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Dear PRPS Members & Friends,
The PRPS Office has been bustling with activity this month. Conference registrations and exhibit contracts continue to come in and we are only a few weeks away until the annual event at Seven Springs. We appreciate the long-time attendees who make every effort to come back and we look forward to seeing you there!
As you may have read from an Action Alert I sent earlier this month, Governor Corbett released his 2012-13 state budget. Within that budget, DCNR is slated to have the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund permanently cut ($38 Million) from its budget. If you recall, this fund was created through a vote from the General Assembly in 1993. This fund has supported grants across our state and many of you have received them for park rehabilitation, trails, purchasing of open space and planning. Not only will this elimination of funding impact local communities (80% of funding went to local governments) but it will impact the vendors that you have worked with. Our supporters such as Bitting Recreation, YSM, Pashek Associates, LDG, Aquatic Facility Design are set to lose out as well!
We are working hard to educate the legislators on the facts about the Keystone Fund and we ask you to start contacting your local legislators. Let them know you are upset with this recommended budget cut and show them how it will impact your community. Invite them to a location where you obtained Keystone support or where you need the funding! Nothing speaks more volumes than direct contact. We will be asking for your assistance over the next few months to support this effort and we are doing everything we can to stop this raid on the Keystone Fund! For resources related to this issue, go to http://conservationadvocate.org/. We need to save Keystone!
If you have been calling the office for training related questions or in regards to the conference exhibits, you may have come across a new person. We recently hired Erin Regenfuss as our Marketing & Training Coordinator. In addition to training, Erin will be overseeing our marketing efforts and creating a marketing plan for the society. She comes from working in both university club sports and parks and recreation. You can read more about her in our Staff Spotlight. Please help us in welcoming Erin!
Finally, a few months back I mentioned that my family and I started a small hobby of raising chickens. Our chickens are full grown now and just recently started laying eggs! They are on the small size but still tasty! My children seem to think that we are going to have chicks from those eggs and treat them quite gingerly. It's an amazing experience for them and I feel fortunate to be able to share this with them. I hope you have the ability to share something unique with your families as well.
Looking forward to seeing everyone in a few weeks at the conference!
Sincerely,
Kim
Kim Woodward
Executive Director |
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| PRPS Annual Conference | |  submitted by Karen Hammond, Conference Publicity
Socially speaking, this Annual PRPS Conference will be one of the best ever! Did you know:
- There will be ZAMBELLI Fireworks on Monday Night
- The social from 8:30pm - 1:00am on Monday night is an ALL DISTRICT SOCIAL
- There is a chance that Joe "Recreation Man" Seltzer will be seen wearing Super Hero Tights!
- As always Seven Springs promises to deliver amazing meals
- The D1 Poker Challenge on Monday from 4:45pm - 6:45pm should exceed last year AND the years before that in many ways? No doubt Dave "The Steel Curtain" Hutner and his team will bring you SUPER good luck!
But wait...there's more!
- Have you been to the Flight 93 Memorial yet? How about the Quecreek Mine Rescue Site? Now is your chance for only $20 for the trip....bargain of the century!
- So then we have the Supreme Beings of Parks and Leisure entertaining us with some of your favorite tunes BEFORE the banquet on Tuesday night, and then we have The Piano Jammers bringing us Dueling Pianos AFTER the banquet...oh what a night!
- The experience that the exhibit hall provides is priceless! You can talk with exhibitors, give them your business card and possibly win $20 with the "Talk for Twenty" Game! The more exhibitors you talk with the more chances you will have to win. There will be OVER 60 exhibits there!
So what are you waiting for? Fill out that registration form and send it in!
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| Leadership Living | |
Visionary achievement
There are quite a number of ways to summit scenic Pike's Peak in Colorado. You can hike to the 14,110-foot crest on the 13-mile Barr Trail winding upward from Manitou Springs. You can white-knuckle a car along the hairpin curves, long steep drop-offs, and no guard rails of the highway to the rocky top, or ride the Cog Railway up 25 percent slopes in style. You could ascend in a hot air balloon or be lifted via helicopter. You could even parachute down to the pinnacle from an overflying airliner. But there's no avoiding its height: To reach the summit, you must climb, one way or the other.
Summits worth mounting, dreams worth fulfilling, projects worth building, and goals worth reaching are worth investing in the energy, effort, and resources required. Partners must be enlisted, ways and means determined, and obstacles overcome. But there's nowhere to go without a vision.
It seemed a good idea ever since 1534 when the king of Spain dreamed it up: cut a canal through the isthmus of Panama, and save a bundle in transportation. But constructing the route became one of the largest, most difficult, and most costly engineering projects ever.
