Mark Your Calendar!
2009 ARPA Annual Conference & Energize Workshop
October 29-31,
2009
The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
Visit the Conference website for more
information! |
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 Provincial Communities in Bloom edition wraps up adjudication today
The 2009 provincial edition of Communities in Bloom is almost complete with the final community to be judged today, August 12th. Altogether there are forty-four communities participating in the provincial Communities in Bloom Alberta program - once again the highest total in all of Canada. A total of twenty-one communities are taking part in the 2009 national edition, for a total of sixty-five Alberta communities participating in either edition of the program.
Communities in Bloom is a Canadian non-profit organization committed to fostering civic pride, environmental responsibility and beautification through community involvement and the challenge of a nation-wide program. Celebrating its 15th edition in 2009, the Communities in Bloom program is dedicated to promoting the value of plants, trees and green spaces in urban settings, and encourages Canadian communities of all sizes to improve quality of life through community engagement and sustainable development. ARPA has been the provincial administrator of the Alberta edition of the program since 2006.
The 2009 Provincial Communities in Bloom Awards will take place in Strathmore on September 19th. For more information on the program and to view profiles and pictures from the 2009 Communities in Bloom Alberta communities, please visit www.cib.arpaonline.ca.
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 Deadline approaching to submit nominations for the Recreation Industry Awards of Excellence
The The deadline to submit nominations for the inaugural Recreation Industry Awards of Excellence is fast approaching! Don't miss out on this opportunity to recognize an outstanding individual or working group who has gone above and beyond in promoting parks and recreation, and their resulting quality of life enhancements in Alberta. Download the nomination form and be sure to submit the complete nomination package no later than Friday, August 28th.
The Awards will recognize and celebrate individuals and working groups within Alberta's corporate/business sector for their creativity, innovation, excellence, and overall contribution in designing, building, and providing services to support recreation, parks, and wellness in our province and its communities.
The Recreation Industry Awards of Excellence initiative is intended to be a fund development event, and therefore will require corporate sponsorship, donors, and the support of attendee registration sales to help ensure its success.
Please visit www.Awards.RecreationforLife.org to view the brochure, nominations form, adjudication criteria, and sponsorship opportunities.
For more information on the Recreation Industry Awards of Excellence, please contact Kathleen Badry at 780-422-8103 or kbadry@recreationforlife.org.
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 Strathcona County donates over $100,000 to Everybody gets to play™ at RFLF golf tournament
The Recreation for Life Foundation Board of Directors would like to extend a gracious thank you to Strathcona County and to Russ Pawlyk for orchestrating a very generous donation to the Alberta Recreation and Parks Association program Everybody gets to play™.
The donation was presented at the recent RFLF golf tournament, and included $100,000 from Strathcona County's "2007 Western Canada Summer Games" surplus, and $4,911.45 from the 2009 Strathcona County Mayor's Walk/Run. The outstanding contribution totals $104,911.45 - an amount that will greatly assist the Everybody gets to play™ program to ensure that low-income children can and will take part in sport and recreation by breaking down barriers to participation and increasing access to recreation opportunities.
RFLF is very pleased to have received this donation as it will significantly contribute to the sustainability of the Everybody gets to play™ program. Strathcona County's support and contribution towards the growth and advancement of children's play/recreation initiatives is, to say the least, outstanding.
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2009 ARPA Conference and Energize Workshop conference brochure and online registration now available
The 2009 ARPA Conference & Energize Workshop brochure, website, and registration are now up and ready. Please visit www.2009.arpaonline.ca to download the brochure and register online. A link to book accomodation with the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise can also be found on the website, along with information on program sessions and a list of sponsors who are supporting this year's Conference. A hard copy of the brochure will be mailed out to all ARPA members in two weeks time.
New Online Registration System for Conference
ARPA is excited to introduce a new online registration system provided by the third party registration provider RegOnline. This system will provide greater stability and will allow participants to enter and update registration info, as well as access receipts. Credit card payments will be processed through RegOnline's secure server, and receipts will be available immediately after the registration process is complete. Please visit the following link to register online for the conference today:
http://www.regonline.ca/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=719370
Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Room Reservations
For reservations please call the Fairmont at (403) 522-3511 or Toll-Free 1-800-441-1414. Please be sure to mention that you are with the ARPA Conference. You can also use a new online web reservation system customized specifically for the ARPA Conference by clicking through the following link:
https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new&eventID=495278
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| ARPA obtains funding for Community Sport Development Task Group
Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation and ARPA have agreed to a Memorandum of Agreement for Services for $10,000 that will support ARPA's Community Sport Development Task Group. This Task Group seeks to develop a method to facilitate and implement research and develop options for implementing the Canadian Sport for Life strategy within Alberta municipalities. As a component of their undertaking, the Task Group will be leading a session at ARPA's 2009 conference entitled "Creating Physically Literate Communities in Alberta." This session will provide the opportunity to discuss the role of the community recreation and parks delivery system in promoting physical literacy in children and youth, encouraging them to be physically active through "sport for life."
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| Celebrate art, culture, and their impact on healthy living with Alberta Arts Days
 Alberta Arts Days is a three-day celebration of the province's arts and
culture. From September 18-20th, this initiative will promote and highlight
the importance of arts and culture as part of a prosperous, healthy, and
vibrant Alberta.
There are numerous ways to participate in Alberta Arts Days. Get directly involved by visiting one of the flagship celebration sites, or by planning and submitting an event to the official online calendar. The Alberta Arts Days website contains numerous resources and ideas to help communities and schools get involved in this year's festivities.
For more information, visit the Alberta Arts Days website at www.albertaartsdays.ca, as well as on the celebration's official Facebook Page and Flickr photostream.
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ALCOA releases research on the role of physical activity for older adult cancer survivors
The Alberta Active Living Coalition for Older Adults (ALCOA) has released research outlining the importance of exercise in reducing the functional ability declines in older adults associated with cancer and its treatment. Preliminary research suggests that physical activity may be important for reducing the risk of recurrence and extending the survival for some cancer survivors. The research continues to suggest that physical activity during or after completion of treatment is safe and contributes to survivor quality of life.
Certain precautions must be taken into consideration when developing an exercise program including severe anemia, compromised immune function, severe fatigue, and significant neuropathy. ALCOA's research advocates recreation practitioners taking a holistic approach in developing exercise regimes for older cancer survivors by communicating with other members of their health care team.
Both a short backgrounder paper and a full-length practitioner's report are available on the ALCOA website at www.alcoa.ca/e/cancer_project/index.htm. For more information on this research, please contact ALCOA directly at alcoa@ca.inter.net. |
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