses on promoting wellness in families, organizations and society through research, health education, policymaking and therapeutic intervention.

Bloomington Parks and Recreation recognized the importance of conducting a community health needs assessment to identify geographic and socioeconomic areas where access to healthy, nutritious food is most at risk. This relied on IU School of Public Health expertise.

“Community-academic partnerships are essential in creating participatory approaches to ensure that the [voices] of local residents are heard and represented in the development and sustainability of health programming and policies,” says Associate Professor Dr. Priscilla Barnes.

From health departments to hospitals, experts in every community can provide insight into the roles a local park and recreation agency can play in improving the health and well-being of its residents.

The success of any partnership relies on the ability to build quality, lasting relationships — not just between staff and residents, but also among all community stakeholders. Agencies often create short-term or programspecific agreements, but strategic partnerships for broader agency development are just as important.

In the ever-changing field of health and wellness, park and recreation agencies must creatively use every tool available to do what parks and recreation does best: improve the quality of life for all residents.

Erik Pearson is Program/Facility Coordinator for City of Bloomington (Indiana) Parks and Recreation (pearsone@ bloomington.in.gov).

Member Benefit: Discounted Insurance for NRPA Members!

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RPA offers its members insurance discount programs provided by K&K Insurance. During these uncertain times, it is important to make sure you are keeping your department and employees safe and covered.

So, what type of coverage does NRPA offer?

• Directors’ and Officers’: Directors’ and officers’ liability insurance protects directors, officers, volunteers and the nonprofit sports organization itself against claims alleging mismanagement of the organization and other exposures.

• Blanket Accident: Blanket accident insurance is typically purchased by park and recreation departments or municipalities to provide protection for participants engaged in both sponsored athletic and non-athletic recreational activities.

• Instructors and Interns: This includes important general liability protection for instructors and interns while acting within the scope of their duties granted to them by the sponsoring organization, typically a park and recreation department.

• Team Sports: This combined liability and excess accident medical coverage provides valuable protection to youth and adult sports teams for multiple risks on and off the playing field.

• Football: This combined liability and excess accident medical coverage provides protection to youth tackle, flag and touch football teams.

• Equipment Property: This provides property coverage for team inventory of sports equipment. It covers all equipment owned by the insured organization while in the building specified for storage.

Also, for those activities your agency officially sponsors, we can offer stand-alone excess accident medical coverage for the participants, a way for you to provide enhanced value and an incentive for increased participation. This is valuable protection not only for you, but also for your community!

For more information, visit www.nrpainsurance.com, email info@nrpainsurance.com or call 1.800.722.5676.

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RESEARCH Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Parks and Recreation

By Kevin Roth

P

ark and recreation professionals are essential, serving on the front lines of many of today’s most pressing challenges. Given your agency’s mission to make communities better places to live, learn, work and play, you are in a unique position to champion efforts that advance diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Across the profession, however, gaps remain in understanding how systemic racism, unfair power structures, and a lack of cultural competency and humility affect DEI and access to quality park and recreation spaces and programs.

In April, NRPA published a new report, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Parks and Recreation (nrpa. org/DEIReport) that highlights the state of DEI activities at agencies across the United States. Results from a 14-question survey present a snapshot of agency DEI activities (if any), professional development opportunities provided to staff, and the challenges organizations face in promoting these practices.

The survey found that one in three park and recreation agencies currently have formal DEI programs, and another third intend to establish such activities within the next two years. Sixty-two percent of agencies serving more than 100,000 residents have established formal DEI activities, compared to a quarter of agencies serving 50,000 or fewer people indicating the same.

Whether or not they have a formal DEI program, nine in 10 park and recreation agencies currently have established activities and policies that promote DEI practices. The most common DEI activity is the development of hiring practices and policies (reported by 66 percent of survey respondents), followed by including an expressed commitment to DEI

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in foundational documents, such as vision and mission statements and strategic plans (50 percent). Other common DEI activities include: • Staff education/skill development (50 percent) • Professional staff and volunteer education/skill development on DEI topics (46 percent) • Community engagement policies (45 percent) • Recreation programming policies (38 percent) • Contracting and procurement requirements (32 percent) • Volunteer recruitment practices and policies (25 percent) Looking to the future, 37 percent of park and recreation leaders anticipate conducting an equity assessment within the next two years.

Agencies located in more populous locales are more likely to have conducted a DEI assessment — 17 percent of agencies that serve more than 100,000 people compared to just six percent of agencies that serve fewer than 50,000 people.

The most common methods for staff DEI education are webinars and in-person trainings — being offered at 52 percent and 44 percent of agencies, respectively. Slightly more

than a third of agencies provide staff with financial support (e.g., tuition, travel reimbursement) to participate in external professional development activities. Topics covered in agencies’ DEI education offerings include: • Implicit bias • Adaptive and inclusive programming • Hiring practices • Equity versus equality • Systematic racism Park and recreation agencies take several actions to ensure accountability with their DEI initiatives, including measuring and tracking progress against goals. Approximately half of agencies take the following actions regarding race, ethnicity, gender, disability and income level: • Assess communications and products for appropriate messaging (55 percent) • Analyze key operational decisions to determine their impact (52 percent) • Analyze key programmatic decisions to determine their impact (49 percent) • Incorporate DEI commitment into new staff and stakeholder orientation (49 percent) • Collect data on staff and other stakeholders (e.g., partners, vendors, community) (26 percent) NRPA is developing and implementing a research-informed professional development and membership engagement strategy to ensure that the more than 160,000 full-time park and recreation professionals, along with hundreds of thousands of parttime and seasonal workers, stay relevant, adapt to the needs of and reflect the communities they serve.

Kevin Roth is NRPA’s Vice President of Research, Evaluation and Technology (kroth@nrpa.org).

NRPA PARK PULSE

Improving Mental Health With Parks and Recreation

Nearly all (93%) U.S. adults say that activities offered by park and recreation professionals and their agencies are beneficial to their mental health.

Top activities include: Socializing with family and friends

Spending time in nature

Exercising

Parents are among those most likely to agree that these activities benefit their mental health, with three in five indicating that socializing with family and friends and spending time in nature are especially beneficial.

Each month, through a poll of 1,000 U.S. residents focused on park and recreation issues, NRPA Park Pulse helps tell the park and recreation story. Questions span from the serious to the more lighthearted. The survey was conducted by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com).

Visit nrpa.org/ParkPulse for more information.

FINANCE FOR THE FIELD Partnering With Hospitals

By John L. Crompton, Ph.D.

A

primary reason parks were first embraced in the mid-1800s as a standard feature of tax-supported urban infrastructure was their perceived contribution to reducing the impact of disease and epidemics on city populations. They were considered to be oases of clean air that offered protection against miasmas, or “bad air,” which were believed by the medical profession at that time to be the source of all illnesses.

In contemporary times, positioning public parks and recreation as vehicles for enhancing public health remains an important justification for the field’s tax support. NRPA recognizes this by designating health as one of the Three Pillars that guide the organization’s mission.

The health positioning of the park and recreation field aligns with the changing mission of hospitals. In the past two decades, their mission has expanded to incorporate wellness and prevention, rather than being confined to treating sickness and traumas. The alignment has resulted in hospitals contributing funds for capital improvements and/or annual operating costs for recreation centers.

Positioning parks and recreation as vehicles for enhancing public health is an important justification for tax support.

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Glenview Park District and Glenview Hospital Typically, a department sends out a Request for Interest (RFI) to all hospital providers in the area, followed by a Request for Proposals (RFP) that’s sent to those who responded affirmatively. The partnership between Glenview Park District, Illinois, and Glenview Hospital operated by Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Corporation (ENH) was a pioneering venture and remains illustrative of how such partnerships may be nurtured.

It was initiated when Glenview Park District built its 164,000-square-foot recreation center. ENH leased 10,088 square feet for use as a health and wellness

center. The lease fee was $17,500 a month to cover ENH’s share of the design and capital cost, and $3,700 a month to pay its proportionate share of the costs of maintaining and operating common spaces. The initial agreement was for 10 years, by which time the capital commitment would be fulfilled. ENH had four five-year options to renew the lease on specified terms.

The hospital provided assessments and rehabilitation treatments for park district clientele. In return, hospital patients gained priority access to other parts of the facility, such as the therapeutic and whirlpools, fitness equipment, swimming pool, running track and gymnasia. Thus, for example, ENH and its patients had priority use of the therapy pool from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Their annual maintenance payments covered a proportionate share of the Common Access Maintenance (CAM) costs (restrooms, storage areas, locker rooms, entrance and exit lobbies, hallways, parking spaces, and utilities for their space).

The benefits to the hospital were the prominence and location of the recreation site, access to a built-in customer base, co-branding of the center with the recreation agency, and joint marketing. The joint marketing and branding required that ENH be identified as the exclusive health and wellness provider for the Glenview Park District on all signage, marketing and advertising materials. It also included a commitment from the Park District to include on the applications for rec-

reation center membership a separate section, describing the programs and services ENH was providing. If members were interested, they checked a box to receive further information from ENH.

Other Partnership Examples Hospital partnerships with school districts similarly demonstrate the potential of these types of arrangements with public fitness facilities. In Mason, Ohio, Atrium Medical Center built a two-story health and wellness center adjacent to the district’s stadium, and a 10,000-square-foot weight room on the high school campus. The facility belonged to the school district, but it leased the second floor and gave naming rights to the medical center, whose contribution financed most of the cost of the center. The medical center offered sports medicine, physical therapy and family medicine services on the second floor.

The town of Brownsburg, a suburb of Indianapolis, planned a new 80,000-square-foot community recreation center costing between $20 million and $25 million. It sent out a request for proposals (RFP) to interested parties requesting proposals from “Capital Contribution Partners” for (i) naming rights of the center and (ii) leasing rights to operate a health and wellness facility in the center.

