Click here to watch the KRPA Member Call on Winter Sports. #strongertogether

Our 2021 Silent Auction is headed to Facebook. We have great items from Royals and Chiefs collectibles, Great Wolf Lodge Certificates and more. This auction is open to more than just conference attendees, so share it with your friends too. Silent Auction rules are below 

Silent Auction Rules
 

1. Bids must be made between 2pm CST on February 1, 2021 and 5pm CST on February 4, 2021. Bids made before or after these dates/times will not be eligible to win.  

2. Your bid must be in the comments on the picture of the item you are trying to bid on. It cannot just be a comment on the album or on the page itself.  

3. If your bid is the winning bid, you will be notified via PM to your Facebook account.  

4. Bids must be in whole dollar amounts.  

5. The closing date and time is February 4, 2021 at 5pm CST. NO EXCEPTIONS.  

6. Payment arrangements must be made with the KRPA office within 5 business days of items closing. If this is not the case the item will go to the next highest bidder.  

7. Once payment has been received, the item will be shipped or delivery will be arranged.  

8. Comments containing bids must be visible, meaning you cannot hide your comment from the public. Hidden comments will not qualify as a legit bid. 

10 Tips for Attending the KRPA Virtual Conference

Here are 10 helpful and important tips for getting the most out of your conference experience. If you were not able to join the attendee information call last Friday, click here to watch it for a visual explanation of how the conference platform will work.

 

Before You Attend the KRPA Virtual Conference

A little bit of preparation will go a long way towards making sure you getting the most out of the experience. Use your time and resources well at the 2021 KRPA Virtual Conference and Trade Show by sitting down and formulating a plan first.

1)    Visit the NEW KRPA Conference Platform and download the app

The KRPA conference platform and app contains the entire conference; including the schedule, the speakers, the virtual trade show, event game and more. You will receive an email by Tuesday (February 2^nd) giving you access to the platform and app. If you do not receive this email, please email Jamie Reed at jamie@krpa.org. Spend some time on the platform before February 3^rd to get familiar with the layout and making connections with your KRPA friends ahead of time. Don’t forget to allow push notifications from the app during your time at conference so you don't miss out on any important updates.

2)    Review the schedule.

This one’s a no-brainer. Set a goal for what you’d like to accomplish on February 3^rd and 4th and use the schedule to devise a plan to meet your goal. We’re all familiar enough with virtual conferences to know that you will get the most sessions watch within the time that you set aside on February 3^rd and 4^th. Life happens and it is hard to go back and watch on-demand sessions once to-do lists and schedules get back to normal. So make the most of your time on the 3^rd and 4^th, log-in and create a customized agenda within the conference app. Make sure to attend conference-wide events such as the opening keynote speaker, the brain breaks and trade show. If you prefer a hard-copy, a pdf is available here.

3)    Plan to spend some time at the Trade Show

The live virtual trade show will be available on Wednesday, Feb 3rd from 11:45am - 2pm and Thursday Feb 4th from 11:30am-1:30pm. During these times, you can visit vendors' booths to watch demos, sign up for giveaways, and make connections. Remember, these vendors are very loyal to our association and the park and recreation industry in Kansas. After 2020 and looking ahead to unknowns about the future, they have shown their commitment by joining this virtual conference. We are very grateful! Even if you are not a purchaser, we encourage you to go in and say a quick thanks to these vendors and make a connection. 

4)    Know how to get your CEUs

Each session will have a CEU link at the bottom of the session. During the session, the moderator will put the CEU code word into the chat function. At the end of each session please click on the CEU link and enter your name, agency, email address, session, and the session code word. 

An official signed conference CEU form will be sent to you with the sessions you attended and filled out the CEU link for between 2-3 weeks after conference.

5)    Visit the KRPA Silent Auction on Facebook

The Annual Silent Auction has been moved to Facebook. We have great items from Royals and Chiefs collectibles, Great Wolf Lodge certificates and more. This auction is open to more than just conference attendees. Share it with your friends too. To learn more about the rules for this auction, visit the KRPA website.

When You Arrive

6)    Visit the help desk

A help desk will be available from 8am-5pm on February 3^rd and 4^th. Think of it like our regular conference registration table, but instead this desk will be located in a zoom room. Have questions? Hop into the zoom room to get answers or to just say Hi. (We miss you!)

