Top 5 Reasons to Attend Conference 2020

 

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Funding Options in Parks Forum

Washington Park & Recreation Leaders Collaborate

  

In advance of the 2020 Legislative day in Olympia, WA WRPA and NW Playground hosted its first Funding Options in Parks Forum at the DoubleTree Hotel. This well- attended, half-day event included presentations with the intent on having a conversation regarding funding options for park districts, cities, and counties and sharing with one another the various types of funding each agency is currently utilizing.

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2020 "Pottsie" Leadership Development Scholarship Now Accepting Nominations

AIPE/AMERICAN ACADEMY FOUNDATION
2020 John C. Potts Leadership Development Scholarship

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2020 "Pottsie" Leadership Development Scholarship, which honors the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration's former Executive Director, John C. Potts.

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Legislative Day 2020 Update

Good Morning, Everyone!

Here is my usual Weekly Report and Weekly list of hearings – I’d note that on the Weekly Hearings list, with fiscal committees coming down the homestretch and public hearings reducing in numbers, all my recommendations for today (2/10) and tomorrow (2/11) are “MONITOR.”

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WRPA Mentorship Program

Mentorship Program - NEW!

The WPRA Student Connections Committee is dedicated to providing engaging professional development opportunities for students and young professionals who are looking to further gain insight into the exciting field of parks and recreation. One way we achieve this is through our mentoring program.

This program pairs distinguished professionals (our mentors) with a student or young professionals (our mentees) who can benefit from have a networking relationship with a current professional in the industry. If you’re interested in participating in this unique mentoring program for the 2020 campaign please fill out the simple form below no later than Feb 15th, 2020.

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Q&A with WRPA State Lobbyist Doug Levy

Learn About Doug Levy & Legislative Day

What are your primary functions as the State Lobbyist for the WRPA?

As WRPA’s state lobbyist, I’m responsible for helping to develop the annual Legislative Agenda, promoting priority issues for WRPA, and protecting WRPA’s interests to head off any legislation or budget initiatives that are adverse to us. I’m also responsible for ongoing communications with WRPA Member agencies, for keeping local parks officials informed and aware of happenings in Olympia, and hopefully for enhancing agencies’ knowledge of how to move the needle forward for local parks and recreation overall.

What is Legislative Day?

The annual Great Outdoors Day/Legislative Day is a day in Olympia and on “the Hill” where both WRPA and our co-sponsors, the Washington Wildlife & Recreation Coalition (WWRC), can bring a concentration of Members to Olympia to speak with a unified and loud voice about our priorities and about the importance of outdoor recreation and the outdoors when it comes to quality of life, public health, economic development, and environmental stewardship.

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WRPA Agency Member Highlight

City of Spokane Aquatics Gains Best of Aquatics Honor

Image from Aquatics International

Read the Article from Aquatics International

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2020 WRPA/WWRC Legislative Day

Join the Washington Wildlife & Recreation Coalition and the Washington Recreation & Park Association at our annual Parks and Great Outdoors Legislative Day in Olympia!
Help us advocate for our state's premier outdoors fund, the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP), and tell your legislators why Washington's parks, wildlife habitat areas, and working lands deserve to be funded. Never met with a legislator before? Don't worry; we will make sure you have everything you need. 
Register Today!

WRPA Fitness/Athletic Networking Retreat a Huge Success

Two Fantastic Days of Discussion!

The WRPA Fitness/Athletic Networking Network gathered in Leavenworth, WA for a two-day retreat on November 14–15, 2019. They discussed various hot topics, pain points, and the latest trends in municipal fitness and athletics. There were 21 park professionals present and everyone had a great time learning and networking together. Chelan County PUD graciously provided the meeting location at no charge, just a couple blocks away from downtown Leavenworth. It was a wonderful time to be in Leavenworth, as the Christmas lights were up, but it was not crowded.

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2020 Youth Sports Grants: Supporting Fit & Healthy Communities

King County Parks’ Youth Sports Grants

King County Parks’ Youth Sports Grants support fit and healthy communities by investing in programs and facilities that reduce barriers for youth in King County to access physical activity.

Why King County Gives Grants

Physical activity is critical to youth development – intellectually, emotionally, physically, and socially. Youth in King County do not get enough exercise. They face many barriers to playing on teams, joining programs, or participating in outdoor recreation, including lack of transportation and financial constraints. And race and place only deepen these disparities, widening the gap between these youth and their more affluent peers. Through its youth sports grants program, King County Parks is striving to reduce barriers and close this gap in communities across King County.