This RFP specified similar terms to those used at Glenview: A 10,000-square-foot facility; a minimum 10-year commitment with possible renewal options; “a minimum of one staff member who is a physician (or equivalent), along with an agreed number of staff… who would assume the management responsibilities for all health-related activities.”

At a basic level, a partnership may be limited to sponsorship of a center. An early arrangement of this type was in Scottsdale, Arizona. In return for a commitment of $150,000, which the city needed to pay for equipment in the 4,000-square-foot fitness center component of a recreation center, Scottsdale Healthcare received the right to hold medical wellness programs — such as health risk assessments and health education seminars in the fitness center and the right to name that component of the center, “The Scottsdale Healthcare Fitness Center at McDowell Mountain Ranch Park and Aquatic Center.”

More recently, The Epic at Grand Prairie, Texas, one of the finest public recreation complexes in the United States, signed a five-year sponsorship agreement with Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital (THAM).

The Epic integrates a number of private-sector commercial revenue flows into the city’s $140 million investment in recreation facilities on the site to ensure it is operationally self-supporting and requires no subsidy from the city’s general fund.

The sponsorship is one of the complex’s revenue flows. In return for an annual payment of $30,000, THAM receives multiple recognitions relating to external signage at the complex; social media recognitions and access; recognition on the home page of The Epic’s website; ads in its print publications; and broadcast visibility on The Epic’s radio internet station.

Thank you to Leon Younger, CEO of PROS Consulting, for contributing to this month’s column. His company has been involved in facilitating a number of contemporary partnerships between recreation agencies and hospital providers.

John L. Crompton, Ph.D., is a University Distinguished Professor, Regents Professor and Presidential Professor for Teaching Excellence in the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences at Texas A&M University and an elected Councilmember for the City of College Station (jcrompton@tamu.edu).

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ADVOCACY

Funding local parks provides a strong return on investment in the physical, environmental and economic health of communities.

Making the Grade: Supporting the Growth of Local Parks and Recreation

By Emily Feenstra

I

n March, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released its 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure (tinyurl.com/49sbxfzu), which examines the conditions, needs and opportunities for improvement for 17 categories of infrastructure in the United States. ASCE has released this report every four years since 2001 to provide actionable information and recommendations to lawmakers and industry stakeholders on how best to address the nation’s infrastructure challenges.

The 2021 report comes at a unique moment for infrastructure in the United States. With the worst of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic behind us and the pace of vaccinations ramping up, the Biden administration and congressional leadership are shifting their focus to long-term economic recovery. President Biden has indicated that he wants to go big by rolling out plans for a multi-trillion-dollar package aimed at getting millions of Amer-

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icans back to work while addressing our massive infrastructure backlog.

The Power of Parks When properly leveraged, local parks serve as an invaluable community good. They offer opportunities for community members of all ages to recreate, enjoy green space and engage socially. Many park and recreation departments also provide other resources, like nutrition services, childcare, men-

toring and continued education.

Local parks also provide significant economic benefits. In 2017, local park and recreation agencies generated $166.4 billion in economic activity while supporting more than 1.1 million jobs across the United States. Funding local parks provides a strong return on investment in the physical, environmental and economic health of communities.

ASCE’s Grade ASCE’s assessment of national, state and local parks in 2021 was a D+. The reason for this grade is simple: park and recreation departments are doing fantastic work, but they need sustained, reliable funding to do more.

A key reason ASCE gave public parks a D+ is the massive deferred maintenance backlog, of which local parks make up the lion’s share — more than $60 billion, compared to $11.92 billion for national parks and $5.6 billion for state parks. The disproportionately large dollar value of deferred maintenance at the local level is primarily due to the inconsistency of funding streams. Local park and recreation agencies receive about 60 percent of their funding from general tax funds, which are often shared between agencies and allocated on an ad hoc basis. The lack of predictability makes it difficult for parks to conduct adequate capital planning.

In addition, this lagging investment comes at a time when the popularity of parks is on the rise.

On average, U.S. residents visit their local park more than two times per month. And more than 91 percent of U.S. residents say that parks and recreation is an important service that local governments provide.

Another problem is that green spaces are often too few and far between. According to The Trust for Public Land (tinyurl.com/ retdu356), 100 million U.S. residents, including 28 million children, do not have a park within a 10-minute walk of home. This lack of access to parks is often felt unevenly along lines of race and socioeconomic stature. This issue must be addressed to provide equitable access to parks for all — and funding is needed to make this happen.

signed into law. This key piece of legislation fully funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), the primary federal funding mechanism for local parks. It is critical that GAOA continues to be funded at high levels and for these funds to flow efficiently from the federal government to local entities.

Further investment may also come in COVID-19 recovery legislation, including the American Jobs Plan. Increased funding to programs like the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund will go a long way in building local park capacity.

Armed with increased, more stable funding, local park and recreation agencies will be able to work

through deferred maintenance backlogs more expediently. They also will be able to create more parks and recreation centers, particularly in disadvantaged communities where access is most limited.

More prevalent and better equipped parks will mean more people will have access to all the community benefits that local parks provide.

It is essential for Congress to provide this funding as we recover from COVID-19. To understand this need, they need to hear from park and recreation professionals.

Call your representative and senators today and explain why parks funding is a sound investment.

Emily Feenstra is Managing Director of Government Relations and Infrastructure Initiatives at the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

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EQUITY

LGBTQ+ people of color exist at the intersection of many simultaneous identities that are rarely captured in case studies, retention efforts, and program or policy reform.

Giving a Voice to LGBTQ+ Older Adults of Color

By Tiff Cunin

H

uman identity is far from simple. We live at various intersections and experience multiplicity and fluidity of identity. This phenomenon continues as we age and as we acquire new experiences that shape the lenses through which we navigate the world. It is important, however, to understand that people are more than the sum of their parts and recognize how the conceptualization of identities has been shaped by interlocking forms of oppression.

The older adult population is booming in the United States, with approximately 3 million adults ages 55 and older. In addition, projections show that the number of adults ages 65 and older will more than double by 2050 (tinyurl.com/sytrxb8). A large segment of this population is comprised of Black, Indigenous, Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander and LGBTQ+ people. Population health data often relies on white people as the comparative reference group for

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every health outcome. LGBTQ+ people of color, however, exist at the intersection of many simultaneous identities that are rarely captured in case studies, retention efforts, and program or policy reform.

Maximizing Health Potential Structural, political and social factors have shaped the long-term financial stability of LGBTQ+ older adults of color and are correlated to poorer

health outcomes compared to white, non-LGBTQ+ populations. To maximize health potential, we must deal explicitly with the racial, economic, gender and sexuality disparities facing this population. A key strategy to fully understanding the experiences and perceptions of LGBTQ+ older adults of color regarding their expectations and needs as they age is to welcome and seek out stories from this population that has endured having basic human rights (let alone civil rights) stripped away.

Dominant narratives make social and political determinants of health inequity invisible and instead blame individuals for poor health. More specifically, narratives rooted in white supremacy suggest that oppressed racial groups are responsible for their own health outcomes. Counterstorytelling, a method of telling stories and illustrating narratives of people whose experiences are often neither told nor heard, is useful to challenge and change the dominant narrative.

Not only do these stories expose us to disparities, but also we learn of the resilience that this population has acquired and how that resilience can be leveraged to transform the ways society views LGBTQ+ and racial identities to advocate for more inclusive social structures.

As the LGBTQ+ older adult population grows, park and recreation professionals should focus not only on the unique needs and barriers of this population, but also on how their stories and experiences can shape the design, implementation and evaluation of services and programs. LGBTQ+ older adults of color deserve to have the opportunity to tell their own stories and to have their stories told accurately.

recreational activities that provide a sense of vibrancy, stability and fulfillment throughout the life cycle.

We are parks and recreation, and we have a responsibility to showcase the fierce leaders among

LGBTQ+ older adults of color and their continued influence in our community. How will you lift up these voices this Pride month?

Tiff Cunin is NRPA’s Senior Program Manager of Health (tcunin@nrpa.org).

The Importance of Storytelling Park and recreation professionals are optimally positioned as community cornerstones and key catalysts for advancing public health. We can cultivate an environment of healthy, successful aging among LGBTQ+ older adults of color. We must foster a space in which this population can contribute to the inclusive, informed development of programs and services. We also should leverage our position within communities to elevate the stories and experiences of LGBTQ+ older adults of color as a tool to support aging in place with a context of safety, respect and support. We must center these voices in our communities to better understand how we can provide spaces, whether in person or online, to remain actively engaged with social networks. We also must be open to learning from the experiences of these older adults, and center resilience and equity in all opportunities for social, creative, intellectual and

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PHOTO COURTESY OF ART WEBER

CONSERVATION

A pine planting site is restored to a native prairie several years after being harvested.

From Pines to Prairie: Putting Adaptive Resource Management to Work

By Tim Schetter, Ph.D.

A

s I scanned the perfectly straight rows of densely spaced pines at Metroparks Toledo’s (Ohio) Oak Openings Preserve, I knew we had a problem. Planted with enthusiasm by earlier generations of conservationists to stabilize soils after the dust bowl, the original intent was to harvest them for timber. But in the flat northwest Ohio landscape dominated by farm fields and woodlots of native hardwoods, the pines quickly became a popular destination for park visitors seeking seclusion and the hint of iconic western landscape the pines inspired. In deference to the public, previous park managers didn’t have the heart to follow through with the original plan. Now the pines were finally succumbing to lack of sunlight — no longer able to produce enough sap to expel bark beetles or resist summer droughts. Within a couple decades, many would be dead. To my surprise, “adaptive resource management” was the solution to my problem.

