We face an epidemic in America that impacts every corner of our country. You read about it in the news every day. Americans, particularly children, are not active enough and this has serious consequences on their health and overall well being. Children are not getting outdoors and back to nature. The mission of the National Recreation and Park Foundation (NRPF) is to help all Americans improve their quality of life, and today, this means being part of the movement to get people, particularly the young, to be more active and to enjoy the awesome natural resources across this country. This is more than just an effort to get people to use the parks, it has serious health consequences as well. “It Starts In Parks… Children Back to Nature” is the theme we have chosen for the inaugural year of the Foundation because this is where the focus must be to meet this challenge.

I am delighted to serve as the NRPF’s first Chair and thankful to the other Board of Governors for serving with me. Additional Governors will be added and we’re also developing an Advisory Board to assist us with our endeavors. We have a great deal in store for the coming year, including the actual launch of the Foundation. We now have a website (www.NRPFoundation.org) and have several donor programs in place to help us fulfill our mission. I am especially excited about our planned giving program so people like me can support the Foundation in a variety of ways, such as through gifts of securities and charitable bequests. Finally, we have hired an administrator, Craig Richardson, who will help with the day-to-day operations.

Please take a moment to review our site, read through our brochure, and consider helping us advance the park and recreation movement.

Sincerely,

Fran Mainella
NRPF Chair