2016 Get Outdoors PA Mini-Grants - 
Become a Community Partner before
January 1, 2016, to apply!
 The second Get Outdoors PA Mini-Grant Program will open on January 4, 2016. Grants of $1,500-$3,000 will fund equipment and training related to outdoor programming. Some match is required. Applicants must be Get Outdoors PA Community Partners approved in 2015 or earlier and be a local government entity or 501-c-3 non-profit. The program is supported by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. If you're not currently a Community Partner, apply online today! Check out the Get Outdoors PA Mini-Grant Fact Sheet for more information.
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Good News for Walking and Biking
 On December 4, President Obama signed into law a five-year reauthorization of the Surface Transportation Act locking in funding for important active transportation programs. NRPA worked with our partners and allies to ensure this funding was protected. Click here to learn more about the new transportation law.
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PRPS Webinar: Developing a Park Facility Inspection Model
January 14, 2016 
2:00-3:00 pm
Representatives from the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department will discuss the formation of their Operational Standards Unit, which oversees the inspection of facilities and parkland within the 11,000 acres of the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation system. The presentation will include the program's history, process for the development of standards and inspection sheets, auditing, and the successes and challenges of the first two years. The speakers will also detail their plans for programmatic expansion over the next two years to show how past practices, continued research and departmental needs inform the future of their inspection model. This webinar is great for parks and recreation operations management and staff and anyone from the public or private sector specializing in crafting park management operations policy and best practices.
Cost: (CEUs included)
PRPS Member: $25.00
PRPS Non-Member: $35.00
Funded in part by the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society and a grant from the Environmental Stewardship Fund under the administration of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.
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Annual Conference Register Today!
We have a great selection of educational sessions scheduled for our upcoming conference.
Here are a few session highlights:
- How To Get Your People To Give Their Flat-Out Best
- Survival Art Skills and Projects
- Emerging Leaders: Put the POW! in Powerhouse
- Surviving Cultural Change
- Implementing Healthy Community Design Through Community Partnerships
We are bringing back the Conference App. The App will be available in February to download. More App details will follow next month.
Attention Vendors!
We still have booths available, if you are interested in exhibiting, contact Nicole Lynd at nlynd@prps.org or click here to download the brochure.
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PRPS Training Calendar
 If you didn't pick up our new training calendar last month at the Fall Membership Meeting, click here to download the flyer. Now you can start reserving dates for our 2016 trainings.
If you have a specific training request, please contact Emily Gates, Grants & Training Coordinator at egates@prps.org.
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Deadline is fast approaching...PRPS Recognition and Awards Program & Other Awards
The PA Recreation & Park Society provides the opportunity for an individual, group, or agency to be recognized for professional and personal achievements. These prestigious awards will be presented at the annual PRPS Conference on Tuesday, March 14, 2016 at Seven Springs Mountain Resort.
Click here for Awards Program Entry Information. Nominations are
due by January 15, 2016.
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20th Annual Keystone Athletic Field Managers Organization Conference (KAFMO)
February 19
7:30 am - 3:00 pm
Harrisburg/Hershey Holiday Inn
Grantville, PA
Sessions:
- America's Front Yard Restored National Mall Renovations
- Prioritizing Limited Resources
- Anatomy of a Field Related Injury
- STMA Field Safety Videos
- Combination Products for Pest Control on Athletic Fields
- Pesticide Safety Trivia
For more information and to register, click here. PRPS will have a booth set-up that day!
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Call for Sessions: Therapeutic Recreation Institute - Deadline is January 31
 Do you know someone who would be interested in speaking at the 2016 Therapeutic Recreation Institute? Please share with your colleagues. Click here for the TRI session proposal form. The proposal submission deadline is January 31, 2016 .
The Therapeutic Recreation Institute will be held on May 31-June 3, 2016 at the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hotel in Lancaster, PA. The theme is "TRI The VOICE of YOUR Future."
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District Events
Distict 1 Poker
Challenge Fundraiser
This fundraiser will be held at the PRPS Conference. For more details on this fundraiser, click here.
District 2 Winter Workshop
January 27th, 2016 - York College of PA
8:30 am - 2:30 pm
Agenda:
- 9:00 am - 9:45 am District 2: Business Meeting
- 10:00 am -12:00 pm Session 1: Employee Handbooks, I-9's and Personnel Files
- 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Lunch: Networking Opportunity with Students
- 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm Session 2: Social Media Roundtable
Click here to download the brochure. Registration is now OPEN!
District 3
Ski & Snowboarding Socials/Meeting
January 13, 2016 - Shawnee Mountain
January 27, 2016 - Blue Mountain
February 9, 2016 - Jack Frost Mountain
Click here for more details and to register. |
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2016 Conference Wish List
 The conference committee is gearing up for the big event! To make the conference even better we need your help--we are requesting that full conference attendees bring LCD projectors with them to lend to PRPS. The equipment will be used during educational sessions on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday (March 13-15). We prefer units that have been purchased within the last five years to ensure compatibility. If you are able to lend a projector or two please contact Chuck Stover cstover@bethelpark.net and Matt Cooper
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PRPS Building Fund Contributors
These generous donors are helping to decrease the balance on the PRPS building mortgage!
Barbara Morgan, PTRS Board Raffle, Larry Williamson, James Strange, and Derek Dureka
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PA Recreation & Park Society, Inc.
2131 Sandy Drive, State College, PA 16801
814-234-4272
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