The Benefits Outweigh the Challenges Adaptive resource management is a structured, iterative process that allows for robust decision making in the face of uncertainty by learning from previous management out24 Parks & Recreation

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comes. In practical terms, it simply means: develop a plan, implement it, monitor the outcome, evaluate and communicate the results, and use what you’ve learned to adapt and improve future actions. While this cycle seems perfectly intuitive, it

can be challenging to implement effectively due to competing demands on our limited time and financial resources. Real-world challenges and information gaps often keep us from fully completing each step before moving on to the next. But each repetition of the cycle expands our knowledge, and I can attest that adopting this management philosophy will save your agency many future headaches and ensure that your actions are sound and defendable in the face of public scrutiny.

Our plan for the 400 acres of non-native pines representing a tenth of our preserve’s land area was to immediately harvest all plantings at risk of collapsing within 10 years (100 acres in total) and restore these sites to native prai-

ries. We knew this would not be an easy sell to many park visitors who would simply see us cutting down trees that were obviously still living. However, our plan was well supported by previous monitoring efforts using forestry metrics (like stand density and a live crown ratio) that confirmed most trees were well beyond the threshold of viability. In collaboration with university researchers, we had monitored the results of a smaller pine removal project 14 years earlier, showing overwhelmingly positive benefits for pollinators, ground-nesting birds and state-listed rare plants.

We vigorously communicated these results in journal articles, public lectures, online videos, newspaper editorials and community open

houses, so when it came time to implement our plan, we were ready.

Monitoring Our Legacy Pines During logging operations, we maintained consistent messaging and open communication with park visitors, pausing work at regular intervals to offer tours of the impacted areas. We did not shy away from the fact that the work was unsightly, but we continuously reinforced that based on the facts, the short-term loss was worth the long-term gain.

Following completion of the work, it was back to monitoring. We documented nearly 300 native plant species emerging from pine clearings in the first year. Responding to legitimate criticism from local nat-

uralists that we had not sufficiently documented use of the pines by nesting birds prior to cutting, we initiated a new study with university researchers to analyze breeding bird use of the remaining pines to inform future management. Today, we continue to closely monitor the health of our legacy pines. We celebrate them with park visitors as evidenced by the popular destination known as “the Spot.” We collect and analyze new data as it becomes available, and we prepare for the next round of planning. While the adaptive management cycle never really ends, it leaves me with the confidence that when action is needed, we will be ready.

Tim Schetter, Ph.D., is Director of Natural Resources for Metroparks Toledo (tim.schetter@metroparkstoledo.com).

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L AW R EV I EW

In the case of Perez v. Lake County Rowing Association, Perez filed suit against Lake County Rowing Association and the City of Clermont, Florida, asserting violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

ADA Challenge to Segregation of Program Participant

By James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D.

I

n the case of Perez v. Lake County Rowing Association, 2021 U.S. Dist.

LEXIS 23945 (M.D. Fla. 1/5/2021), Evelyn Perez, as next friend and grandmother of minor F.V., filed suit against Lake County Rowing Association (LCRA), a Florida nonprofit corporation, and the City of Clermont, Florida (the City), asserting claims for failure to accommodate her grandson in a rowing program in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

LCRA was formed on December 11, 2012, as part of an economic development project developed by the Leadership Lake County Class of 2010. The stated purpose of LCRA is “to educate the public about non-motorized boats and rowing sports; to increase community involvement in the same while at the same time effectuating the economic development of Lake County through recruiting

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and coordinating athletic events; and, to undertake such activities as will further the general purposes described herein.” As part of its purpose, LCRA is tasked with hosting at least one regatta per year in which multiple rowing crews would be invited to participate in a 5K race. LCRA also offers summer camp and after-school programs.

LCRA utilizes the City’s boathouse for carrying out its events

and programs.

In 2014, the City built the boathouse, boat dock system and related infrastructure. The City entered into a Capital Projects Funding Program with Lake County and applied to Lake County for Tourist Development Taxes to assist with financing the construction of the rowing infrastructure. The boathouse was constructed to assist with economic development of Lake County, permitting LCRA, Central Florida Sports Commission and Lake County Sports Development to host a variety of rowing events. The City owns the boathouse and provides general building and property maintenance for it.

On or about December 9, 2014, the City and LCRA entered into a Management Agreement for a term of five years, which outlined their obligations as to the operations of the boathouse and the related rowing infrastructure.

LCRA agreed to pay the City $500 per month and be responsible for “managing, directing, operating and coordinating the daily activities” at the boathouse. LCRA had “exclusive right to possession and management of all interior areas” of the boathouse, subject only to “City’s right to use the outside surrounding areas and its right to enter for maintenance, repair, and use of any docks or mooring facilities located on the lake adjacent to or near” the boathouse. The Management Agreement also required LCRA to ensure that the City complied with its obligations under its agreement with Lake County for the Capital Projects Funding Program. Under the agreement, the City retained responsibility for the unpaved grounds around the boathouse, landscaping, maintenance of restrooms, utilities and structural issues arising out of or related to the boathouse (HVAC, plumbing, structural integrity, roof, etc.).

Learn to Row Program LCRA hosts a “Learn to Row” summer camp and an after-school program at the boathouse. The summer camp is designed to teach students how to row. The after-school program is a competitive program that involves traveling throughout the state and southeast to compete against other teams.

LCRA employees, Knutz and Outlaw, coach the programs.

F.V., a minor diagnosed with

autism, participated in LCRA’s summer camp beginning mid-July 2018 through the beginning of August 2018. F.V.’s uncle enrolled F.V. in the summer camp. At the time of enrollment, he informed two females who were taking completed applications that F.V. was autistic. Coach Knutz, however, did not know that F.V. was autistic, but noticed that something was different with F.V. when he started working with him.

According to Coach Knutz, during camp F.V. made violent comments about “guns and shooting and blood.” Coach Knutz requested that F.V. stop making those comments, but F.V. was non-responsive. F.V. continued to be non-responsive to the coaches throughout the entire time he was in the program. The coaches decided to pair F.V. with an older partner. The coaches believed the older and more mature athletes would not react to F.V. and would provide rowing support for him as well.

On the last day of the summer camp, Perez learned that LCRA offered an after-school program.

She expressed an interest to Coach Knutz in enrolling F.V. in the program. Coach Knutz told Perez that F.V. could not attend the after-school program. Coach Knutz explained that the after-school program did not have the resources to supervise F.V. with the other students. Specifically, Coach Knutz stated that they try to keep a specific coach-to-rower ratio.

Coach Outlaw also agreed that F.V. was not capable of rowing in team boats in a competitive program. Because F.V. was not following directions and non-responsive in the summer

program, F.V. would need to have his own coach when in the boat, as well as direct supervision when the team was doing its exercise on land. According to Perez, Coach Knutz stated, “I don’t think it is a good idea, F.V. is not competition material, competition ready to row, and it is just not a good idea.”

Perez decided not to submit an application for F.V. to participate in LCRA’s after-school program. F.V. was, however, invited to participate in LCRA’s summer camp again.

According to Perez, Coach Knutz stated, “I don’t think it is a good idea, F.V. is not competition material, competition ready to row, and it is just not a good idea.”

ADA Complaint On August 13, 2018, Perez submitted an ADA complaint with the City. The City’s public works director responded to Perez’s complaint and informed her that her complaint related to a program offered by LCRA, which is an entity separate from the City. The City informed Melissa Coleman, the president of LCRA at the time, of Perez’s complaint. Coleman, Paul McPherson (founding member of LCRA) and Coach Knutz subsequently met with Perez to discuss her complaint.

Coleman agreed to include F.V. in the after-school program and provide F.V. individual lessons. Coleman stated that LCRA would “still have him practice, be part of the team, be able to get

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L AW R EV I EW

the uniform, and be able to take part in off-the-water activities together.” But, F.V. would have to have one-to-one instruction for the safety of the rowers.

According to Perez, she was not seeking an accommodation for F.V. so that he could participate in the after-school program. She denied seeking any accommodation from LCRA and any modifications in

In this particular instance, the ADA claims involved a Title II claim against the City and a Title III claim against LCRA. the training of LCRA’s personnel.

Perez only sought to have LCRA integrate F.V. into the after-school program. Specifically, she stated that she “just wanted him to row after school” and that “he doesn’t need any accommodations to row” because he can row. Perez stated that she would like F.V. “to be with his peers and in a team setting and be accepted and not segregated and go off on a boat by himself and row with a man that he doesn’t even know.” Perez stated that she did not request any accommodations for F.V. because, in her opinion, he did not need any accommodations to participate in the after-school program.

Perez also denied seeking a modification to any of the City’s policies, practices or procedures. Perez stated that she was seeking from the City the same thing she was seeking from LCRA. She was only requesting for F.V. “to be accepted like any other child.”

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back to LCRA about its proposal.

LCRA tried to coordinate a followup meeting with F.V.’s family, but there was no response.

ADA Titles As cited by the federal district court, the ADA covers three main types of discrimination, each of which is addressed in one of the statute’s three main subchapters: Title I prohibits discrimination in private employment; Title II prohibits discrimination by public entities (state or local governments); and Title III prohibits discrimination by a “place of public accommodation,” which is a private entity that offers commercial services to the public.

In this particular instance, the ADA claims involved a Title II claim against the City and a Title III claim against LCRA.

Title II Claim Against the City As cited by the federal district court, Title II of the ADA states: “no qualified individual with a disability shall, by reason of such disability, be excluded from participation in or be denied the benefits of the services, programs, or activities of a public entity, or be subjected to discrimination by any such entity.” 42 U.S.C. § 12132. Accordingly, as described by the court, Title II requires the following for a plaintiff to establish a Title II ADA claim: (1) that he is a qualified individual with a disability; (2) that he was either excluded from participation in or denied the benefits of a public entity’s services, programs, or activities, or was otherwise discriminated against by the public entity; and (3) that the

exclusion, denial of benefit, or discrimination was by reason of the plaintiff ’s disability.

Further, when a plaintiff alleges discrimination based on a public entity’s refusal to provide reasonable accommodation, the court noted: “Plaintiff must also establish that Plaintiff requested an accommodation and that the public entity failed to provide a reasonable accommodation.”

