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Media Contacts:
Cheryl Sadowski
National Recreation and Park Association
703-858-2142
NRPA’s Gulf Coast Rebuild Initiative Results in Community Restoration
Donations help seven agencies to rebuild park and recreation
facilities damaged by Hurricane Katrina
Ashburn, Va. – Oct. 10 – Seven park and recreation agencies along the Gulf Coast have either rebuilt or restored their facilities using donations from the National Recreation and Park Association’s Gulf Coast Rebuild Initiative.
Petal Recreation Department, Pascagoula Parks and Recreation, Moss Point Parks and Recreation, the City of Bay St. Louis, Long Beach Youth Baseball League, and the City of Biloxi (all of Miss.), and the City of Slidell, La., benefited from donations made by NRPA members to the association’s hurricane relief fund. Rebuild projects included four ball fields, one tennis court, one gymnasium, and one playground.
An additional 11 agencies received $2,400 in arts and crafts materials from S&S World Wide, which was solicited by NRPA to match remaining funds for use in fall 2006 programming.
In addition to individual donations from members, several organizations donated more than $10,000 in cash or in-kind services, including Sports Illustrated, Community Season, GameTime, and Oak Lawn Park District, Ill.
NRPA’s Gulf Coast Rebuild Initiative channeled a total of $87,000 in funds to park and recreation agencies through $10,000 grants, and through an online Gift Catalogue that enabled members to apply their donations against specific agency requests for recreation equipment and facility maintenance.
“Parks and recreation unifies communities in good times and in bad,” said John Thorner, executive director for NRPA. “Our members wanted to make a difference, and our Gulf Coast Rebuild Initiative was one way they could help their colleagues to help others.”
Robert Paul, director of parks and recreation for the City of Long Beach, Miss., said, “Grant money from NRPA’s relief effort has allowed Long Beach to restore a sense of normalcy to the youth of this great community.”
For more information on the NRPA’s Gulf Coast Rebuild initiative, visit www.nrpa.org.
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The National Recreation and Park Association is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing park, recreation and conservation efforts that enhance quality of life for all people. Through its network of some 19,000 recreation and park professionals and citizens, NRPA encourages the promotion of healthy lifestyles, recreation initiatives, and conservation of natural and cultural resources.
Headquartered in Ashburn, Va., NRPA works closely with local, state, and national recreation and park agencies, citizen groups and corporations to carry out its objectives. Priorities include advocating favorable legislation and public policy; continuing education for park and recreation professionals and citizens; providing professional certification, university accreditation, research and technical assistance; and increasing public awareness of the importance of parks and recreation.