Park and Recreation Professionals Day is Friday, July 19, 2024!

As part of Park and Recreation Month, we are celebrating Park and Recreation Professionals Day on Friday, July 19. This is a day to celebrate all the dedicated professionals who build strong, vibrant and resilient communities through the power of parks and recreation.

On Friday, July 19, we encourage all park and recreation agencies to host an event celebrating their staff. Be sure to share how you're celebrating with us on social media by tagging NRPA and using #NRPAParkandRecDay and #WhereYouBelong!

Promote the celebration in your own community and create a tribute to those who selflessly deliver high-quality experiences and opportunities and keep our parks clean, safe, welcoming, inclusive and ready to use.

Park and Recreation Professionals Day originally began with the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society (PRPS) as a statewide celebration in 2019, and we're taking it nationwide again this year! You can read the full concept of Pennsylvania’s Park and Recreation Professionals Day here, as well as listen to this 2020 episode of Open Space Radio to hear Tim Herd, CEO of PRPS discuss the idea behind the day and how you can join the celebration:

 

Park and Recreation Professionals Day Proclamation

Proclaiming the third Friday in July (July 19, 2024) as Park and Recreation Professionals Day is an opportunity for your community and local leadership to acknowledge the importance of park and recreation professionals and the benefits they provide to your community. Having July 19 proclaimed as Park and Recreation Professionals Day is also a great way to create community and media awareness for the essential services your staff provides.

Every locality has its own policies on how to get a proclamation commemorating something (or someone) approved. Below is an outline of the usual process and tips on how to get July 19 declared Park and Recreation Professionals Day in your community:

1. Determine who has the authority to make the proclamation

  • Usually, this is a local elected official: mayor, city council, board of supervisors, parks and recreation commission, school board, etc. You may also want to ask around to see if there is an existing process for proclamations.

2. Determine who should ask for the proclamation

  • The strongest case for having July declared as Park and Recreation Month in your local community would come from a voter (a member of the general public) rather than an elected official.

3. Create the proclamation

  • Start with the template proclamation and include as much local information as possible. Make the case for the important role park and recreation professionals play in your community. Feel free to customize this based on your needs.

4. Start now!

  • Timing is often the biggest issue. Your mayor or council may have designated dates and times per month when they consider proclamations and if you miss the deadline, you miss the opportunity.

 

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