In addition, proof of a Title II claim would only entitle a plaintiff to injunctive relief; i.e., a court order prohibiting discriminatory conduct in violation of the ADA. In this case, Perez was seeking monetary damages. To obtain damages under Title II, the court would require Perez to prove the City “engaged in intentional discrimination, which requires a showing of deliberate indifference.” Moreover, to establish deliberate indifference, plaintiff Perez would have to prove the defendant City “knew that harm to a federally protected right was substantially likely and failed to act on that likelihood.”

City Service Program As noted by the federal district court: “Individuals and private entities are not subject to liability under Title II of the ADA.” Instead, Title II of the ADA only governs the actions of a “public entity.” In this particular instance, the City did not dispute that it is a “public entity.” The City, however, questioned whether the LCRA “Learn to Row” program at the City’s boathouse constituted “a public entity’s services, programs, or activities” under Title II. While Title II applied to “all services, programs, or activities pro-

vided or made available by public entities,” the federal district court acknowledged the expressed statutory language in the ADA does not define “services, programs, or activities.” On the other hand, the court noted that federal courts have broadly construed “programs, services, or activities” of a public entity to also include “all discrimination by a public entity, regardless of the context.”

In this case, Perez claimed “F.V. was excluded from participating in the after-school rowing program because LCRA recommended a separate program with a special needs coach to be with F.V. in a segregated class.” In so doing, Perez argued the City was liable for

discrimination under Title II of the ADA because the after-school rowing program was a service provided by the City. Perez based this claim on testimony of the city manager who had indicated the City paid for electric, sewage, landscaping, security and maintenance of the boathouse. Moreover, the boathouse reflected one of Lake County’s priorities to increase tourism in the county.

In the opinion of the federal district court, Perez had failed to “demonstrate how the City’s responsibility for those expenses and the county’s interest in increasing tourism supports the conclusion that the after-school program at issue is a program offered by the

City.” While the City retained responsibility for the maintenance of the exterior of the boathouse, structural issues and utilities under the Management Agreement with LCRA, the court noted testimony indicating LCRA remained solely responsible for “managing, directing, operating, and coordinating the daily activities” at the boathouse and paid the City to use it: One of the founders and former president of LCRA, testified that LCRA, not the City, offers the rowing programs and that LCRA only utilizes the City’s boathouse to facilitate its programs. She further testified that the intent of the Management Agreement between the City and LCRA is to memo-

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rialize the agreement “with respect to the use of the boathouse and the tourism development council fund application and requirements.”

Further, in the opinion of the court, the pretrial record did not establish that the City had contractually delegated its responsibility for the operation of services, activities and programs, which the City would have otherwise been responsible for itself. Instead, the federal district court found “the record only establishes that the City contractually agreed to provide the venue for LCRA to host its rowing events.” As a result, the court rejected the claim that the afterschool rowing program was a service provided by the City.

City as Landlord Perez also had claimed the City was liable for discrimination under Title II of the ADA because “the City is the owner and landlord of the boathouse.” As characterized by the court, the issue was, therefore, whether “the City is liable merely because of its status as the owner of the boathouse.” According to the court: “A landlord incurs liability only if the landlord implements a discriminatory policy, practice, or procedure.” In so doing, however, the court acknowledged: “the ADA does not require a landlord to ensure that a tenant (or group of tenants) includes every neighbor at an event.” In this case, the court found “the City’s only connection to the after-school program at issue is the City’s ownership of the boathouse.”

Under Title II of the ADA, Perez had claimed the City has an independent liability as the owner or lessor of the boathouse. The federal district court acknowledged that 30 Parks & Recreation

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federal courts have held “a public entity is subject to Title II liability because it is considered to be a landlord.” The court, however, noted these claims of discrimination under the ADA were based upon “the lack of accessibility to facilities,” such as a theater or sports arena owned by a public entity, for disabled individuals.

In this particular case, the city manager had testified that “the City essentially functions as a landlord and does not control what LCRA does inside the boathouse.”

Moreover, the federal district court noted: “The annual regatta, summer camps, and after-school programs are programs provided by LCRA, not the City.” Further, the city manager had testified “the purpose of the boathouse was for the City to rent it.” In addition, the city manager indicated “any individuals who participate in any of the activities of LCRA do not sign a waiver with the City.”

Under these circumstances, the federal district court found Perez had not claimed that “F.V. was excluded or denied access to the boathouse” by the City. Instead, Perez claimed “F.V.’s ability to participate as a competitor in LCRA’s after-school program” was being denied. Even if the LCRA afterschool program was not a program offered by the City, Perez had claimed Title II of the ADA prohibits all discrimination by a public entity, regardless of the context.

The federal district court, however, found Perez had “not identified any discriminatory policy, practice, or procedure of the City.” In particular, the court noted Perez had “not provided any evidence to suggest that F.V. was subject to any dis-

crimination by the City” in providing access to the boathouse.

The federal district court, therefore, rejected Perez’s Title II claim against the City and granted the City’s motion for summary judgment.

Individualized Support Accommodation In her Title III ADA claim against LCRA, Perez claimed LCRA “intentionally failed to make reasonable modifications in its policies, practices, and/or procedures, upon repeated requests, as necessary to afford Plaintiff with its goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations.”

In so doing, Perez filed a motion to exclude the opinion of LCRA’s expert, Dr. Jill Kelderman, a pediatric neuropsychologist and board certified in clinical neuropsychology. Dr. Kelderman was retained

by LCRA to provide an overview of the Autism Spectrum Disorder and to opine on what type of accommodations, if any, F.V. would require in order to participate in LCRA’s after-school program.

Dr. Kelderman opined that F.V. had significant skill deficits that impacted his ability to independently function successfully in a competitive after-school program and that he required individual coaching and instruction, which incorporated Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to potentially develop adequate rowing skills.

ABA is an evidence-based intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) that improves social communication and adaptive behaviors while decreasing the severity and frequency of maladaptive behaviors.

Perez claimed Dr. Kelderman

had never met with F.V. or interviewed any of his family members to determine his capacity outside of an academic setting. Perez further contended Dr. Kelderman’s testimony was speculative because she had relied upon F.V.’s school records. Perez, however, did not challenge Dr. Kelderman’s qualification to assess individuals with autism.

As characterized by the court, Perez had apparently objected to Dr. Kelderman’s opinion because she “did not provide any opinion on integrating F.V. into the rowing program.” The federal district court rejected this challenge to Dr. Kelderman’s expert witness testimony.

In so doing, the court found Dr. Kelderman’s opinion was relevant in determining the required reasonable accommodation for F.V.’s participation in LCRA’s rowing program. According to Dr. Kelderman, F.V. would require “individual coaching and instruction with an individualized plan and...an evidence-based strategy, such as ABA, would be helpful to developing an individual plan for him.”

Consistent with Dr. Kelderman’s opinion, the court further noted the pretrial record indicated “F.V. utilizes individual attention in other activities as well.” In particular, the court found undisputed evidence that “F.V. cannot travel on a school bus without adult supervision and requires individualized support at school.”

gle-person boat.” In so doing, the court found “LCRA’s recommendation would still allow F.V. to be a part of the team, including wearing the uniform and participating in all team activities.” Accordingly, in the opinion of the court, the pretrial record was “void of evidence that LCRA denied F.V. reasonable participation in the after-school program because of his disability.”

The federal district court, therefore, concluded “LCRA is entitled to summary judgment in its favor.”

Having found no evidence of discrimination in violation of either Title II or Title III of the ADA, the federal district court entered final judgment in favor of defendant City of Clermont and defendant Lake County Rowing Association.

James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D., is an Attorney and Associate Professor in the School of Sport, Recreation and Tourism Management at George Mason University (jkozlows@gmu.edu).

Link to law review articles archive (1982 to present): mason. gmu.edu/~jkozlows.

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No Accommodation Requested In an ADA claim, the federal district court noted: “The plaintiff bears the burden of proving not only that he is disabled but also that his requested modification is both ‘reasonable’ and ‘necessary.’” Moreover, the court acknowledged: “No ADA violation occurs, however, when the private entity demonstrates that the requested modifications would ‘fundamentally alter the nature of ’ its service and facilities.”

In this particular instance, the court found Perez had “neither identified nor requested an accommodation.”

On the contrary, Perez had “repeatedly acknowledged that she is not seeking an accommodation for F.V.” While Perez had “admittedly never requested an accommodation from LCRA,” Perez claimed “LCRA’s suggestion to segregate, rather than integrate, F.V. in the after-school program violates the ADA.” Within the context of reasonable accommodations required by the ADA, the federal district court noted the LCRA coaches had “recommended that F.V. would benefit from a one-on-one instruction while in a sin

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Mental Health Care in a Pandemic Park and recreation agencies provide mental health services to their professionals and to communities during COVID-19

By Lindsay Hogeboom

T

he events of the past year have taken a toll on many people’s mental health, bringing discussions about mental wellness to the forefront in a world where the personal and professional are becoming increasingly mixed. Together, we experienced numerous challenges, including a global pandemic, a national racial reckoning, record-setting natural disasters, and increased political division and unrest, to name a few. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, in particular, has exacerbated other pre-existing challenges in communities, such as homelessness, the opioid epidemic and more.

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Park and recreation agencies can take steps to support their staff’s mental health, as they are on the front lines every day serving the needs of communities.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF JERSEY CITY DEPARTMENT OF RECREATION AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

As the first line of contact for community members, park and recreation professionals have played an essential role in response to each of these circumstances while simultaneously living and experiencing the effects of these events themselves.

As a result, many in the profession have expressed a common feeling — empathy fatigue.

