PRPS Weekly News

Green Parks Award

Do you have a park in your community that you think deserves to be recognized for outstanding "green" practices?

Recognize them with a nomination for the 2015 DCNR/PRPS Green Parks Award. Click here to review the award criteria and application.

The winner will be recognized at the 2015 Annual PRPS State Conference being held on March 22-25, 2015 at the Lancaster Marriott in Penn Square.

Reminder: RFP Deadline is Approaching - 10/1

Pennsylvania Parks and Recreation: Case Statement and Marketing Strategy

The Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society, Inc. is accepting proposals for a one-time contract to perform certain professional (consulting) services work involving the development of a case statement with a graphic identity and taglines, and a marketing strategy for Pennsylvania parks and recreation.

This RFP has been re-opened for bids with an extended deadline of 10/1/14. All previous bids are still under consideration. Revised bids will be accepted until the new deadline, but are not necessary.

Find information on proposal requirements by accessing the RFP here.

PRPS Conference

The Conference Fees will be announced soon. Click here to download the conference flyer.

Exhibit Booth Fees:

$675 member

$800 non-member

Hotel:

$149 per person plus tax for single/double/triple/quad

Upcoming Webinars

Humans Were Never Meant to Hibernate: Outdoor Programs for the Winter Season

Monday, September 29

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Get Outdoors PA (GOPA) is hosting a free Webinar for those who are interested in adding winter programming to their schedule. The Webinar is geared towards those organizations that would like help in developing and enhancing their winter activities. Webinar participants will hear from members of the GOPA Team, as well as seasoned professionals who will share their own experiences and lessons learned.

The Webinar will cover all aspects of adding a winter program, including how winter events can enhance your programming, best practices for developing/modifying activities for the cold season, strategies for engaging key partners, and everything else you need to know to make your program successful.

Get ready for Winter by registering for this valuable, fun training opportunity!

Recruiting the Next Generation of Volunteers for Community Parks and Recreation

Thursday, October 9

1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

Across Pennsylvania, volunteers are providing community parks and recreation services - maintaining parks, building trails, managing swimming pools, and running recreation programs. In small, rural communities, in suburban areas, and in large, urban places, volunteers are the lifeblood of parks and recreation. Are you struggling to find new, younger volunteers? Are the same people doing all of the work...and getting burned out? Are your numbers of volunteers dwindling? Are you confident and comfortable engaging the citizens in your community before there is a crisis or issue? How do you expand your volunteer network, build citizen leadership, and engage new partners? This Webinar will provide strategies to attract and retain younger volunteers and to build sustainable support for community parks and recreation.

Topics will include the differences among generations and how that relates to volunteering, successful recruiting techniques and ideas, how to create a younger-friendly volunteer culture, and the best ways to manage younger volunteers. Younger generations have unique characteristics that affect how you recruit, motivate, and manage them as volunteers. To add younger people to your volunteer ranks, an understanding of what is important to them and valued by them is necessary.

To Register for this Webinar, click on the link below: http://www.apps.dcnr.state.pa.us/Calendar/list.asp?intDivisionID=52

D2 Fundraising Opportunity

Fall weather has arrived, which means Hersheypark is gearing up for their Halloween themed weekends...Hersheypark In The Dark. If you haven't had a chance to volunteer your time for District 2/PRPS in 2014, this will probably be your last opportunity of the year. If you enjoy theme parks, you can volunteer to earn money for District 2 and earn a voucher good for a future Hersheypark admission! Click here for program details.

PRPS and Other Trainings

To view the PRPS Calendar, click here.

Online Registration is available for the CPSI Course and Exam and Resource Operations Workshop.

Resource Operations Workshop

October 15 - Cabela's, Hamburg

Fall Membership Meeting

November 19 - Playworld Systems, Lewisburg

More details coming soon!

DCNR/PRPS Community Grant Workshops

November 5 - Prosser Hall, Camp Hill

November 6 - Montgomery County Fire Academy, Conshohocken

November 18 - Pine Township Recreation Center, Wexford

November 19 - Quality Inn, Franklin

November 20 - Luzerne County Community College, Nanticoke

November 21 - Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center, State College

Click here for more detailed information.

Certified Playground Safety Inspector Course and Exam

December 2-4 - Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey, Harrisburg

For a list of other training and upcoming events outside PRPS, click here.