The first in an introductory series: vision
As our name intentionally proclaims, the People, Parks & Community Foundation primarily benefits people. By investing in our human, natural, and cultural assets, we help produce a stable, prosperous, and equitable society—and enhance the quality of life for all.
This short article casts our vision to foster vibrant, sustainable, and livable communities through targeted grant programs, and helps answer two questions you may consider before supporting the Foundation’s vision: 1. How does investing in our public lands meet that vision? 2. How can we together make a difference in the livability of our communities?
Why parks and rec?
Far beyond providing mere leisure services, a comprehensive park and rec system vigorously builds the community, contributing to our individual wellness and public health, our environmental sustainability, and our social equity.
Its facilities and programs stimulate the local economy, enhance real estate values, attract and retain business, improve community infrastructure, build resilience, and reduce crime. Its enrichments expand community engagement, develop people, and contribute directly to our quality of life: all because they constructively address broad-based personal and community issues. For an expansive list of how this industry touches everything that’s important in our modern society, see Recreation and Parks’ Internet of Things.
This is what we mean by livability—the sum of everything that contributes to a healthy and attractive community. And that is the niche that parks and rec fills better than any other public community service.
For example, such collaborative recreational, educational, community, and capacity development programs can:
- Foster a sense of belonging and increase community safety
- Assist social services in preventative treatment for risky behaviors
- Disseminate nutrition education and distribute meals
- Enable first responders in emergencies and provide safe places to rendezvous
- Facilitate access to nature, and to clean air and water
- Develop multimodal connections to destinations of interest and commerce
- Build cross-cultural respect and interaction
- Boost student achievement and engagement
- Attract and grow public-private partnerships
And many more. The care and use of our public parks and greenspaces is uniquely able to leverage resources and expertise from across professional disciplines and political boundaries to protect, support, and enhance lifestyles.
Building people over programs
The importance and value of such collaborative programs extends far beyond mere “fun and games”— and an all-too-common dismissal by elected decision-makers as only “nice to have,” rather than “need to have.” A high quality public parks, trails, and recreation system gives much more than it takes. But it is not always documented, understood, or appreciated.
We support agencies and projects that strategically meet measureable people and community development outcomes, whose vision is not impaired by superficial operational appearances. For example:
- Is it just a walk in the park—or is it physical exercise, stress relief, and mental rejuvenation?
- Is it merely a painting class—or is it stretching skills and enriching relationships?
- Is soccer practice just about scoring a trophy—or is it developing fine motor skills, building teamwork, modeling good sportsmanship, and growing cooperative social interactions among diverse teens, teams, and talents?
- Is it merely an object of public art—or is it celebrating a cultural heritage, invigorating a downtown district, connecting destinations, and attracting visitors, tourists, and new businesses?
- Is it just an evening activity—or is it character development, anti-ganging intervention, and preventative treatment for abusive and addictive behaviors?
Here’s the sharp-eyed focus: the People, Parks & Community Foundation invests in building people—not just running programs. We support collaborative solutions to specific community problems that meet people’s needs.
And we measure what truly matters.
Beyond number of attendees, return-on-investments, and social media stats, we envision the documentation of personal and social good in our grantees’ community value statements. Let us together be able to point to specific cases of cleaner resources, less waste, crises averted, problems solved, and healthier lifestyles. Let us together demonstrate how such investments enrich our neighbors’ lives, improves the livability of our cities, and ensures a more equitable future.
An invitation
Only in its documented outcomes can we know if our far-sighted vision is realized. Can you see what we see? If so—and you have an interest in contributing toward community solutions on a local level—we invite you to help grow the Foundation’s capacity to improve our public lands, programs, and facilities that create positive differences in people’s lives. We ask you to consider giving a monthly or one-time tax-deductible gift to the Foundation, with our great gratitude!
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