Empathy fatigue “results from a state of psychological, emotional, mental, physical, spiritual and occupational exhaustion that occurs as the [individuals’] own wounds are continually revisited by their clients’ life stories…” according to Counseling Today (tinyurl.com/ 57fww3dk). This can reveal itself in many ways — as feelings of guilt, sadness, apathy, exhaustion and anxiety, or as physical symptoms, such as loss of sleep, difficulty concentrating, isolation, fatigue or headaches. While empathy fatigue is most commonly thought to occur among counselors, first responders and mental health professionals, those in other fields — such as parks and recreation —

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have become increasingly prone to its effects as they are asked to take on greater roles in response to our communities’ myriad challenges.

As with any mental health matter, there is no one single cure for empathy fatigue — rather, it takes a commitment by individuals to engage in regular self-care and to seek help from outside resources. However, park and recreation agencies can take steps to support their staff ’s mental health, as they are on the front lines every day serving the needs of communities during COVID-19.

Parks and Recreation Responds to a Pandemic In West Allis, Wisconsin, Recreation and Community Services staff serving on the West Allis Mental Health and Substance Abuse Task Force recognized growing mental health concerns within the community. “We started to see that a lot of the challenges that were there before were really amplified by COVID-19,” contends Shelly Strasser, director of recreation and community services

for the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District.

In response, staff members are partnering with a heroin/opiate community task force to provide character education in their afterschool programs. In addition, park and recreation professionals take part in a trauma-informed care task force that also consists of school psychologists and student services staff. Strasser says, “We had a great partnership with them preCOVID-19, but it really strengthened when they saw all that we were doing for the students that were here in person with us [during COVID-19],” including providing programming for children experiencing homelessness or from families struggling with mental health or substance use.

In Jersey City, New Jersey, when parks reopened during the pandemic on April 27, 2020, Recreation and Youth Development staff were stationed at every park to hand out masks and sanitizer to patrons. “We also had employees covering the phone bank to schedule COVID-19 testing early on and at testing sites, and helping out with Meals on Wheels,” says Lucinda McLaughlin, director of the Jersey City Department of Recreation and Youth Development.

Similar to West Allis, Jersey City Recreation and Youth Development staff noticed that challenges that existed prior to COVID-19 were being exacerbated by the pandemic. “We have youth in our community who are facing trauma all the time; and being prepared to deal with that is a responsibility for everyone here who works with In Jersey City, New Jersey, Recreation and Youth Development staff were stationed at parks to hand out masks and sanitizer to patrons during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF CITY OF LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF RECREATION AND PARKS

The City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks serves as the sheltering and welfare arm for the city, so employees were quick to respond to the needs of the community during COVID-19.

youth…. [This occurred] before COVID-19, and will be there after COVID-19, and then COVID-19 is a whole separate layer that has been added on,” says McLaughlin.

For this reason, staff are trained to recognize warning signs of mental health issues. “There was also a required training about suicide signs and awareness — when it’s time to alert somebody else or when it’s time to refer someone somewhere,” says McLaughlin.

In Los Angeles, the Department of Recreation and Parks is the sheltering and welfare arm for the city, “so there were expectations, right from the get-go, that we were going to be there for what was needed,” says Mike Shull, general manager of City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks.

The department opened and operated 24 homeless shelters within its recreation centers, as well as an additional 500 camping trailers used as housing for people experiencing homelessness. “Almost 100 percent of our staff was working on emergency response. We had staff on-site at those shelters 24 hours a day,” says Shull.

Department staff also opened 60 alternative learning centers — 50 of which were free — for families that needed a place to bring their children during the day while schools were operating virtually. “[During] the first week, they filled to capacity,” says Shull.

Partnering to Provide Mental Health Training In West Allis, as Recreation and Community Services staff were

taking on increasingly demanding roles, the department began partnering with the school district’s lead psychologist to provide mental health training for staff. “The first session she did was just general mindfulness and talked about ways to reduce anxiety and how a lot of what [staff] were feeling was normal,” says Strasser. “Then it gained popularity and people wanted more, so then she started doing targeted meetings.” Other topics included the importance of sleep, proper eating, and breathing techniques for combating stress and anxiety.

Strasser also says that some staff have received mental health training to assist with youth and older adult programs, and that the training is two-fold, in that the staff also can apply the lessons to themselves.

“We had one of our school psychologists come in and do mindfulness training with our preschool teachers [that] provided them with tools to use in the classroom,” says Strasser. “They’re focused on the kids, but, at the same time, we’re also focusing on them and giving them those tools and strategies to use [on themselves].”

Similarly, the Recreation and Youth Development Department in Jersey City partnered with the New Jersey Department of Hu-

man Services Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services to provide mandatory, paid, mental health trainings on such topics as coping with COVID-19 stress.

McLaughlin says they will continue to require similar trainings even as COVID-19 stress begins to dissipate. “We are working with the health department here to identify appropriate staff and create the opportunity for what’s called mental health first aid,” she says.

In Los Angeles, mental health sessions for Recreation and Parks staff were provided via Zoom through the county Department of Public Health. “They talked through…how you may be feeling, or if you’re feeling these things, what [they] recommend,” says Shull. “And, if you need more assistance, how to get it. We talked about our employee assistance program, which is free to all the employees, and just reminded them of the resources that are out there.”

Communication Is Key April Chambers, president of the Florida National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), says that keeping an open line of communication is key to ensuring that park and recreation staff are receiving the mental health support they need.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF JERSEY CITY DEPARTMENT OF RECREATION AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

“It really comes down to checking in regularly and letting people talk about things that aren’t related to work,” she says. “Another thing is to freely say, ‘what are you feeling?’ and to listen, not provide solutions.”

Shull discovered early on that this tactic was critical in connecting to his staff, especially during times of such uncertainty. “Things would change daily — I mean, you’d shift gears from one thing to the other… [and that’s] hard on people. You come to work and you want to know what your expectations are, and when you don’t know, it’s not good for your mental health,” he says. “So I did a few sessions online and said anybody could come [to] these phone calls and ask me questions. Information was really powerful for staff to have.” Shull also says it has been especially important for staff to have access to upper management to have their questions answered directly.

At the West Allis-West Milwaukee Recreation and Community Services Department, leadership used existing communication channels to share information by incorporating a mental health and wellness section into the monthly

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staff newsletter. “A lot of what we do works around serving others, so [this] was more of an introspective look at yourself, and [an acknowledgement] that you’re not immune to those traumas and different things within life, and…in order to bring out our best selves, we have to care for ourselves,” says Strasser.

Recognition Makes a Difference Park and recreation leadership at agencies across the country also found that recognizing their staff was important in strengthening their sense of purpose at work, which in turn benefitted their overall mental health. “We celebrated [NRPA’s Park and Recreation Professionals Day] here…and we acknowledged parks and recreation professionals,” says McLaughlin.

“I think in this profession, people aren’t told that [they’re professionals] often enough, and they should be…. I think it goes a long way to make sure that people understand that what they’re doing is really important to everybody around them.”

In addition, McLaughlin purchased sweatshirts for her staff, many of whom were spending

long days outside. She says, “It seems simple, but…I think it’s empowering as a workforce out in the community to have a uniform. It’s small potatoes, but it’s really not in the big picture.”

Shull agrees that recognizing the important work of his staff has helped keep spirits up across the department. “I tried to visit sites and just get out and say thank you.

A lot of it was just making sure that they know we know how important the work is that they’re doing, and how difficult it is and how grateful we are for it,” he says. “That stuff goes a long way.”

In West Allis, recognition came in the form of job security and workload support that reassured staff that they were an essential part of the team. “We as a department made a commitment that if there were any closures or people had to be quarantined…they would continue to get paid, and I think that has really helped alleviate a lot of stress for a lot of staff,” says Strasser. “Part of that, too, is that we wanted to encourage people, ‘If you’re not feeling good, you need to stay home.’ And I think for a lot of our staff, work is their social connection, their family. When you’re away from that, I do think there is some validity to the fear of missing out or [feeling] like they’ve let the team down. So, I think by providing some of that support, [we] helped alleviate some of those stressors.”

Ensuring Equity in Outreach According to Chambers, one positive outcome of the pandemic is

Jersey City Department of Recreation and Youth Development employees help schedule COVID-19 testing at a phone bank.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CITY OF LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF RECREATION AND PARKS

Los Angeles Recreation and Parks department staff opened and operated 24 recreation centers and 500 camping trailers as homeless shelters and housing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

that the transition to a more virtual world has made mental health services more accessible. “Telemedicine shot off like a rocket,” she says. “We always thought, ‘When you have mental health issues…getting help has to be in person.’” Now, Chambers says, mental health providers have quickly transitioned to providing services virtually. “Telepsychiatry and teletherapy are making a tremendous difference. They allow individuals to get treatment for the first time or continue treatment plans they’ve had for years.”

Chambers also explains that virtual mental health services have given some individuals, who may not have previously reached out due to privacy concerns or fear of stigma, the confidence to seek help.

For example, with NAMI, “If you had individuals who were hesitant to be seen, they now could join a class in a location other than where they live,” she says. “It broke down the barrier.”

To this end, park and recreation agencies can consider beginning or continuing virtual mental health offerings to make these benefits accessible and appealing to their staff.

Alternatively, park and recreation leadership can actively cultivate an environment where employees are free to speak up about any issues they are experiencing without fear of negative consequences or retribution. This is the approach Shull has taken with his staff during the past year. “I started holding small working groups with individuals in the field and allowing the field people to orga

nize them,” he says. These working groups have addressed topics like racial equity within the community and throughout the department, in addition to the challenges of COVID-19 and the compounding effects these challenges have had on staff morale. “I’ve learned a ton,” says Shull. “It’s really important that as managers, we’re talking at all levels, to all employees…. It’s been good for me to create those relationships, because people need to have some freedom to be able to communicate and feel like they’re going to be heard.”

Supporting Staff Supporting Communities The individuals highlighted above share a resounding message about how park and recreation professionals have adapted to the challenges of the past year: they take great pride in their work, they have immense care for their communities, and they are willing to tackle any challenge that comes their way.

