PRPS Weekly News

Fall Membership Meeting

Join us next week on Wednesday, November 20 at Prosser Hall in Camp Hill. Registration is still available.

Please note the Conference Committee Meeting has been cancelled.

Click here for the flyer or register online.

PRPS Trainings

Certified Playground Safety Inspector Course

December 2-4, 2013

Greater Plymouth Community Center

Plymouth Meeting, PA

Are Your Playgrounds Safe?

This course is the most comprehensive training program on playground hazard identification and risk management methods offered.

The CPSI course trains individuals to identify hazards on public playgrounds and playground equipment, how to rank hazards according to injury potential, and how to apply that knowledge and establish a playground safety program.

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PA Therapeutic Recreation Society

Dementia Taskforce Workshops:

A Practical Guide for Planning and Programming for Persons with Dementia

Join PTRS for the next round of Dementia Taskforce Workshops!

The workshops will cover all aspects, starting with the disease process through programming and care planning for all phases of dementia care. This workshop is ideal for anyone dealing with dementia on a casual or a day-to-day basis.

December 3, 2013

Masonic Village at Sewickley, Sewickley, PA

December 12, 2013

Norcom Community Center, Philadelphia, PA

Click here for more information.

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We will be having another free GOPA webinar. This is a repeat of the webinar that was held on November 7th.

Free Webinar

Get Outdoors PA: Discover Hidden Benefits!

Audience: Park and recreation organizations and land trusts interested in becoming Get Outdoors PA Community Partners and existing Get Outdoors PA Community Partners.

Thursday, December 5th

1:00 pm - 1:15 pm

As a Get Outdoors PA Community Partner, you have access to a lot of great materials. If you are a Partner, or are interested in becoming one, participate in this brief webinar to learn how to use the public and private (Community Partner Only) sections of the Get Outdoors PA website (www.getoutdoorspa.org). When you utilize all of the newly created Get Outdoors PA tools, you will enhance your programs! Please join us!

Click here to register for the webinar!

Call for Proposals-Therapeutic Recreation Institute

46th Annual

"Circle of Life"

June 4-6, 2014

Double Tree Resort, Lancaster, PA

The 2014 TRI session proposal form is now available. The proposal submission deadline is December 31, 2013.

Conference Information - Lodging Rates

SAVE THE DATE!

67th Annual State Conference

March 22-26, 2014

Seven Springs Mountain Resort

Full Conference Fees:

$325 Member

$425 Non-member

For more conference details and pricing, click here.

Early Bird Discount Details:

Discounted full conference rate of $285 applies to PRPS members only. All other pricing options are excluded. Payment must be made in full by January 31, 2014 to qualify.

Lodging rates -

The Modified American Plan rates are as follows:

$200 per person, per night, single occupancy

$162 per person, per night, double occupancy

$151 per person, per night, triple/quad occupancy

The rates include lodging, full buffet breakfast, dinner, taxes and gratuities on breakfast and dinner, and tax on lodging.

The Exhibitor rate is as follows:

$133 per person, single occupancy

$90 per person, double occupancy

These rates are subject to taxes.

Exhibit Information

If you are interested in exhibiting at the conference, click here for more information.

Governmental Affairs Event

Join the Governmental Affairs Committee on December 10th for a Legislative Breakfast at the Capitol. In an ongoing effort to educate our legislators who have been elected in the past 3 years the efforts of PRPS and the importance of the Keystone Fund, PRPS will be hosting a breakfast for new legislators. We will also be setting up meetings with local legislators after the breakfast who may have not been invited.

Please mark you calendar and join us:

December 10th at 7:30 am

Capital Building Room

East Wing

Room 60

If you have questions please contact Doug Knauss, CPRP Governmental Affairs Chairman, at dknauss@whitemarshtwp.org or at 610-828-7276.

The Monongahela River

was named the 2013 River of the Year

DCNR News

The 2014 River of the Year nominations are due Thursday, November 14. The first step in the process is for Pennsylvania municipalities and/or nonprofit organizations to nominate their favorite waterway.

"It's great that people are so connected to their rivers - for their beauty, the recreational opportunities they provide, and their importance to our communities," said Ellen Ferretti, Acting Secretary of DCNR. "We are asking for nominations, and for the fourth year in a row will allow citizens to vote and choose their River of the Year."

All Pennsylvania rivers are eligible for nomination with the exception of rivers winning the award since 2009. Public on-line voting for the selected rivers will begin later this year, with the winning river announced in early 2014. The winning river receives a $10,000 grant to conduct and promote special events that highlight river attributes, improve river systems, engage and educate citizens, and boost local economies.

The Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers administers the program. Click here for the nomination form and more information on the program. Nominations must be emailed to acamp@pecpa.org by November 14 at 5:00 p.m.

Other Training

Community Conservation Partnerships Grant Program Webinar

Funding Opportunities for Recreation and Conservation Projects

November 14, 2013

This webinar is FREE and designed for new applicants interested in obtaining grant funding for public recreation and conservation projects from the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (DCNR) Bureau of Recreation and Conservation grant program and the new Greenways, Trails and Recreation grant program managed by the PA Department of Community and Economic Development's (DCED).

This webinar will provide a general overview of both grant programs, eligible types of projects and applicants, matching fund requirements, and strategies on how to create a "ready-to-go" competitive grant application. Participants will also have the opportunity to ask questions about each grant program.

Click here for more information or to register.

For questions about these events, contact Linda Manning at linmanning@pa.gov or call (717) 783-4736.

District News

District III Recreation Program Mini Expo

Looking to start some new programs? Want to try somewhere new for a summer camp trip? Click here to find out more information.

Friday, December 13

9:30 am - 12:00 pm

Horsham, PA

Members $10

Non-Members: $15

After the expo, you are welcome to attend the Holiday Social at Horsham Pub from 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm. The fee is $20 per person.

Student Scholarships Available

The Larry G. Williamson, Robert Crawford Memorial, Delores Andy, and John H. Jones Memorial Scholarships are generously contributed funds allowing four student to attend the PA Recreation & Park Society's 67th Annual State Conference free of charge.

To download the scholarship qualifications and applications, click here.

The filing deadline is February 28, 2014.

PA Therapeutic Recreation Society News - Sign the Petition Now!
by Anne Wieland, CTRS, MHA

RT Licensure in Pennsylvania

There are over 700 "certified" Recreational Therapists (RTs) in Pennsylvania. Although certification ensures that basic competency of skills are met, it doesn't protect the public from harm. In the eyes of the law, "certification" is optional. This means that individuals who are not certified as a CTRS are still allowed to practice. In order to prohibit people who are not certified from practicing (and subsequently reducing the risk of harm to citizens), RT needs to be licensed.

Utah, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and New Hampshire have RT licensure and many other states (e.g., New York) have developed RT licensure bills that are under review. Both NCTRC and ATRA support RT licensure and are providing licensure help to states. An "RT Licensure Coordinator" has been identified in every state to lead the effort for their state. In Pennsylvania, Dr. Heather Porter at Temple University is the RT Licensure Coordinator. Under her direction, an RT Licensure Committee for PA was formed and the committee is working hard to move this agenda forward.

What we need YOU to do:

Sign the petition: Go here and electronically sign the petition for RT Licensure in PA. It only takes about 30 seconds to do this. Then, send this link to all of the people on your contact lists (family, friends, co-workers, Facebook friends and colleagues) and ask them to sign the petition. Politicians will not support this bill unless they hear from the people that this is wanted. Every time someone signs this petition ALL of the PA Senators and Representatives will receive an automatic email alerting them that another person has signed the petition. WE NEED LOTS OF SIGNATURES! THIS IS IMPORTANT!
Send an email to Rep. Sabatina: Representative John Sabatina has already stepped up in support of RT licensure in PA and has requested a bill to be drafted. Send an email to Rep. John Sabatina simply saying "thank you for supporting RT licensure in PA" (jsabatina@pahouse.net). THIS IS IMPORTANT! The more words of "thanks" he hears, the harder he will work for us.
Join the RT Licensure email list: Send Dr. Porter an email at hporter@temple.edu indicating that you would like to be periodically updated about RT licensure in PA (indicate your full name and preferred email address in the body of the email). Your name will then be added to the RT Licensure Update email list.

Correction

In the last weekly news, the wrong information was listed under the Fran Rubert Memorial Fund Donations. The dedication ceremony has passed and information should have been listed as follows:

The family, friends and DCNR Colleagues of long time PRPS member Fran Rubert raised money to purchase soccer goals in his memory. On Saturday, September 28th, 2013 Fran's friends, family and colleagues gathered at James Baxter Park in King of Prussia to dedicate the goals and see the children use them. A plaque was presented to the club along with a donation to purchase a tree in Fran's memory. Many years ago Fran administered a Saturday morning youth soccer program in King of Prussia that still running today. Thank you to all the PRPS members who donated to help honor Fran.