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As park and recreation professionals, keeping kids active and engaged all summer long is our bread and butter. But when program costs are a barrier for many families, not every child has the same chance to take part in the amazing programs that park and recreation organizations offer. In Springfield, Oregon, Willamalane Park and Recreation District partnered with a local school district to give as many children as possible a memorable summer.

Over the past 10 years, Willamalane has run the 1PASS program, which has become a family favorite for summer activities in Springfield and neighboring Eugene. For a flat fee of $50, youth ages 18 and younger can use a single pass to access an entire summer’s worth of admission to more than 15 recreation destinations. Partner destinations include multiple pools, a trampoline park, a bowling alley, museums, a golf course driving range, a climbing wall, indoor basketball, roller skating, miniature golf and more.

While the pandemic prevented the program from running in 2020, participating partners were thrilled to bring it back in 2021. An incredible group of organizations came together, eager and excited to offer the 1PASS for the community’s youth once again.

As the administrators of the program, Willamalane has to keep the fixed price of $50 to make it economically viable for the involved partners. While the 1PASS is an amazing deal, the price is a barrier for many families in Springfield, and not every child can get one.

That’s where a partnership with Springfield Public Schools made magic happen.

An Ideal Partnership

In the summer of 2021, both Willamalane and the school district wanted to offer an active and engaging summer for as many children in Springfield as possible. The school district was eager to give kids a head start on learning for the coming school year and was looking to offer summer educational programs, as well as outdoor exploration and physical activity.

For its part, the school district got creative with federal relief dollars. It leveraged Elementary and Secondary School Relief money, made possible through the American Rescue Plan Act (with state-level investments in extended learning), to provide summer learning experiences for students. Best of all, the school district didn’t have to spend these funds alone and could allocate funds to community partners who also provided summer educational experiences for kids.

As the school district evaluated how it could spend its grant funds, school district officials recognized that the 1PASS offered education and wellness for students and qualified for these relief funds. Together Willamalane and the school district seized the opportunity, and every student in the school district was eligible to receive a 1PASS, paid in full by Springfield Public Schools. This was at no cost to families, eliminating the biggest barrier to access this program. Thanks to this collaboration, 3,477 students received a 1PASS. And, more Springfield kids than ever before received a 1PASS. Across all destinations, 1PASSes were used more than 24,000 times that summer.

The 1PASS wasn’t the only collaboration between Willamalane and the school district that summer. The organizations also teamed up to offer scholarships to students attending any Willamalane summer camp; preschool; swim lesson; youth sports camp; or science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) class. Again, this was at no cost to families. Despite the uncertainty of the pandemic and a reduced pool of staff, Willamalane offered 31 different qualifying camps and programs, serving an additional 751 students.

Thanks to this partnership, thousands of kids in Springfield had low-barrier access to healthy resources. With a successful pilot completed, the school district will offer the same scholarship opportunities to all incoming and current students in the summer of 2022.

While our role in parks and recreation is to offer the experiences kids need to stay active, safe and engaged, it’s only through partnerships like these that we can amplify our reach and make these programs more equitable.

The Willamalane Park and Recreation District is a special tax district located in the Springfield, Oregon area and is an autonomous entity from the city of Springfield. The District maintains and operates five recreation facilities and 46 parks and natural areas totaling nearly 1,500 acres.

Kenny Weigandt is Community Engagement Director at Willamalane Park and Recreation District.