“It’s sort of the mantra of people in our profession: ‘What is it you need us to do, and we’ll do it and we’ll do it together,’” says Strasser.

“I hope the biggest takeaway is that professionals in the recreation realm…are doing it because they love their community,” says McLaughlin. “I call [my staff] fivetool players [because] they can pivot, and they don’t panic in situations. They look at what it is and say, ‘Okay, what do we need to do?’

That level-headedness is probably something that many professionals in this area share, but we don’t give credit to. But, it’s absolutely what carried our department forward.”

Shull expresses a similar sentiment: “I keep saying to everybody that I think recreation and parks professionals are so adept and so able to turn a switch and say, ‘Okay, this is my role.’ They’re used to working with people, and it was just amazing to see the pride and the stories that came out of the staff…. [This] gave them the worth and [reminded them] why we’re here to do this.”

While park and recreation professionals remain dedicated to serving their communities through challenging times, they also are not immune to the stress and anxiety brought on by these circumstances. These individuals provide essential community services. In return, we can ensure that they are afforded the mental health support they need to experience the same quality of life they work every day to make possible for their community members.

To hear Strasser and Shull talk more about their agency’s COVID-19 response and how they are supporting staff and community mental health during the pandemic, tune in to the June bonus episode of Open Space Radio at nrpa.org/June2021Bonus Episode.

Lindsay Hogeboom is Associate Editor of Parks & Recreation magazine (lhogeboom@nrpa.org).

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Tyler Norris: A Conversation About Health and Well-Being NRPA Board Member Philip Wu, M.D., speaks one-on-one with this seasoned health and wellness expert

By Vitisia Paynich

D

uring the 2020 NRPA Annual Conference: A Virtual Experience this past October, Dr. Philip Wu, a retired pediatrician from Kaiser Permanente and a current NRPA Board member, moderated the general session, “Mental Health: From My Community to Me.” This virtual session featured an engaging presentation by Tyler Norris, MDiv, chief executive of Well Being Trust, a national foundation focused on the advancement of mental, social and spiritual health. Norris offered his insights on a range of health topics, including the importance of park and recreation professionals sustaining their personal mental health during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

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Tyler Norris, MDiv, a seasoned health and wellness expert, talks about the importance of park and recreation professionals sustaining their personal mental health.

TYLER NORRIS

For those of us who are fortunate to see the examples of what’s happening on the ground in communities across America, it is racial healing.

This session was among the most well-attended events throughout the three-day conference and received a plethora of positive feedback from those in attendance. In fact, nearly a month after the conference, Parks & Recreation magazine invited Dr. Wu and Norris to continue this important health and wellness and equity conversation. The following are highlights from their one-on-one discussion, which took place not long after the 2020 election, about a month

Dr. Philip Wu: Tyler, at the very beginning of your presentation in October, it was remarkable how you were able to set this framework of the environment in which we currently are living — such as public health, economics, social justice, climate change — and then you did a poignant job of describing depths of despair. The other thing was the optimistic tone that came through when you talked about all of this. What is out there that actually gives you that sense of hope and supports the idea that we should be hopeful?

Tyler Norris: I think there’s so much in the question that’s very relevant to the topic of parks and recreation, open space and nature…but it’s a much broader question for our country. It’s as if we have to hold two concurrent experiences. One is that these layered crises — COVID, the economic and social fallout, climate change, this moment of racial reckoning, this sense of our political polarization — are both deeply vexing fundamental issues and are really generating a tremendous amount of suffering. We’ve seen that because we all are experiencing it ourselves. We’re experiencing it from our loved ones, friends and family, and the data is showing that these higher rates of anxiety and depression are causing some people to fall

PHOTO COURTESY OF WELL BEING TRUST

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before the Food and Drug Administration had authorized the first COVID-19 vaccine and two months prior to the presidential inauguration.

Tyler Norris, MDiv, is the chief executive of Well Being Trust. | J U N E 2 02 1 | PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N .O R G

back into their addictive patterns.

And, we’re all not at our best. And, I think that the milieu around this is so much a full-court press…that it’s easy to fall victim to the experience of “the sky is falling.” It’s just anxiety producing. And at the same time, there’s this innovative, pragmatic, thoughtful work happening on the ground by local leaders doing what they do in their various walks of life as part of a large health delivery system. Providence [Health], which spans from Anchorage to Los Angeles to Philadelphia, is providing care and increasing access to care at a very difficult time — both for COVID patients and caregivers responding in this time to their own challenges and doing the good work on care delivery.

We also see that work in local economic development, housing and food system strategies.

And, we certainly have seen it in the way that city government, mayors, and park and recreation agencies have opened streets for walking and physical activity that have helped people understand… physical distancing while having social connection. And below the radar is a nation of Americans of all walks of life doing good work.

We both respond to these layered crises and build a pathway to a more resilient future. And it’s not making the news. For those of us who are fortunate to see the examples of what’s happening on the ground in communities across America, it is racial healing. It is the redevelopment of our economy. It is thinking about engaging young people in the workforce of the future, and it is getting people in nature to find a place of repose and reconnection, and remembering who we are in our bodies while in nature. Every place I see, people

Dr. Wu: This on-the-ground work also supports the idea that at least through human history, out of adversity has always come opportunity. And, we’ve always seen through history the human spirit being very resilient and flexible, and essentially, as you say, “rising to the occasion.” And, maybe, it’s just that right now we fail to be able to identify and focus on what’s happening at the micro level. So, I can see where there’s good reason to be hopeful; you just have to recognize it.

Norris: Right. One small piece that I mentioned in the keynote talk is that together with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the CDC Foundation, Well Being Trust crowdsourced more than 100 organizations and communities for a document, called “Thriving Together,” that is a springboard for equitable recovery and resilience in communities across America (thriving.us). In that document are more than 100 multisolver solutions, such as economic renewal, civic renewal and the renewal of our own mental, emotional and social well-being.

In addition, there are examples of what is happening on the ground in America’s communities and how these solutions can be scaled and spread. To me, it is just a cornucopia of great things that are happening that can be built on for the future. This is Americans of all walks of life — regardless of their political point of view or who they might have voted for — coming together to do real things on the ground that transcend politics.

That gives me hope.

Philip Wu, M.D., is a retired pediatrician from Kaiser Permanente and current NRPA Board member.

Dr. Wu: That gives me tremendous hope, especially right now.

I think focusing on centering justice and equity is so important, and every organization across the country is starting to dive deeply into this arena. From your perspective, especially around how we support mental health and how we promote well-being, what does centering justice and equity actually look like?

Norris: It means de-centering whiteness. And as a white person who’s privileged in every way as a male, educated individual, I believe that the centering of whiteness as the norm for how to do work is not something to be blamed; it just needs to move. We could go back and discuss all the problems with it and that’s fair enough, but we need to de-center that point of view. And having invested most of my adult life trying to improve community health and well-being and talking about racial disparities and social justice along the way, we have failed as a nation to move the needle. Whether we’re talking about infant mortality, child wellbeing, education outcomes, the living wage, and wealth building in Black, brown and immigrant communities — for the most part, there’s a truth telling here. Not that there hasn’t been good effort, but… what we have done has produced the results we have. We cannot truly move the needle until we create a nation where Black and brown people — those who are often excluded or othered in our society — are seen as part of our diverse

PHOTO COURTESY OF PHILIP WU, M.D.

are rising to the occasion and I am buoyed by that.

nation; until we acknowledge that half of the children born today are Black and brown and that their well-being is the well-being of the country; and until we center a BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, people of color] agenda. Until then, we’re just going to tinker at the edges.

I was very moved early on by the work of Angela Glover Blackwell, [founder and CEO] of PolicyLink, and the idea of a curb cut. This goes right to the heart of design for walking, biking, strolling, etc. When you do curb

This is Americans of all walks of life — regardless of their political point of view or who they might have voted for — coming together to do real things on the ground that transcend politics.

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TYLER NORRIS

cuts that allow wheelchairs to go off the curb and cross the street in an easy way, that also allows someone with a walker to be able to do that; it allows someone with a baby stroller to be able to use that; it allows someone who doesn’t see well to have a nice step

We need to make sure that the mindset of what a fully builtout routine accommodation for play in nature looks like — not just one-offs. down to be able to have routine walking across there. We did that for the ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act]. When you take the most vulnerable person and you accommodate that person, we all win. When we center Black, brown and Indigenous populations, we all win. White people who struggle will do better when we have an equity agenda. This isn’t about Black and brown people alone, it’s for all Americans. All Americans will do better when we have a BIPOC-centered strategy. And to me, that’s not only a moral issue, but it’s also a pragmatic issue. It’s an economic issue for the future of our country.

Dr. Wu: How does this translate into the work that park and recreation professionals do to bring this all down to a pragmatic level in the park and recreation domain? What would this awakening look like?

Norris: I think that many of our leaders working in our parks and active areas have been on the front line of asking this question 42 Parks & Recreation

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in city government. And, I want to acknowledge the leadership of many professionals in parks, recreation and open space across the different types of land uses that have been involved in the conversation. Particularly during COVID, we’ve seen a lot of innovations. Referring back to the curb-cut scenario, the first place to begin is: We’ve created a resource, how does the most vulnerable access this? Vulnerable may not be the right word here.

We might want to look through more of a disability lens or age lens. I love the language of the 8 80 movement and Gil Penalosa, [founder of 8 80 Cities], from Canada. Does the resource work for an 8-year-old and an 80-yearold? Because if it works for the 8-year-old and 80-year-old, it’s going to work for most of us that are in between. How do we ensure that we are creating environments in these places of play, recreation, renewal and family gathering, in which all people feel welcome?

Dr. Wu: In your presentation, you had two maps that demonstrated the disparity where open space was located. It probably wasn’t anyone’s specific intent, but it happened on the systemic level. How does that get changed?