7)    Stay Engaged

Learning virtually can be a challenge, but we want you to stay engaged throughout the day. Virtual workouts are available on the platform all day for you to enjoy that will engage not only your brain but your body. Also, don’t miss Jenny’s brain breaks throughout conference. Three brain breaks will be available- Wednesday at 3:00pm and Thursday at 10am and 2:45pm.

8)    Connect with fellow KRPA Members

Networking with other professionals in your field is a highlight of the KRPA conference. Make time to connect with fellow members. Networking looks a bit different at a virtual conference, but it is just as important. Visit the Attendee list on the left side of the platform, find another attendee, and click add. This will make you a connection, and then you can message them throughout conference.

Also, check out the social wall to connect with your peers, let us know what sessions you are attending, your favorite Welcome Box item, or even post what you are eating! (Pets are always welcome on social walls too! ) Also, earn points for the event game.

9)    Play the Event Game

We want this conference to not only be educational but fun. Plus, this year’s game has extra amazing prizes! Have you heard of the Playstation5? Well, they are kind of a big deal this year, and it is one of many prizes that you could win by playing the event game. Other prizes are also a Nintendo Switch, a cell phone sanitizer, an ember mug and a projector. Playing the game is very simple. Unlock passcodes by completing challenges (like answering questions, attending sessions, visiting vendors at the Trade Show and more), enter passcodes to earn points, and complete as many challenges as you can and climb to the top of the leaderboard

After watching sessions at the virtual conference and waiting for the 2022 KRPA Conference in Manhattan

10) Gather your thoughts and (re)watch any sessions

All that information you gathered from sessions and new contacts from the conference and the trade show can quickly be forgotten if not organized right away. Write down your key takeaways. Enter new contacts into your address book. Fill out the KRPA post-conference survey which will be on the app and sent out via email.

The best part of attending a virtual conference is that all the sessions will be available on-demand a week or two after conference. You can go back and rewatch your favorite sessions, or you can watch the other sessions that were going on at the same time of your sessions. You don’t have to miss a minute of learning!

Social Media Photo Contest

In honor of the upcoming Annual KRPA Conference and Trade Show, KRPA is hosting its 3rd Annual Social Media photo contest. This year's conference theme is "Stronger Together" so we want to see a creative photo of how people in your community or agency came together in 2020. The grand prize winner will receive a $100 credit towards a KRPA event*, and the winning image will be featured on the cover of the KRPA Today spring magazine. 

Photos must be submitted to Amanda Sterling at amanda@krpa.org by January 15, 2021. Submissions must include a short description (less than 30 words), including the location of the photo submission and the photographer's credit. Entries must also include the KRPA Photo Contest agreement form, scanned and/or digitally filled out and attached with the submitted photo.

All photos and information will be placed in an album on the KRPA Facebook page from January 20-31, 2021 . The photo with the most combined likes and shares by the end of the contest on January 31st will be the winner.

Good luck and thank you for participating!

Technology and marketing go hand in hand, and we are always looking for ways to stay ahead of the competition. Therefore, Wichita Park & Recreation is excited to announce the launch of our new Alexa skill “Wichita Parks” which can be enabled on any Amazon Echo or Alexa device. Our skill is the first City skill in the country to interact with users via text to send direct links to websites.

Currently one-third of US citizens have smart speakers, two-thirds of those are Alexa. Over 50% of adults use voice commands and 33% of the users utilize voice commands daily. In 2020, half of all searches will be voice. In the last five years, developed skills have grown from only 45 to over 100,000.  These figures show the importance of staying current with cutting edge technology and how we interact with our consumers.

Alexa responds with Wichita Park & Recreation information about numerous topics including classes, parks, special events, booking a tee time, reserving a tennis court, renting a facility and more.

Alexa speaks directly to the user and answers questions with pre-loaded responses.  Alexa can also interact through text messaging by asking the user for their phone number to send direct links to websites. Staff can track interactions to show what topics are popular with users through Google Analytics and email notifications when a potential customer requests information.

Alexa is multi-lingual which is great for any community. Push notifications can be sent to users notifying them of services and events, so there is flexibility to include activities that pop-up and may need extra marketing attention. All these features are very exciting and affordable.

