Opening Day Orioles Raffle
MRPA is conducting a raffle for the Orioles vs. Twins Opening Day on April 6, 2012. Winner receives 4 tickets & $50 spending money. Drawing will be held at the MRPA Bull & Oyster Roast on March 24th. Winner need not be present to win. Tickets are $1.00 each or 7 tickets for $5.00. For information and/or tickets contact Phil Bryan at 410-313-1668 or pbryan@howardcountymd.gov

MRPA FALL GMM HANDOUTS
New Environmental Literacy Requirements AND Parks & Recreation
* Environment Literacy - Gary Hedges Presentation
* Children in Nature Presentation
* Breakout Session Notes

IT'S DUES RENEWAL TIME!
A letter from MRPA's Executive Director, Tom Donlin
Cha,cha,cha,changes……..David Bowie sang to us in the late ‘70’s (trust me youngsters, he did) about all the changes he was experiencing at the time. Change is certainly the theme of our times today. The Maryland Recreation and Parks Association has undergone some changes in the past several months with a change in location, a change in leadership and a whole different set of challenges. There are numerous changes in the world today as well, from global events such as the Arab Spring, the fall of the Gadhafi regime and of course, the economic climate that changes daily. I’ll bet you’ve seen significant changes in your lives as well, not the least of which are the changes occurring in our workplace.

As I write this we’re enjoying one of the first absolutely wonderful fall days in Maryland. The weather has changed from the wild swings we saw this summer. Heat waves, tropical storms, high winds to go along with our typical humidity. And then, to top it all off Mother Nature tested us with an earthquake. Let’s hope the weather has settled down and gets a bit more predictable.

While we have very little control over the weather, and little we can do as individuals regarding the world political structure, there are some changes we can influence as we move forward.

RELEVANCE
Our profession, and local governments, businesses and non-profits are not likely to ever go back to the ‘good-old-days’. It’s a fact. No sense in grieving the loss, or trying to live in the past. It’s gone. Tomorrow is a new day. In order to thrive in the new economy and the new world order it is necessary to become and stay ‘relevant’.

Your association has recognized this and is reaching out beyond its’ traditional interests and concerns by forming partnerships with others who are dealing with the hot topics of the day. What are those topics? First: health and wellness, specifically obesity, and even more specific than that, childhood obesity. I won’t cite the statistics here but this problem has become well documented. A second issue is the growing knowledge that the current generation of children does not have experience or knowledge of the natural world around them. In fact, I believe the problem began a generation earlier and the kids of today do not have parents with these outdoor experiences to pass along. Obesity and the lack of outdoor experience are VERY closely linked.

So how does the association become relevant in the current issues? By joining with others interested and working on solutions to these concerns. We’ve become ‘players’ with the Maryland No Child Left Inside Coalition, the Maryland Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Maryland Out of School Time Network, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene., the Partners for Open Space, the Maryland Planners Association, and our continuing close working relationship with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the Maryland Association of Counties and the Maryland Municipal League. We’ve gotten out of our ‘silo’ of considering strictly recreation and parks matters and have expanded our sphere of influence.

INDIVIDUAL RELEVANCE
So what does this mean to me? Well, individuals need to keep up with the times and be ‘players’ as well. How can I do this? The first and perhaps most important step is to renew your membership!

By the time you read this, you will have received your membership renewal notice. But wait, Tom you say, one of the changes impacting me is that my agency no longer pays for my membership. I believe the response to this is that you now have the opportunity to prove to yourself and to others, that you are in fact a professional! What value do you put on your profession? Is it greater that a can of Coke? A professional membership costs $75. That works out to less than $1.45 per week. That’s one can of coke (or Diet Coke) per week. The point is, it’s a small investment that can open doors to becoming and staying relevant in the changing world of recreation and parks.

Your membership provides access to: Networking – building a cadre of associates and being able to share creative solutions to common problems, Development and Training – for example, we just held a very successful workshop on partnering with school systems to be ‘players’ in the new Environmental Literacy requirement for public schools, and Advocacy – the Association works on both the State and Federal level to protect traditional recreation and parks interests as well as to position our profession in the emerging world order.

So please don’t hunker down in these challenging times! Get out of your individual silo; reach out. Be a ‘player’! Stay current and relevant!

The theme for our 2012 Annual Conference is “Survive and Thrive”. Make that your personal theme as well.

Now, let’s have some fun!

Membership renewal forms are available here.

ADVERTISE IN MRPA'S 2012 MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY & BUYER'S GUIDE
Rates start at just $50!
Download a copy of MRPA's advertising agreement.
For additonal information, contact Matt Purkins.

TR TRIBUNE
Fall 2011 Edition of TR Branch Newsletter.

NRPA MID-ATLANTIC REGION NETWORK
More information on how to join NRPA's Mid-Atlantic Region Network. . .

MRPA SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM
More information. . .

EXCESS OR SURPLUS PARK AND RECREATION EQUIPMENT

At our most recent MRPA Board meeting, a new member benefit was approved. We are pleased to announce that we will be providing an opportunity for you to post at no charge, excess or surplus park and recreation equipment on the MRPA web site that could be used by other park and recreation agencies in Maryland. Such postings would be listed for a one month period and should include the following brief information:

1. What is available and what condition it is in
2. When it would be available
3. Who the local contact person is and their contact information

Items must be offered free of charge. To post an item, please send an email to adrienne@mrpanet.org listed the above-stated information.

FIRST RESPONSE TO ACCESS
The Therapeutic Recreation Branch of MRPA is pleased to present the resource guide, 1st Response to Access. To download a copy of the Guide or for additional information, go to the MRPA website TR page. 1st Response to Access provides a valuable resource to those who may benefit from the advice of a professional colleague to help them do their job a little better as it pertains to citizens with disabilities.

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