But it wasn't so much the technical challenges as it was the natural impediments that created most of the hazards: landslides (Gravity: it's not just a good idea-it's the law!), and the bane of the canal, the lowly mosquito-able-bodied carrier of deadly malaria and yellow fever. By the time the 48-mile waterway opened in 1914, an estimated 27,500 workers had died in its construction.
Read more
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| Staff Profile | | |
My name is Erin Regenfuss and I am the new Coordinator of Marketing and Training. In addition to my marketing and training responsibilities, I will be working with Emily Schnellbaugh, editing the content of the publications she designs. If you ever have ideas for trainings you'd like to see, or submissions for the e-publications, please send them to me at eregenfuss@prps.org. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call me at 814-234-4272.
As Kim mentioned in the Executive Director's letter, I have a background in parks and recreation as well as collegiate recreation. I received my in Bachelor's Degree from Central Michigan University, where I majored in Psychology and Parks, Recreation, & Leisure Service Administration. I received my Master's Degrees from Ohio State University in Education Administration and Sport Management. Prior to joining the PRPS Staff, I oversaw operations of the Penn State Club Sports and Adventure Recreation Programs. I have also worked in parks and recreation departments in Lansing, Michigan, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, and Delaware, Ohio. I have done quite a lot of officiating of softball and volleyball officiating, and for the past year have been officiating for Centre Region Parks and Recreation.
I am a long-time member of the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association, and am a Registered Recreational Sports Professional. I have also held membership in the Michigan Parks and Recreation Association.
I am married and have a six year old daughter and four year old son. Because our extended family is spread all over the country, we tent to spend our free time traveling. My favorite destinations are beaches of Lake Michigan and the Atlantic Ocean.
I am very excited to be a part of the PRPS family, and am looking forward to meeting many of you.
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| Building Fund Contributions | |
Mr. James J. Strange
Ms. Diane W. Kripas
Mr. Herbert R. Dolaway
Ms. Lynne M. Pomietlarz
Mrs. Barbara Morgan
Thank you! |
| NRPA Legislative Forum | |
The timing of this year's Legislative Forum will be taking place during a critical funding cycle, as the Surface Transportation Act is scheduled to expire at the end of March 2012 and Congress is currently considering legislation which would reduce overall federal transportation spending and eliminate dedicated funding for active transportation options - including Transportation Enhancements and Recreational Trails Program. This Legislative Forum will provide an opportunity to impress upon Members of Congress the importance of trail funding. Washington won't change without you -
Promotional Video: http://youtu.be/LimdMZ4xTa8
Testimonial Videos:
Patty Dixon - http://youtu.be/ls_33vcyQxs
Amanda Rich - http://youtu.be/HUXyNGAgc20
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2012 Keynote Speaker
The 2012 Legislative Forum Keynote Speaker is Capt. Heidi Blanck, PhD, Chief of Obesity Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Captain Heidi Blanck currently oversees CDC's monitoring of state obesity prevalence and key behavioral and systems supports for obesity prevention and control. She leads initiatives that support changes in healthy eating and physical activity in many settings including parks and recreation spaces. Click here for a full bio on the 2012 Keynote Speaker.
2012 Event Highlights
National Policy Dinner
The National Policy Dinner provides attendees an opportunity to come together for an enjoyable evening meal highlighted by a keynote speaker of national stature.
Education and Training
Whether you are a seasonsed veteran or a first-time attendee, there is a valuable educational session for you. Educational sessions will cover preparing for Hill visits, overview of today's political climate, how to successfully leverage federal funds, build congressional support, and create new partnerships, and how to continue your advocacy efforts back home.
Hill Briefing
Congressional staff will be invited to attend a briefing on the relevance and importance of parks and recreation to local communities and our nation.
Hill Visits
Meet one-on-one with legislators and Congressional staff to advance NRPA's legislative agenda. Share local and state views on critical issues impacting parks and recreation.
Congressional Reception
Meet and share experiences with legislators, Congressional staff, and other members with like-minded interests who are also advocating on behalf of parks and recreation. |
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| Training & Education | | | Spring Workshops
Click here to see the latest workshops on the PRPS website. To Register online click here.
For the DCNR Grant workshops, click here to register. To download the flyer click here.
LERN Seminars are available online.
The Swimming Pool Management and Re-Certification Workshops are available now. Click here!
Check out the NEW PRPS website for District and Branch News click here. |
| Youth Sports Observer | |
Pennsylvania Youth Sports Council RevAMPED!
High Five from the Youth Sports Council! 
Just as you are dusting off that clip board and fine-tuning that whistle, we too are preparing for an exciting year. We have refocused our mission and name (formerly the PA Youth Sports Task Force), and our members are refreshed! We're going to make sure everyone involved in youth sports knows about the Youth Sports Council.