I had the pleasure of working with Tim Moore, Channel Manager at VoPro. He can be reached at 417-875-5889 or tmoore@protelsystems.com.

Shana Appelhanz
Wichita Park & Recreation

KRPA is excited to offer a new committee to address changing needs in our state and profession. The KRPA Diversity and Inclusion Committee aims to cultivate and sustain an inclusive environment that educates, empowers and mobilizes our members, departments and communities. The committee provides opportunities, which range from workshops, speakers, mentorship and programming support/ideas that encourage diversity and inclusion in Kansas - to unite all persons concerned with diversity and inclusion in the Park and Recreation profession. This new committee is being chaired by Reggie Davidson of Wichita and Jermel Stevenson of Overland Park.

Reggie Davidson, MSRLS, CPRP, of Wichita Parks and Recreation Department is the Superintendent of Recreation.  He is an experienced Park and Recreation Professional with over twenty-five (25) years of experience working with businesses, local government and community organizations to implement change management, develop marketing strategies/plans and organizing programs and activities to meet the needs of individuals from diverse backgrounds and cultures.

Jermel Stevenson, CPRP, is the Parks and Recreation Director in Overland Park Stevenson is native of Detroit, MI and is a Certified Parks and Recreation Professional with nearly 30 years in the industry. He spent the last 10 years in the State of Texas serving in the capacity of Director of Parks and Recreation for the cities of Corpus Christi, Garland and Rowlett, TX. Prior to that he served in senior management roles for the cities of Phoenix, AZ and Detroit, MI. Stevenson received his master’s in public administration as well as his undergraduate degree in Parks and Recreation Management from Central Michigan University. He has been very active at all levels in his profession. Having served as the past President of the Dallas/Fort Worth Director's Association, an Accreditation Visitor for NRPA, he currently serves as the Director of Membership for the World Urban Parks Association (North American Committee).

To hear from Reggie and Jermel and learn more about the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, join the KRPA member call on Friday, November 6th from 10am-11:30am. Zoom information was sent via email to KRPA members. Have a question regarding the call or the committee? Please contact Jamie Reed at jamie@krpa.org.

Did you hear the exciting news? KRPA announced that the 2021 Conference and Trade Show will be virtual and in-person. Mark off your calendar now for February 3-4, 2021 for the virtual portion of the conference and trade show and also April 14th for the in-person day in Emporia. The KRPA Board President, Conference Chair and Executive Director put together a special message for you regarding what led to this decision and more. It is available to watch now. Registration opens on November 3rd.

Lawrence, KS (October 5^th, 2020) – Today, the Kansas Recreation and Park Association (KRPA) announces that $25,000 Grants are now available to five KRPA member organizations in 2020 to support them in joining the National Fitness Campaign (NFC) and expanding the campaign across Kansas. 

NFC delivers a comprehensive fitness and wellness ecosystem built around their highly acclaimed digital Fitness Court®. This award-winning initiative is now supporting more than one hundred and fifty cities across America. The program is poised to deliver important outdoor wellness infrastructure to help communities stay active across the state of Kansas, improving health outcomes and quality of life.

Fitness Courts® are becoming one of America’s most valuable park resources because they bring people outdoors to engage in functional fitness on the world’s best outdoor gym, featuring an exciting series of seven minute workouts. Community members enjoy the benefits of digital coaching on the free Fitness Court® App, which delivers regular content to keep fitness training fun for adults of all ages and fitness levels. NFC trains and certifies local ambassadors as part of the campaign, so local experts can build engagement and usage.

This state-wide grant program includes exclusive funding opportunities for KRPA members to join the campaign and launch the Fitness Court® and NFC initiative, continuing education regarding implementation of healthy infrastructure and pedestrian oriented planning principles, and a comprehensive suite of tools, fitness classes and programs designed to build a wellness culture in communities across Kansas. Grant funding represents an important share of the funding required to adopt and launch the program, with cities and local sponsors bringing remaining funds together to build NFC partnerships across the state.

