'Playful' Times 4: Yuma Honored Again
Date:
08/18/2010Summary:
In an era of tight budgets and finding ways to do more with less, the City of Yuma Parks and Recreation Department learned it retained its status as a Playful City USA for the fourth year in a row.Contact:
Orgnization Dedicated To Play Lauds Yuma's Commitment To Children
Yuma, Ariz. - In an era of tight budgets and finding ways to do more with less, the City of Yuma Parks and Recreation Department learned it retained its status as a Playful City USA for the fourth year in a row.
"Even though we believe most of Yuma understands and appreciates the quality of our programs and facilities, and how valuable Yuma Parks and Recreation is to the community, it's nice to be recognized nationally, to know that we are on par with other great Parks and Recreation departments across the country," said Director of Parks and Recreation Becky Chavez.
The Playful City distinction is awarded by KaBOOM!, a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving play. "Each of the 2010 Playful City USA communities demonstrated creative commitments to the cause of play," said a KaBOOM! news release.
"Playful City USA celebrates and highlights these unique initiatives developed by communities across the country," noted KaBOOM! "A primary goal of Playful City USA is to encourage cities and towns to share creative ideas, concepts and programs in an effort to increase play opportunities for children."
KaBOOM! selected Yuma not just for meeting its established Playful City criteria, but also for its outstanding dedication to play. A notable aspect of Yuma's commitment to children, noted KaBOOM! in its release, is the Grow Smart Summer Camp, designed by the City of Yuma Parks and Recreation Department in partnership with local community leaders to emphasize play, exercise and nutrition for at-risk youth.
Chavez said other noteworthy accomplishments by Parks and Recreation during this review period include:
- The total refurbishment of Desert Sun Tennis Courts,
- The establishment of a new basketball court in Winsor Rotary Park in partnership with the Hoops Project and sponsors APS and the Phoenix Suns,
- A City-hosted playground safety course for school districts and others,
- A partnership with the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club of Yuma to combine two annual family events together into "A Day for Kids: Come Out and Play," which will be held jointly at Valley Aquatic Center and Sunrise Optimist Park on Sept. 18. Earlier that day, community partners and volunteers will be sprucing up Sunrise Optimist Park.
Other benefits to being a Playful City USA include Yuma being awarded an Imagination Playground in a Box within the past year, plus opportunities to apply for additional grants.
Creativity was a recurring theme among many of this year's 118 Playful Cities, who are finding ways to provide services despite widespread cost-saving measures. A report from the National League of Cities says that 7 in 10 city officials are cutting staff, and a pre-summer National Recreation and Parks Association survey found that 55 percent of its members suffered budget cuts in 2010 and 60 percent expect more in 2011.
These funding cutbacks persist despite findings from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey that only 20 percent of homes across the country have parks within a half mile, noted KaBOOM! Additionally, issues such as the spread of childhood obesity continue to make headlines.
"Hailing from 36 states and ranging in size from San Francisco and Atlanta, to Ottawa, Kan. and Shirley, Mass., these Playful City USA communities are making a commitment to play and physical activity by developing unique local action plans to increase the quantity and quality of play in their community. In doing so, some of the most innovative ideas and cost-effective programs are being developed in Playful City USA communities - proving that parks and play are more important than ever," said KaBOOM! in its release.
In the fourth year of the annual program, 33 of 118 Playful City USA communities were repeat honorees from 2009, 30 were honored for the third consecutive year and 19 communities received Playful City USA status for the fourth straight year.
For more information on Yuma Parks and Recreation, call (928) 373-5243 or visit www.YumaAZ.gov/parksandrec.
About KaBOOM!
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., KaBOOM! is a national non-profit organization dedicated to saving play. Through community building, the organization is focused on giving every child in America a great place to play within walking distance. Since 1996, KaBOOM! has used its innovative community-build model to bring together business and community interests to construct more than 1,800 new playgrounds, skate parks, sports fields and ice rinks across North America. KaBOOM! also offers a variety of resources, including an online community, free online trainings, grants, publications and the KaBOOM! National Campaign for Play, which includes Playful City USA and Playmakers - a national network of individual advocates for play. KaBOOM! also has offices in Chicago and San Mateo, Calif.
For more information, visit http://www.kaboom.org/. (This link will take you to an external website that is not part of the City of Yuma official website.)