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WRPA Award Nominations Have Been Extended

   

WRPA Award Nominations Are Underway

WRPA wants to honor Washington's exceptional people, parks, and programs. We know that you work hard as a park and recreation professional to enhance the lives of the people in your community. We want to celebrate that hard work!

The WRPA Awards Program honors individuals and organizations for their contributions to the field of recreation and parks. We have a variety of awards to help you gain recognition and this year we have made the nominations process much easier. 

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Should there be grant limits for WWRP Trails?

Have you expressed an interest or submitted an application for the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program? The Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) is seeking your input on the possibility of establishing a maximum amount of funding that can be applied for in any one grant in the WWRP Trails Category. Currently, there are no grant limits.

If you could please take 5 minutes to participate in a survey no later than December 10, 2019, we would be most appreciative. We will share the results with the Recreation and Conservation Funding Board to help them make an informed decision about this issue.

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WRPA Announces Partnership with National Center for Safety Initiatives

WRPA Announces Partnership with National Center for Safety Initiatives to Strengthen Background Check Process for Staff and Volunteers

Seattle, WA  / December 3, 2019 - Washington Recreation and Park Association announced today that it has formed a partnership with the National Center for Safety Initiatives (NCSI), a leader in youth-centered safety solutions to offer background checks as part of NCSI’s Affinity Program.

NCSI will serve as the official provider of background checks for the Washington Recreation and Park Association. A SportsEngine, Inc. company, NCSI provides the “Gold Standard” in background screening, serving youth sports organizations, national governing bodies and over 3,000 city and county recreation departments across the country. NCSI is accredited by the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) and is the only background check provider endorsed by the National Council of Youth Sports.

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Volunteers Wanted: Help Rank Investments in Washington’s Outdoors

Do you want to have a hand in improving and protecting Washington's outdoors?

The Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) is looking for 50 volunteers to serve on its advisory committees, which help determine what new projects will happen around the state. The advisory committees evaluate grant proposals for parks, boating amenities, working farms and forests, and habitat conservation statewide. There’s a committee for just about any outdoor activity you’re passionate about.


Make a Difference for the Outdoors

Created in 1964, the Recreation and Conservation Office provides statewide leadership and funding to protect and improve the best of Washington’s natural and outdoor recreation resources. Volunteering with the RCO, you would join 200 other folks serving on 17 different committees to evaluate about 650 grant applications every 2 years.

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NRPA: Instructor Training Grants for Physical Activity Programs

The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), with the support of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is now accepting applications for Instructor Training Grants for Physical Activity Programs.

This grant allows local park and recreation agencies and their partners to train staff to implement theevidence-based physical activity programs- Walk With Ease, Active Living Every Day and Fit & Strong! A total of 130 Instructor Training Grants will be awarded.

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2020 Legislative Priorities

WRPA Announces 2020 Legislative Priorities! 

WRPA is excited to announce the 2020 Legislative priorities. Some of the initiatives include:

  • Strongly Support $50,000 Allocation to Update Outdoor Recreation Sector Economic Analysis
  • Protect Funding for Dedicated Accounts within the Capital Budget
  • Efforts to Address Mental Health, Homelessness, Affordable Housing
  • And much more!
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WRPA Award Nominations Are Now Open

Learn more about the awards program and congratulate past winners!

      

WRPA wants to honor Washington's exceptional people, parks, and programs. We know that you work hard as a park and recreation professional to enhance the lives of the people in your community. We want to celebrate that hard work!

The WRPA Awards Program honors individuals and organizations for their contributions to the field of recreation and parks. We have a variety of awards to help you gain recognition and this year we have made the nominations process much easier. 

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RESPONSE NEEDED: 2020 Legislative Day

TO:  WRPA Membership

FROM: Justin Brown, Longview/Travis Stombaugh, Si View Parks District – 2020 LEG Day Planning Leads

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Congratulations City of Shoreline

 

Shoreline Earns CAPRA Accreditation

The City of Shoreline is celebrating becoming just the third city in Washington State to earn national accreditation through the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). This esteemed accomplishment places Shoreline in the good company of Tacoma and Bellevue as they join the top 1% of Parks and Recreation agencies across the country.

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Congratulations Metro Parks Tacoma

Metro Parks Tacoma has won the prestigious 2019 National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management, the top achievement in the industry.

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