July is National Parks and Recreation Month

As part of a nation-wide celebration, Polk County Board of County Commissioners signed a Proclamation extolling the endless benefits of parks and recreation at its regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday.  Marian Ryan, president of Friends of the Parks Foundation and Bob Wiedrich, chair of the Polk Leisure Services Association (PLSA) and also a Foundation board member, accepted the proclamation on behalf of both organizations that are actively engaged in the promotion and support of parks year round.  Commissioner Sam Johnson (right) presented the Proclamation and thanked both groups along with hundreds of volunteers who help the Board and Polk County to improve its parks.

The lives of almost everyone, from the very young to senior residents, are enhanced by public parks and recreation departments within Polk County and across our nation.  Where else can you improve your health without going to a doctor?  Do you know that citizens who have access to parks, who visit frequently, and who engage in physically-active park behaviors also make fewer visits to the doctor?  Are you aware that adolescents who participate in extra-curricular activities, such as youth leagues, in our parks are more likely to avoid “at risk” behaviors?  Have you ever considered the economic impact that visitors to parks, tournaments, and special events bring to our community?

Marian Ryan will tell you it all starts in parks.  A long-time proponent and advocate for parks, Ryan and a group of dedicated and concerned citizens were instrumental in educating the public about the need to purchase and preserve environmentally-sensitive lands that resulted in passage of the Environmental Lands Referendum in 1994.  Ten years later as president of the Friends of the Parks Foundation, Ryan organized another successful campaign for parks dedicated funding in 2004.  Results of the straw ballot coupled with citizen support and endorsement by the PLSA, convinced County Commissioners to implement the MSTU (Municipal Services Taxing Unit) for parks, recreational facilities and trails the following year.

The Polk Leisure Services Association was formed in 1997 and is comprised of parks and recreational professionals who meet monthly to explore partnership opportunities designed to reduce the duplication of services and tax dollar expenditures among cities within the County and the County itself.  While some members of PLSA are also members of the Foundation, Friends of the Parks is a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose paid membership includes individuals, organizations and private industry as well as parks professionals.  The mission is simple: support and promote Polk County’s parks to assure future generations have fun and safe places to play.

BE A FRIEND to Polk County’s parks, trails, environmental lands and waterways – join today.  Annual membership for individuals is just $25; $40 for the entire family.  Our parks and lakes need YOU!  Complete details at www.friendsoftheparks.net