In addition to providing professional development, legislative advocacy, information from the field and other member benefits, NRPA also serves park and recreation agencies through the managed distribution of grant funding from a number of allied partners. This year, NRPA received a $2.3 million grant from the Walmart Foundation and provided funding to 50 local park and recreation agencies nationwide in the form of sub-grants to increase the availability of healthy meals, encourage nutritional literacy and implement a set of healthy eating and physical activity (HEPA) standards for children in their out-of-school time. Historically, Native American communities have struggled with higher rates of diabetes and obesity due to genetic factors and a lack of education around healthy eating. In April 2014, the Seneca Nation of Indians in western New York and the Hannahville Indian Community in northern Michigan were selected as two recipients of this grant.

NRPA staff members Kellie May and Danielle Taylor traveled to the Seneca Nation of Indians in late July to see the summer program provided in this community and determine what additional assistance might be needed. Dozens of youngsters engaged in instructor-led exercises, participated in an interactive nutrition class and enjoyed a healthy lunch during the visit. Joel Blasdell, assistant director for K-12 education, facilitates the program in the Seneca Nation and showed NRPA staff the two new commercial refrigerators the grant funding helped provide. He also highlighted the traditional Seneca community garden, which provides fresh vegetables for locals and helps keep native agricultural customs alive.

Meanwhile, NRPA’s Marla Collum and Roxanne Sutton visited the Hannahville Indian Community. Rod Lovell, Hannahville Indian Community’s director of youth services, has been dedicated to improving the health and wellness of their youth and saw that the HEPA standards being implemented through the Commit to Health initiative and Walmart Foundation grant could aid in his mission. With the grant money, Lovell built a greenhouse where the community’s youth is learning about, growing and eating nutritious food. They are also expanding their microgreens program where they learn about the tremendous nutritional value of microgreens and work with local chefs to make a profit selling their produce.

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Roxanne Sutton is NRPA’s Senior Marketing and Communications Specialist. Danielle Taylor is the Executive Editor of Parks & Recreation Magazine. Kellie May, NRPA’s Senior Program Manager, and Marla Collum, NRPA’s Manager of Grants and Partnerships, contributed to this article.