Ashburn, Virginia, June 01, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) today announced the winners of the national Meet Me at the Park Earth Month campaign, along with the recipients of this year’s Meet Me at the Park play space grants.
Meet Me at the Park has brought the fun of parks and recreation to children and families across the United States since 2014. This program is part of NRPA and Disney’s commitment to provide 1 million kids and families with greater access to play.
“NRPA is proud to collaborate with The Walt Disney Company and their ESPN and ABC Television media networks on these exciting programs,” said Rebecca Wickline, NRPA senior vice president of development. “ESPN and Disney ABC Television group have the power to help us reach hundreds of millions of people and their investment supports our vision that everyone deserves a great park and will bring children and families closer together through the power of parks and play. Congratulations to this year’s grant recipients.”
Throughout Earth Month in April, the public cast their votes and nominations to direct grant funding for park improvement projects that connect kids to nature, inspire healthy living and provide access to sports. The Earth Month celebration highlighted the importance of parks and these park projects as they were promoted on various Disney platforms, including ESPN, ABC Television Network, ABC-owned and affiliate stations, Freeform, Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney Junior, Radio Disney, the ABC app and other digital platforms.
Fifteen park projects were selected by popular vote and each received a $20,000 grant to help make improvements or expand programs. Projects that will receive funding include a traveling learn-to-ride bike trailer, an adaptive hiking program, a trail expansion, sports field furnishings and equipment, and a study-the-stars program. The voting public also nominated a 16th city, Weslaco, Texas, to receive an additional grant.
The 15 projects, as determined by public vote, are:
In addition, as part of the Meet Me at the Park play spaces program, 25 park and recreation agencies and cities nationwide were selected to receive $30,000 grants to support projects that increase access to play spaces in local parks for children and families. The projects selected include inclusive play spaces and trails, a beginner bike course, a ninja-themed nature play area, an outdoor performing space and sport court refurbishments. All the projects focus on inclusive play spaces that increase physical activity and play for children and families.
The 25 grant recipients are:
Over the coming months, NRPA and Disney will work closely with the Earth Month and play space grant recipients, including volunteers from Disney who will participate in various projects. To see these projects come to life, follow the hashtags #MeetMeAtThePark and #DisneyPlaySpaces.
To learn more about Meet Me at the Park, visit www.nrpa.org/disneymeetmeatthepark.
To learn more about NRPA, visit www.nrpa.org.
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About the National Recreation and Park Association
The National Recreation and Park Association is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all Americans have access to parks and recreation for health, conservation and social equity. Through its network of 60,000 recreation and park professionals and advocates, NRPA encourages the promotion of healthy and active lifestyles, conservation initiatives and equitable access to parks and public space. For more information, visit www.nrpa.org. For digital access to NRPA’s flagship publication, Parks & Recreation, visit www.parksandrecreation.org.