FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 8, 2021
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.) and Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Penn.) introduced a bipartisan resolution to designate July as “Parks and Recreation Month.”
“Public parks are a cornerstone for our communities. They are treasured local spaces for people to exercise and for children to connect with nature. Public parks are also critical protections for clean air and water in areas that may otherwise lack any open green spaces,” Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragán said. “As we push to expand access to urban parks for more low-income communities and communities of color in Los Angeles County and across the country, I am proud to introduce this resolution designating July as Parks and Recreation Month.”
“Park and Recreation Month provides us all with the opportunity to recognize not only the importance of our local parks but also the contributions of recreation professionals to our communities’ health and wellness and vital conservation and open space efforts,” Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick said. “I am proud to introduce this resolution to support the local parks and recreational activities, which bring our communities together and help support the well-being of people all across the country.”
“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 dedicated park and recreation professionals that maintain our country’s local, state, and community parks,” said Elvis Cordova, Vice President of public policy and advocacy for the National Recreation and Park Association. “As we learned during the past 15 months, the services that our diverse park and recreation professionals provide are vital for our communities – from protecting open space and natural resources, to helping provide public health services, and curating recreational activities and resources for all people. We thank Representatives Barragán and Fitzpatrick for their leadership for the parks and recreation profession.”
A PDF of the resolution can be found here and full text follows.
Recognizing the importance of public park and recreation facilities and activities and expressing support for the designation of the month of July as “Park and Recreation Month”
Whereas Federal, State, and local public parks and recreation systems are
dedicated to conservation efforts and to enhancing the quality of life
for all residents in communities around the United States;
Whereas public park and recreation facilities and activities–
(1) provide opportunities for young people to live, grow, and develop into contributing members of society;
(2) create lifelines and continuous life experience for older members of the community
(3) generate opportunities for all people to come together and experience nature as well as a sense of community
(4) boost local economies by attracting businesses, jobs, and other economic opportunities
Whereas public parks have served as a much-needed refuge during the COVID-19 pandemic
Whereas public park operations and capital spending in the United States
generate nearly $166,000,000,000 in economic activity each year and
support over 1,000,000 jobs;
Whereas 83 percent of people in the United States agree that public park and
recreation facilities and activities are essential for their wellbeing
Whereas 87 percent of people in the United States agree that ensuring all
members of their community have equitable access to public park and
recreation facilities and activities is important;
Whereas quality of life with adequate and accessible
public parks and open space is a key factor in business expansion and location decisions;
Whereas public park and recreation facilities and activities create active and healthy communities, and people who use public
parks and open spaces are three times more likely to achieve the
recommended levels of physical activity than non-users;
Whereas public park and recreation facilities and activities foster a healthier United States, such as
providing injured military veterans and those with physical disabilities
opportunities for physical activity, encouraging communities to promote
outdoor activities in order to prevent and manage symptoms related to
chronic diseases, working with local school systems to develop science-
based curricula to educate children on nutrition, physical activity,
connecting children with nature, as well as serve as distribution hubs for nutritious meals to children and families, and combating obesity in youth;
Whereas people living within a 10-minute walk of a park have higher levels of
physical activity and lower rates of obesity;
Whereas park and recreation professionals tirelessly serve their communities in many important ways to home to relax, exercise, and reduce stress: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives–
(1) recognizes the great societal value of public park and
recreation facilities and activities and their importance in
communities across the United States;
(2) recognizes and honors the vital contributions of
employees park and recreation professionals and park volunteers; and
(3) supports the designation of July as “Park and Recreation
Month”.
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Nanette Diaz Barragán is proud to represent California’s 44th Congressional District, which includes the communities of Carson, Compton, Florence-Firestone, Lynwood, North Long Beach, Rancho Dominguez, San Pedro, South Gate, Walnut Park, Watts, Willowbrook and Wilmington. She serves as chairwoman of the House Homeland Security Committee’s Subcommittee on Border Security.