What must we do about systemic decisions that result in these kinds of disparities, which then lead to differences in access, especially for the communities that are at risk?

Norris: I’ll use the food system as an example, because it’s sort of a sister issue. We’ve been working to create a full-service grocery store in West Oakland, California, an area that has been a food desert com-

bined with a food swamp of outlets with cheap food full of empty calories, high sugars, fats, oils, etc.

The conversation at one point was: Do we really need a fullservice grocery store, because there’s an occasional farmers market that’s not that far from the other? To me, that question was so revealing. In my neighborhood, I am 10 minutes from a farmers market and five minutes from a fullservice grocery store. I have access to a cornucopia of food options to be able to access healthy, fresh foods. And when we get into a conversation with the city of West Oakland asking, “Oh, should we do a full-service grocery store or farmers markets?” it’s as if one or two of those options are okay.

You need routine accommodation and access to all modes of fresh, healthy, affordable foods.

The same thing is true when we talk about access to nature, parks or places of recreation. A pocket park, a green zone, a set of trees are important, but we need the build out. If we have areas that do not have tree cover, where we know that people [are not] within five to 10 minutes of a safe place to play, then that needs to be built out.

For park and recreation leaders, city planning officials, mayors, city councils and county commissioners, we need to make sure that the mindset of what a fully built-out routine accommodation for play in nature looks like — not just oneoffs. And, we need to disproportionately invest in communities of color to ensure that those environments are fully accessible.

Dr. Wu: I think it’s fantastic that Providence is invested in the mental health arena through an

entity like Well Being Trust. How can park and recreation professionals build similar, but different, relationships with the other healthcare entities that maybe are not quite as visionary?

Norris: I think as the healthcare sector, we can do better in actually making ourselves available to parks and recreation and nature leaders to more effectively partner. We can open that door a bit more. I want to acknowledge the work of a lot of organizations, including NRPA, the Children and Nature Network and so many others, in really helping to build that conversation. I would encourage park and recreation professionals to reach out and help get a healthcare person out of their building

for 45 minutes to go walk around the park while physical distancing and have a conversation about how we could partner. I would start with caregivers. Right now, I will tell you, as part of a health system, I’m out there looking at the mental health of the country.

But every day, I have internal calls with my Providence colleagues about how we are taking care of the well-being of our own employees. We’ll start with the healthcare employees having better access — and their families having better access — to nature.

Dr. Wu: And, park professionals could step into that role, and really just say, “We are here, let us help, let us be of service to these front-line caregivers.”

Norris: Yes, and they can focus on the first responders, EMT [Emergency Medical Technician] professionals and health professionals on the front lines, as well as those people in our federally qualified health centers and care settings. Let’s just start with them and then with their families. And, we could have that conversation, not just on a Zoom call, but also on a masked, physical distanced walk where we actually can think about it and model the benefit right there because we know what happens during a physical distanced walk — we all feel better at the end of it.

Vitisia Paynich is NRPA’s Executive Editor, print and online content (vpaynich@nrpa.org).

The Latest Park and Recreation News and Trends

On the Go Available on iTunes and Google Play

www.openspaceradio.org

The Official Podcast of NRPA

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND

The new Lynnbrook Park design will convert an old drainage ditch that no longer flows effectively into an ecologically restored stream with plantings along the banks.

How Parks Build Community aims to improve a local Chattanooga community

By Paula M. Jacoby-Garrett

During Fiesta Lynnbrook, attendees and participants shared feedback about what memories they would like to create in the park space, such as connecting people with nature and water.

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Located on the southeast side of Chattanooga, Tennessee, the new Lynnbrook Park will provide outdoor recreation and healthy activity options for the nearby community, as well as help to restore the local environment.

N

RPA is heading to Chattanooga, Tennessee, for the next Parks Build Community (PBC) project to build a new park in the Oak Grove neighborhood. Located on the southeast side of the city, the park will provide outdoor recreation and healthy activity options for the nearby community, as well as help to restore the local environment.

The NRPA PBC designee was chosen based on a series of criteria, all focused on selecting a community where the impact would be extensive. “While 2020 was not a year like any other, it provided an opportunity for deep reflection and a chance to refocus our work and ensure that it was centered in our val

ues and Three Pillars,” says Rachel Banner, NRPA’s director of park access. “This year, due to budget, construction and community engagement challenges, NRPA searched for projects in several major cities in the southeast. We also implemented new equity-based selection criteria for Parks Build Community to en-

sure the maximum health, environmental and economic benefits for the local community.”

“Lynnbrook Park not only met those selection criteria, but also went above and beyond with their engagement and design to maximize a 1.4-acre space and the benefits it provides to the community,” says Banner. “First and foremost, the park reflects the culture and values of the community. It also provides a space to engage in health-promoting activities, solves a critical flooding challenge, connects people to nature, and creates

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LY N N B R O O K P A R K

a safe place for play and a community gathering place.”

Improving the Health of People and Place Access to parks is key for NRPA. NRPA works to ensure everyone has access to the multiple benefits

of parks, and defines access not only as the physical features that make it accessible, easy to get to and beautiful, but also defines access as belonging — creating a space that feels safe, culturally relevant and welcoming to everyone.

In each community, access may

look different. For Chattanooga, part of its access challenge is proximity, with only 37 percent of people in Chattanooga currently within ready access to quality local parks and recreation.

This area is prime for more park and green space development. In

C H AT TA N O O G A

Entry Plaza: Decoratively paved area with descending tiers. Plaza is centered around water feature that will be designed to help clean the storm water runoff entering the site.

DESIGN DRAWING COURTESY OF AKOSUA COOK, CITY OF CHATTANOOGA

Screen Planting to provide separation from adjacent property.

46 Parks & Recreation

Playground Area: Protected area with safe, soft surfacing, interactive play equipment and seating for adults.

Adult Gaming Area: Space for adults to enjoy chess or checkers or bocce ball.

Transitional Space: Lawn space for relaxing and observation between active spaces.

Paver “Bumpouts”: to create on-street parking spaces and safe places of refuge for pedstrians crossing the street to the park.

LY N N B R O O K A V E N U E

Lower Pool: or constructed wetland to help clean stormwater runoff before being released into the creek.

Accessible Creek Section: Creek begins to spread out and can be accessed at this point. Plantings and large stones create places to sit and cross the stream.

Passive Seating Areas: and lawn spaces for relaxation and observation of the creek form the northeastern section of the park.

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Future Rustic Foot Bridge: A creek crossing that creates an exciting and artful conection between the two halves of the park.

Stream Restoration Planting: Running the length of the stream and throughout the park will be beautiful, native and natural stream plantings designed to be sustainable and critical to the reestablishment of the stream bank.

Future Central Brid connecting bridge with a and space to congregate at ban

Art Plaza or point from bridge cr installation or splash

Future Bathro On-site bathroom b located in the park to the bandshell / pa parents and kids using

Future Bands Structure and plaza event

particular, the small, diverse Oak Grove neighborhood has an even mix of Black, Latino and white community members of all ages, more than 1,000 of which have limited access to parks.

Focusing not only on area residents’ health, Lynnbrook Park

also will heal and repair the surrounding environment. Currently, the site is composed of an empty lot, half of which is paved, with a drainage ditch running the length of the property. The ditch was created during the Works Progress Administration (WPA) era

The Lynnbrook Park design came from a creative community engagement process that centered community relationships and needs to determine what features should be included in the park.

A, TENNESSEE

Vehicular and Pedestrian Bridge: Wall separated bridge providing arched crossing of the creek as it passes under 17th Street. Arched stone bridge allows kids acces to creek under 17th street

dge Crossing: Main architectural accents e and watch activities nd shell pavilion area.

Open Lawn Area: Large open lawn area for active play or passive relaxation.

Room to throw the frisbee or lay on a blanket and enjoy the sunshine.

Future Small Bridge Crossing: Small footbridge to connect lawn area with picnic area.

EAST 17TH STREET

r Splash Pad: Focal rossing for sculpture h pad / water feature.

oom Building: building centrally o serve users of avilion as well as g the playground

Picnic Seating Area: Lawn area with tables and seating for several groups.

Park Swing: Swing by the creek for relaxing and observation of the creek and passers-by.

shell / Pavilion: a for community ts and gathering.

Future Picnic Pavilion: Central structure surrounded by charcoal grills for picnickers and protection from the weather Future Kiosk: for community engagement, announcements and park information along with small entry plaza.

LEGEND Future Amenities

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LY N N B R O O K P A R K

(1930s-1940s) as a public works project to allow stormwater to drain from the area into the Dobbs Branch stream and eventually out to the Tennessee River. Over time, it has lost its functionality, and the ditch currently flows inefficiently, causing flooding in the area. The City of Chattanooga is looking at the site to not only provide a park for residents, but also to improve water flow and quality through reclamation of the site.

For project manager Akosua Cook, it made sense to combine the environmental improvements with the creation of a park. “It has these cumulative benefits — it would bring over 3,000 residents within a 10-minute walk of a park, it would reduce heat island effect, it would improve the overall flooding issues in the area, and it would improve that whole watershed, [which] would improve water quality for the residents. It is a great overall location and will provide a great overall impact for the area,” says Cook.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND

Lynnbrook Park’s planning and conceptual designs are finished, and the park is scheduled to open in spring 2022.

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Envisioning a Future Park What sets this project apart from many others is its creative community engagement process. “We wanted to be intentional with this space, really listening to this adjacent neighborhood, and focusing on the needs and desires of that community,” explains Cook. “In 2016, our local Trust for Public Land office, along with our Public Art department, applied for a National Endowment of the Arts grant. They used it to do a creative engagements strategy, where they hired a local artist to do a series of public engagement events to find out what type of park would make the most sense in this area.”

