Parks and recreation program honored
Greene County Parks and Recreation manager Pam Blaker received her first excellence in recreation and parks award from the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society Inc. for a new summer day camps program.
Blaker accepted the award at a March 15 ceremony during the 69th annual PRPS State Conference at Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Seven Springs. The county’s Department of Recreation was honored for the “UP STREAM” program held as part of the 2015 Greene County Summer Day Camp.
Funded by the Greene County Memorial Hospital Foundation, the program was held for the first five weeks of day camp. Each of the four day camp sites participated twice a week. Lesson plans consisted of interactive, simple discussions explaining lesson themes and hands-on activities that engaged campers to use their creativity and apply their new knowledge in constructing various arts and crafts. Lessons included crystal and fossil formations, molecules and polymers, plants and honeybees, human skeletons, rockets, and wind, storms and the travel of light.
Campers had the opportunity to improve their strategizing and problem-solving skills and conduct various experiments that helped them see science in a fun light. Activities were broken into two age groups, ages 5 to 8 and 9 to 15. After the lesson and activities, campers participated in a game or sport related to the lesson for the promotion of physical activity.
The program capitalized on the increasing interest in the STEM fields – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – that were identified as key growth areas for jobs, with the potential for kids to establish an early relationship with the fields that may turn into a career path.
Since 2006, the department of recreation was recognized with 10 excellence in recreation and parks awards.
According to the PRPS, award recipients must demonstrate outstanding quality, innovation, range and value of appeal, community support, and efficient use of funding, human and material resources in the development, delivery and use of programs, special events, publications and promotions.
Nominations are rated based on how well they demonstrate certain principles, which include how the entry positions public parks and recreation as an essential community service, its outcome and “wow” factor, how it effects change and how it utilizes resources.
The PRPS is the principal state organization promoting quality recreation and park training, networking and leadership opportunities for those working and volunteering in the field.
Headquartered in State College, the PRPS is a nonprofit membership association with more than 1,700 members statewide. For more information, visit www.prps.org.