Every year, Park and Recreation Month in July is an opportunity to tell our story — local parks and recreation has a very real and important impact in the health and economic vitality of our communities. By uniting through a common theme in July (this year’s theme was “OUT is IN”), we are able to see this impact on a large scale via social media, news stories, events and word of mouth. 

This July, we had one of our most successful Park and Recreation Months to date. Not only was the creative response from NRPA members overwhelming, we saw people getting outside every day who may not have done so otherwise. Collectively, NRPA and its members influenced people all over the United States (and beyond!) to get OUTside and INspired through their local parks and recreation. Here are a few highlights:

• 217 events from 35 states were represented on our map of events for Park and Recreation Month. 
• More than 1,000 entries were submitted in our #JulyOUTisIN social media challenge. The pictures were epic, as you can tell.
• The Park and Recreation Month hashtag, #JulyOUTisIN, was used nearly 3,300 times on social media.
• We caught the attention of several government officials including Rep. Albio Sires (D-NJ) who gave a one-minute floor speech to the House in honor of Park and Recreation Month. 
• Media coverage of Park and Recreation Month generated approximately 188.5 million impressions. 

While we see the collective impact, we know you see the individual success stories. Together, we show the vital role that parks and recreation plays — and have a lot of fun and creativity along the way. 

Next year is the 30th anniversary of Park and Recreation Month, and we want to know what you liked about this year and what we can do to improve so we can top these already impressive numbers in 2015! 

Thanks to everyone who participated this year and showed us how cool going OUTside can be! 

Roxanne Sutton is NRPA’s Senior Marketing and Communications Specialist.