For NRPA, it’s the community relationship that makes this project coalesce. “I think collectively what makes this project come together is the arts-based, inclusive and intentional engagement used to create the park that had a cascading effect on the project,” says Banner. “To begin, the engagement was led by a local artist who centered the community culture in his engagement and sought not only to build a park, but [also] to truly build community through the process. The process started by

asking how people currently enjoy the outdoors and what memories they would want to create in the space, as opposed to asking what amenities they would like to see.

Ultimately, it led to a design that creates a place for people to feel safe, [and to] connect with nature, water and people in their community in addition to so much more.”

Spearheading the public engagement was local artist, lawyer and writer Josiah Golson. “I approach community engagement with the belief that its process should genuinely reflect the culture of the community that I am serving,” Golson states in the Lynnbrook Community Design Sketchbook (tinyurl.com/ vmy32rd6). For this project, Golson assembled a team of forwardthinking individuals to help create a place where community members could “engage authentically with their own experiences and help us imagine the potential for the space.” Golson’s diverse team included Daniela Peterson from The Trust for Public Land, architect Roy Wroth and multimedia artist Botany Rain.

Through their work, the group “seeks to unpack the complexity of communities and issues through im-

Public engagement events were led by a ects. “It’s been a process that has ages, symbols and poetry in order to local artist who focused on community involved the community from the discover patterns, connections and culture to ensure that the park fits the start withand thewhat creative engagement ideas that one would otherwise fail needs community. life, gatherings, culture, and play lookof the The workshops inspire conversational, visual, Our Process in these and theatrical exercises that invite participants that wasspaces. implemented. to see,” according tocreative Golson.

The Our team’s process includesstrategy research, like a park as a continuation of their teamthat produces culturally-oriented documentation, storytelling.

We haven’tOur done for unique any othgroup worked with theand Oak Grove functiontoasimagine a critical component to workshops that allow residents to engage and memories.

Through canvassing the community, we learn er park, but it’s something that we community to create the park’s the site’s sustainability and aesthethow residents occupy and activate individual and express their memories and visions of parks and shared spaces. would like to see if it works here conceptualshared layout and determine ically as a natural water feature. A spaces (such as bus stops, restaurants, etc) and how we can utilize that stratedesired amenities, all of which are constructed wetland and a series of LY N N B R O O K O P E N S PA C E gy again. We like to experiment — summarized in the design sketchsmall bridges will create a natural not everything always goes to plan, book. Community events, such space that people of all ages will enbut we do like to try to be creative as Fiesta Lynnbrook and Design joy, embodying how green stormand find different ways to engage Over Dinner, offered the commuwater infrastructure can be an intewith the community because our nity opportunities to discuss their gral component of environmentally old ways of having a standard comneeds and aspirations for the space resilient community parks. munity meeting are becoming less in a comfortable, in-person environThe move toward a healthy enand less effective,” says Cook. ment. Community members were vironment is fast approaching for involved in determining themes and the Oak Grove community. Lynndesign elements that are included in Making Progress brook Park’s planning and concepthe park’s creation.

While this project had planned tual designs are finished, and the For Golson and his team, their to move forward with existing reconstruction documents are nearly participation didn’t end with the sources, NRPA’s involvement has complete with a plan to open the park design. Involvement with the made it possible to deliver a more park in spring 2022. complete vision of the park to the community continues today and Projects like Lynnbrook Park community. The park is scheduled will be integral in the future as pubwouldn’t be possible without our to have traditional park elements, lic art is chosen for the site. The rePBC donors. For more information sult of the process is a design that is such as a playground and an open about the PBC project and how intentional and not only meets the lawn area, and more communityyou can be involved, contact Nury needs of the community, but also is specific elements, including a paMárquez, NRPA’s senior director driven by the community. vilion for group gatherings and of development, at nmarquez@ For Cook, as a park planner, this an adult gaming area. The oncenrpa.org. project and relationship with loderelict drainage will be converted cal residents and business owners to an ecologically restored stream Paula M. Jacoby-Garrett is a freelance writer based in Las Vegas, Nevada. could be a blueprint for other projwith plantings along the banks that

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OPERATIONS Essential Operations for an Essential Summer

By Kelley Freridge

A

t the American Camp Association (ACA), we think about health, safety, risk management and quality in the camp setting every day. ACA has released its CampCounts 2020 Report, a study that focuses on the policies, practices and procedures of camp operations for managing and mitigating spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Park and recreation professionals and camp staff are reviewing and updating their plans daily as summer approaches.

PHOTO COURTESY OF AMERICAN CAMP ASSOCIATION

We’re fortunate that we learned a great deal from last summer and the more than 3,000 day and overnight camp programs that served communities — often functioning as essential care for frontline workers and families in need of childcare. Since March 2020, ACA has focused on how we think about health, safety, risk management and quality. Our Field Guide for Camps covers implementing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance in the camp setting and is available

50 Parks & Recreation

for free to all individuals serving youth in any way at bit.ly/Camp FieldGuide.

We encourage you to take some time to download the field guide and consider how the recommendations outlined in the resource might be implemented in your program and facilities, and with your staff. ACA’s Field Guide for Camps was developed with information from publicly available sources, including public and private entities, non-governmental organizations and professional as-

Camps that have implemented strict, layered mitigation strategies have been able to safely operate in person while mitigating spread of COVID-19.

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sociations, as well as subject matter experts in each area covered by the field guide.

CDC guidance provides the foundation of every applicable area of the field guide and sets the guiding principle for camp operations: the more people a camper or staff member interacts with, and the longer that interaction is, the higher the risk of COVID-19 spread.

This concept informs all areas of the field guide, but also informs the nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) that are core to operating in-person programming this summer. We now know that camps that have implemented strict, layered mitigation strategies — including wearing masks, cohorting, physical distancing, pre-screening, cleaning, maintaining healthy facilities, proper handwashing, running programming outdoors as often as possible and leveraging ventilation strategies when indoors — have been able to safely operate in person while mitigating spread of COVID-19.

If you’re interested in exploring more of ACA’s findings from summer 2020, we encourage you to download the CampCounts 2020 Report, which can be found at bit. ly/CampCounts2021. The report highlights how NPIs were used in both day and overnight camp settings — and tested at select programs.

Kelley Freridge is Chief Marketing Officer for the American Camp Association (kfreridge@acacamps.org).

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(ISSN 0031-2215) is published monthly by the National Recreation and Park Association, 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148, a service organization supported by membership dues and voluntary contributions.

Copyright ©2021 by the National Recreation and Park Association. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the writers and not necessarily those of NRPA. Issued to members at the annual subscription price of $30, included in dues. Subscription: $46 a year in the U.S.; $56 elsewhere. Single copy price: $7. Library rate: $58 a year in the U.S.; $68 elsewhere. Periodical postage paid at Ashburn, Virginia, and at additional mailing offices. Editorial and advertising offices at 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148. 703.858.0784. Postmaster, send address changes to Parks & Recreation, 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148.

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Park Bench

Mount Airy (North Carolina) Parks and Recreation is excited to be one of five NRPA Youth Mentorship Program grantees. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has created unique programming challenges and opportunities for our mentorship program. In January 2021, after months of not being able to offer most programs, the Mount Airy Parks and Recreation motto became “How can we offer this program and offer it safely?” Following the lead of other NRPA Youth Mentorship grantees, Youth Mentorship Coordinator Jaimi Scott and Family Services Supervisor Kim Wilson took on the task of creating and implementing virtual group mentoring activities. Before each activity, a Zoom meeting was created and kits with any supplies that were needed were delivered to the homes of participants. The first virtual activity consisted of making pony bead bracelets. Scott and Wilson had mentors, mentees, siblings, parents and even one grandmother laughing, engaging and making bracelets. Since this inaugural virtual activity, program staff have led an activity every two weeks. These virtual activities have included facemask decorating, a Valentine’s Day craft and game night, as well as a virtual fort night where everyone created forts out of blankets and mats. This past February, mentees celebrated Black History Month by coming up with 10 facts about a famous historical or influential Black leader and presenting their findings during a Zoom meeting. Although they were nervous, they did an amazing job honoring their assigned person. A similar virtual event was held for Women’s History Month, whereby each mentee got to pick an influential female in history or one who had personally impacted their life.

As COVID-19 restrictions are being eased by North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, face-to-face mentoring is now occurring along with virtual activities. Schools have allowed mentors back in person to have lunch with their mentees, and matches have been able to meet at the local community center for physically distanced activities, such as tie dying shirts, playing pingpong or basketball, taking swim lessons and homework tutoring in our computer lab.

The agency’s most successful group mentoring activity has been “egging” the yards of our mentees and their siblings for Easter. Program staff and mentors, when possible, went to the home of each mentee and hid Easter eggs for all the children in the household. Easter baskets were then placed on the porch for the children to hunt eggs with. More than 1,000 eggs were hidden in mentees’ yards during the week preceding Easter. Each individual egg contained candy and an anti-drug or anti-bullying slogan. More than 30 different slogans were used, including: “Be all you can be, go drug free” and “Stop bullying now, take a stand, lend a hand.”

The staff are excited for the future of the youth mentorship program and will continue to program it meaningfully and creatively. On behalf of the children served in this program, Mount Airy Parks and Recreation thanks NRPA for this grant opportunity and the difference that it has made in the community.

— Cathy Cloukey, Assistant Director for Mount Airy Parks and Recreation

PHOTO COURTESY OF KIM WILSON

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JAIMI SCOTT

Virtual Mentorship Program Yields Great Rewards

Mount Airy Parks and Recreation hosts virtual and inperson group mentoring activities, such as Easter egg hunts and Black History Month Zoom presentations.

56 Parks & Recreation

| J U N E 2 02 1 | PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N .O R G

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PARKS & RECREATION JUNE 2021 ◆ THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS ISSUE ◆ A CIRCLE OF SOLACE ◆ TYLER NORRIS WALKS THE TALK ◆ PBC: A PRESCRIPTION FOR HEALTHLY LIVING