Pennsylvania's young athletes need advocates, and our group is here for them. Coaches need direction, league officials need tools, and administrators need guidance. These needs were the impetus behind the development of the PA Youth Sports Task Force in 2004, and they remain constant today. The mission of the Youth Sports Council is to increase awareness of, and improve youth sports by providing leadership, materials, and educational opportunities for recreation professionals, youth sports administrators, volunteers, coaches, and parents. We offer resources that anyone involved in youth sports can tailor to their particular situation and implement. In addition, we are planning to offer state-wide trainings featuring excellent speakers at amazing venues.
Youth sports have proven to be important in children's development. What is impressed upon them at an early age will be reflected throughout their lives. The YSC will help assure that those experiences, actions, and behaviors are positive. We want to see smiles of the faces of young athletes and hear encouragement from the mouths of parents and coaches.
When you ask children why they play sports, more than held will reply with the answer 'because I want to have fun'. Winning is important, but it isn't everything. When parents, coaches, administrators, and volunteers promote a positive environment focused not only on winning but also on learning and fun, athletes will enjoy acquiring the skills of the game and WANT to stay involved with the sport. In turn, the athletes will grow better with each practice. And if you want to motivate young athletes, you should learn the "Magic Ratio" featured in Issue 1 of the Positive Coaching Alliance's Two Minute Drill:
Coaches should fill players' Emotional Tanks. As with a car's gas tank, when our Emotional Tanks are full we can go anywhere! The best mix of fuel for that tank is five specific, truthful pieces of praise for every one specific, constructive correction. Keep track of tank-fillers and criticisms you hand out. Once you get to 5:1, you'll see why it's called the Magic Ratio. Your athletes will be so pumped they'll do things you would have thought were impossible. Remember the kinds of things that fill tanks are praise (truthful and specific), reinforcing positives, listening and nonverbal actions (nodding, clapping, smiling). Criticisms, corrections, ignoring and nonverbal actions (frowns) are things that tend to drain tanks.
Visit our column in each PRPS E-Newsletter to learn about what we are working on, such as trainings and events with excellent speakers at amazing venues and our partnership with the Positive Coaching Alliance, and to see the latest issue of PCA's Two Minute Drill.
Want to get involved with the PA Youth Sports Council? We need a few good athletes and role models! Members of the YCS are park and recreation professionals, sport administrators, coaches, parents, and volunteers from throughout Pennsylvania who administer and support youth sports programs in their local communities, and who have a strong interest in promoting youth sports and developing initiatives to improve the way youth sports are conducted.
Anyone interested in getting involved in the Youth Sports Council should contact Erin Regenfuss, PRPS Marketing and Training Coordinator at eregenfuss@prps.org or 814-234-4272; or Katie Kollar, Youth Sports Council Chair KKollar@uppermoreland.org or 215-659-3100.
Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) is a national non-profit with the mission to provide all youth and high school athletes a positive, character-building youth sports experience. Click here to learn more.
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| Trails News | |
2012 Regional Trail Workshop Grants
Funded through the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and administered by the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society, Regional Trail Grants are awarded to conservation-oriented organizations for local trail workshops. Grants will be awarded up to $5,000, or 80% of the costs associated with each workshop. Grantees are responsible for all remaining workshop costs. Applications can be submitted throughout 2012, but no awards will be approved after December 31, 2012. For more information and a Regional Trail Workshop grant application contact Emily Gates at 814-234-4272 or egates@prps.org.
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| Mini Grant Program | |
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful's Greenways Mini-Grant program is currently open and accepting applications. The Greenways Mini-Grant program is designed to provide community groups with project supplies for outdoor based work events within a Greenway enabling the renewal of Pennsylvania's Greenways in need into something beautiful. This program is financed by a grant from the Community Conservation Partnership Program, Environmental Stewardship Fund, under the administration of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation. Fifteen grant awardees along with their volunteers will be eligible for up to $500 in project supplies and direct project costs for Prevent it, Clean it, and Keep it projects within a Greenway.
The Greenways Mini-Grant is available to any tax-exempt group within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Private property owners or individual applicants cannot apply. Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will select the fifteen winning projects from among applications submitted. Applications must meet the following requirements to be considered - it is within a Greenway and is in at least one of the following categories: Prevent it, Clean it, and Keep it (see application for details), plus provide proof of liability insurance, signed permission to enter from the private property owner, and 100 percent match of donated or in-kind services. Selected awardees must also agree to provide a final report with before, during, and after photos.
Applications must be received by March 15, 2012, and hard copies are required. Grants will be awarded on April 16, 2012.
For more information or if you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me at scarmichael@keeppabeautiful.org or to call me at 1-877-772-3673 ext. 102.
