The National Parks and Recreation Association designates July as the month National Parks & Recreation Month. Its purpose is to recognize the professionals and volunteers who make our local parks function all year.

The Association has a toolkit to help local governments Rise Up for their parks department workers.

A few things we learned from the toolkit:

• “Local park and recreation agencies are uniquely suited to serve as Community Wellness Hubs, connecting all members of the community to programs and services that advance health equity, improve health outcomes and enhance quality of life.
• In addition to helping connect people to nature, local parks create essential environmental stewards that advocate for and protect our most precious public resources — our land, water, trees, open spaces and wildlife
• According to a study conducted by the Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason University and NRPA, local park and recreation agencies in the U.S. generated more than $166 billion in economic activity and supported more than 1 million jobs from their operations and capital spending alone in 2017.”

The next time you’re enjoying your hometown’s great outdoors, thank a parks & rec worker!

How does your parks and rec department improve quality of life in your hometown?

Did you know, ClerkBase clients often publish smaller department agendas and minutes, like parks & rec? It’s not just Council!