Thirty remote program briefing slots have been made available between October 19th and November 6th on a first come, first serve basis to KRPA members interested in qualifying during the early application period for funding. Briefings must be attended by the Parks and Recreation Director of a member agency to qualify. Members can request a briefing by contacting Jamie Reed at jamie@krpa.org. Early Application Period Grant Applications are due on December 4th at 5pm PST, and awards will be announced December 14^th. An Open Application period will follow if funding is still available in early 2021.

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ABOUT NFC:

National Fitness Campaign (NFC) is a social enterprise – founded in San Francisco, California in 1979 – that offers grant funding, project management and master planning services to cities, schools and sponsors to build the world’s largest network of outdoor gyms. The Fitness Court^® is a trademarked system created by NFC Founder, Mitch Menaged, that was designed to be the world’s best outdoor gym. NFC’s mission is to design healthy infrastructure for cities to improve the quality of life for people. Learn more about NFC at www.nationalfitnesscampaign.com.

Media Contact:

Trent Matthias

trent@nfchq.com

540.521.5842

It is giveaway time! The KRPA Locker Room is the exclusive place for Kansas recreation and park professionals to have discussions and share resources with each other 24/7. Starting today, September 14^th, through September 30^th***, KRPA will be running a Locker Room contest and you can join in the fun. The winners* could win great prizes like a full KRPA Conference Registration** for 2021, Echo Auto and more.

Here’s how to play: Log into the KRPA Discussion Forum and post and respond to other members to earn points. The person with the most points at the end of September wins!

Here’s how points are earned: You earn points by posting a question in the general forum (3 points), responding to a general forum question (5 points), posting a question within a specialized forum category (5 points), or responding to a question with in a specialized forum category (7 points).

It’s simple to play and simple to win! Visit the Locker Room to join in the fun! If you have questions, please reach out to Jamie Reed.

* Winners must be a professional/student/organization KRPA member.
** Conference registration prize must be used for the 2021 KRPA Conference.
*** Contest ends at midnight on September 31, 2020.

The New Epidemic: Youth Vaping and Smoking (Part 1)
By: Philip Harris, KDHE

Last year in the National Parks and Recreation Association' monthly magazine there was an article entitled the Youth Vaping Epidemic, perhaps you saw it. In case you missed it or want to know more; we present a four-part series on youth vaping and smoking in Kansas.

The term “vaping” refers to the use of e-cigarettes or vaporizers. These products have several nicknames which include e-cigs, e-hookahs, hookah pens, vapes, vape pens and mods, which are more powerful, customizable vaporizers. Some e-cigarettes are made to look like regular cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. Some resemble pens, USB sticks, and other everyday items. The most popular among these brands is JUUL, which sells an e-cigarette device that resembles a USB flash drive. These are battery-operated devices that release doses of vaporized nicotine, marijuana and other drugs that users inhale.

These products are not safe for adolescents. They often contain harmful and potentially harmful ingredients, including nicotine which has addictive properties, formaldehyde and acrolein, heavy metals like lead, and volatile organic compounds. Though the aerosol released from e-cigarettes yield less chemicals than traditional cigarettes, that does not mean e-cigarettes are safe.

Health Effects
Most e-cigarettes have nicotine, which has known negative health effects. Not only is nicotine highly addictive it also can harm adolescent brain development, which continues into the early to mid-20s. Besides nicotine, e-cigarette aerosol can contain other substances that can damage the body. This includes harmful cancer-causing agents.

EVALI an acronym that stands for, e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury, is the name given by the CDC to the dangerous, newly identified lung disease linked to vaping that was first recognized in the fall of 2019. Though vitamin E acetate has been associated with this illness, there could be several other causes that are yet to be found. It is unclear how the condition develops or why, in the most severe cases it causes the lungs to just stop working. Kansas has had 24 confirmed or probable cases and 2 confirmed deaths related to this illness and 11/28 of cases are less than 24 years old.

E-cigarettes can also cause unintended injuries. Defective batteries have caused fires, explosions which have resulted in serious burns and injuries. Additionally, swallowing breathing or absorbing e-cigarette liquids has poisoned children and adults.

For the most current information on e-cigarettes check out the CDCand join us in the next issue as we tackle the numbers around vaping. For a sneak peak check out our quick facts.

Kansas Department of Health and Environment Tobacco Use Prevention Program