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful empowers Pennsylvanians to make our communities clean and beautiful. Since 1990, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful and its volunteers have removed over 85 million pounds of litter from Pennsylvania's roadways, greenways, parks, forests, and waterways. Thank you for your time and consideration, and please forward this to others that may be interested.
Sincerely,
Susan
Greenways Mini-Grant Application Form
Greenways Mini-Grant Permission to Enter Form
Susan Carmichael
Program Specialist
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful
105 West 4th Street
Greensburg, PA 15601
724.836.4121 ext. 102 | Fax: 724.836.1980
Keeppabeautiful.org | gacofpa.org |
| Therapeutic Recreation | |
Circle your Calendar! 
44th Annual TRI
June 6th-8th, 2012
Harrisburg/Hershey Holiday Inn
Grantville, PA
Generation 2 Generation: People are What Matter
We Listened...We Planned...We Look Forward to Seeing You |
| Saving Money with Pro Deals | |
Are you looking for ways to save money buying equipment? If so, consider taking advantage of pro-deals offered by many businesses, saving you up to 50% off MSRP. This month, we're featuring companies specializing in outdoor clothing and equipment. All of the pro-deals featured here are free to use. There are no costs to join or participate in any of these programs!
Watch future issues of the PRPS E-Newsletter for companies specializing in other categories of products.
Company Name: Merrell
URL: www.merrellprodeal.com
Merrell Pro-deal offers Special Pricing of 40% off MSRP
The best boots ever made. That's what Randy Merrell's customers were saying in 1981. Backpacker Magazine named them "the most comfortable and functional boots in North America." Word spread. Like all legends, ours grew. Today, we're much more than boots. We're the gear that gets you out there-from city streets to mountain trails and everywhere in between.
Company Name: promotive.com
URL: www.promotive.com
Promotive offers a special PRPS section
What's ProMotive.com? ProMotive.com is an online marketplace for Pros who have significant sales influence within personal and professional communities. Shop on ProMotive.com for pro deal on up to 215 Brands (seen here), then promote their products to your friends, co-workers and clients!
Company Name: Outdoor Prolink
URL: www.outdoorprolink.com
Outdoor Prolink is a consolidated outdoor industry pro-purchase program designed exclusively for qualified outdoor industry professionals. Outdoor Prolink matches qualified outdoor professionals (guides, instructors, recreation coordinators, ski patrollers, outdoor manufacturer employees, etc.) with the manufacturers who produce outdoor products. Using your experience in the industry, and your employer's history as a reference point, manufacturers offer Outdoor Prolink members' significant discounts on their product.
Email us at info@outdoorprolink.com for more details about our company, to ask us questions about how you can get your company employees to gain access to pro-deals from over 55 great outdoor companies, or to learn how to make your company's product available on OutdoorProlink.com.
Company Name: Columbia
URL: www.columbia.com
Columbia's Pro Purchase Program is our way of providing Columbia product at a discounted price to professionals in the Outdoor industry and select non-profit/government/education organizations. It is designed to outfit the hardworking individuals who continue their love of the outdoors through their professional pursuits. Click here to visit Columbia's ProPurchase page.
Company Name: The Clymb
URL: www.theclymb.com/home
For those who find their passion in the outdoors, The Clymb inspires human-powered adventure by delivering member-exclusive 72-hour sales on premium brands and experiences, hand-picked by our team of fellow enthusiasts and experts. Membership is free, allowing users to shape the community by inviting like-minded friends. The company is based in Portland, Ore., and was founded in 2009 by a seasoned team of outdoor and sport industry veterans.
Company Name: Outdoor Research
URL: www.outdoorresearch.com/vip
Code: kauly7
For more than 30 years, Outdoor Research has been outfitting people from all walks of life who thrive when experiencing the outdoors. And at the very heart of Outdoor Research lie the hardworking professionals who fuel the innovation, design and performance of our products. The OR Pro Purchase program exists to reward those professionals.
Our primary requirements for eligibility include outdoor professional status and certification, potential for brand exposure and influence with clients and enthusiasts, reputation for professionalism and service, and utilization of OR gear in a manner consistent with its design and purpose. Currently, we are providing the benefit of pro pricing to three categories: Industry, Retailer and Outdoor Professionals.
Company Name: Mountain Hardwear
URL: http://mountainhardwear.com/prodeal
Our Pro-deal Purchase Program is our way of providing outdoor professionals in the U.S. an opportunity to purchase gear at a discounted price. Please review our Qualifications & Terms here to see if you qualify before proceeding with the application.
Company Name: Eddie Bauer and First Ascent
URL: http://www.eddiebauer.com/custserv/pro_deals_application.jsp
If you're a professional guide, instructor or competitive athlete in the outdoor industry, apply today for the Pro Deals program. It allows you to purchase First Ascent and Eddie Bauer gear at significant savings. |
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