Subject
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Proclamation Declaring July 2024, as National Park and Recreation Month in Rockville
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Department
Recreation & Parks
Recommendation
Staff recommends Mayor and Council read and approve the Proclamation and present it to the Recreation and Parks Foundation President, and Recreation and Park Advisory Board Member Chip Boylan.
Discussion
Since 1985, people in the United States have celebrated Park and Recreation Month in July to promote building strong, vibrant, and resilient communities through the power of parks and recreation and to recognize the more than 160,000 full-time park and recreation professionals - along with hundreds of thousands of part-time and seasonal workers and volunteers - that maintain our country’s local, state and community parks and programs. This year's theme - “Where You Belong” - celebrates the vital role park and recreation professionals play in fostering a sense of belonging in the community by providing inclusive and welcoming programs, providing essential services, and fostering the growth of our communities. Through efforts by the National Recreation and Parks Association, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an official resolution for Park and Recreation Month in 2009 and introduced the resolution in 2017 and 2018.
The services that park and recreation professionals provide are vital for our communities - from protecting open spaces and natural resources to helping fight obesity and providing activities and resources for all people. Park and Recreation Month encourages everyone to reflect on the exponential value park and recreation professionals bring to communities.
Partnership Recognition
The city and the Recreation and Parks Foundation work together to improve Rockville parks and recreation programs each year. In 2015, the Rockville Recreation and Parks Foundation established the Community Achievement awards to acknowledge community members and organizations for their generous contributions to improving lives in Rockville through recreation and parks. The 2023 Rockville Recreation and Parks foundation Community Achievement award recipients are:
Rockville Bike Hub
The Rockville Bike Hub is a group of cyclists who established a nonprofit organization in 2014 in Rockville to advocate for safety and improvements for bicycling throughout the city. Their goal is to provide a place where cyclists can go to learn how to fix and maintain their bikes, borrow space and tools to build or upgrade a bike, or just get advice and talk about bikes. They regularly hold bicycle safety and basic maintenance and repair clinics. Each year they provide up to 80 bicycles for the TERRIFIC Bike Program. For the past 10 years RBH has been giving away refurbished bicycles to children attending Rockville schools in grades 1-5, who complete good deeds. They are also working on projects in the community to help educate people about the benefits of bicycling to enhance health, improve the environment, and promote more human-scaled communities.
Monica Berger and Chuck Woolery
Rockville Weed Warrior Leaders, Monica Berger and Chuck Woolery, organize, host and lead non-native invasive plant removal workdays almost every weekend (sometimes more!) in Rockville parks. Through their efforts, hundreds of volunteers and students have been able to take part in restoring native habitats in our parks.
Monica was also the leader behind the creation of the Native Plant Garden at Dawson Farm Park. Monica led volunteers in removing non-native invasive bush honeysuckle and creating a deer fence around what is now a thriving native plant garden and wildlife habitat. Monica continues to organize volunteers to maintain the garden and is helping to teach residents about the importance of native habitat and managing non-native invasive species. Monica won an Environmental Excellence Award for the native habitat garden in 2022.
Mayor and Council History
A proclamation is presented each year and the Community Achievement awards have been presented to community members since 2015.
Public Notification and Engagement
The Recreation and Park Advisory Board, Rockville Recreation and Parks Foundation, and city staff work together to prepare the proclamation and the awards presentation.