#PRPS Conference  

by Karen Hammond, Conference Publicity Committee

So the countdown is on: only 50 days until the "cheersandbeers" Pub Crawl AND "rideemcowboy" Country Western Night! Lancaster has so much to offer, and we will have the opportunity to walk from one local establishment to another. Although these businesses specialize in adult libations, we encourage you to come along no matter your choice of beverage. Then, on to an evening filled with dancing, bull riding and rodeo roping. Just imagine your friends showing off skills you didn't even know about...But before you hit all the fun and socials you must first attend our sessions.

• How is someone supposed to get to your park or program when they don't have a motor vehicle? Robert Thomas plans on telling you some tips on how to overcome that challenge in "Making Transit a Partner with Trails and Parks" on Sunday, March 22 at 2:00 pm. Whether you are in a rural or urban area, Robert has several tools to share to get your participants there.

• Only one tree and a patch of grass can lead to a nature based program. Really? Mary Grace Gorman will be showing you how that works when you attend "Incorporating Nature-Based Play in an Urban Environment" on Monday, March 9:00 am. Learn how to put aside the myth that nature cannot be found in the city and come to hear what successes Mary Grace has to share.

• Philadelphia has proven to be an excellent city for recreation, and they are always willing to share their ideas and plans for successful programs. Cara Ferrentino and Aaron Ritz will be at the conference on Monday, March 22 at 10:30 am, to talk about "How to Set Up a Bike Share Program" so that you can understand how their program began. Their program will be rolled out in 2015, so you will be able to hear how it got started and what it takes to get to this point.

• Another city with excellent forward-thinking programming is Lancaster. Beth Schwartz will talk about how trails and infrastructure have led to healthier citizens and a successful 'Lighten Up Lancaster' initiative. The session titled "Active Transportation = Healthy Communities, Lessons Learned from Lancaster County" will be just that, and you will be able to take home ideas and strategies that have worked. You'll also learn about partners that collaborated to make it happen. Hear all about how to lead to healthy lifestyles at 2:00 pm on Monday, March 23.

• "The Worst Pool Party Ever"??? Is there such a thing? Carolyn Hanel, Tom Kneppel and Steven Hillias have stories to tell, to help us learn how to handle the unimaginable. We all have issues that can occur at any of our programs, and the experience these three professionals plan to share will help you get through it. Be at this session on Tuesday, March 24 at 10:00 am to learn how to identify, deal with and prevent disasters with your pool parties. 

For more details on the Conference, click here.  Register online! 

(If you are a DVIT Member you receive $100 off your registration if you are one of the first 30 DVIT registrations. Go to page 22 in the registration guide for more details).

District News

PA Therapeutic Recreation Institute - Looking for Session Proposals!

The session proposal deadline has been extended until February 9, 2015. We are in need of speaker proposals for the TRI. Please submit your proposals now!  Click here to download the form.

Save the Date! 47th Annual Therapeutic Recreation Institute June 3-5, 2015 - DoubleTree Resort, Lancaster, PA

PRPS Building Fund Contributors, January 26-29, 2015