Ashburn, Va., Oct. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), the nation’s leading advocate for parks and recreation, in partnership with Niagara Cares, a philanthropic arm of Niagara Bottling, is proud to announce the winners of the 2021 Perk Your Park Project.
Fischer Park in New Braunfels, Texas, and Clermont Arts & Recreation Center in Clermont, Florida, have each been selected to receive a $90,000 park improvement grant to revitalize their outdoor community spaces. With these grants, New Braunfels will gain expanded access to nature at Fischer Park’s prairie with educational walk trails and nature play with their “Enchanted Forest,” which will restore an urban forest and provide formal nature play activities. Clermont Arts & Recreation Center will create a sustainable community garden to engage people of all ages and abilities and provide a connection to nature with pollinator gardens and trails along with several other stainable elements and educational opportunities. Together, these projects will allow more kids and families to enjoy the outdoors.
Opportunities to play and recreate outdoors in community spaces like Fischer Park and the Clermont Arts & Recreation Center are vital to connecting children and families to the natural environment, encouraging physical activity and ensuring the health and environmental sustainability of local communities across the country.
“Local park and recreation programs serve a vital role in creating and activating spaces that are not only resilient, but also transformative at the community level,” said Ayanna Williams, NRPA Director of Community and Environmental Resilience. “These park improvement grants invite everyone to enjoy the outdoors.”
“We’re thrilled to support this nature-based play project in New Braunfels and the development of a community garden in Clermont,” says Kristen Venick, Director of Niagara Cares. “It was exciting to see the community come together to vote for these two projects and we look forward to the enhancement of Clermont Arts & Recreation Center and Fischer Park.”
Since 2016, NRPA and Niagara Cares have partnered to create and enhance parks, playgrounds and play spaces that provide opportunities for physical activity, social connectivity and wellbeing for families within public parks. Since the beginning of the Niagara Perk Your Park program, 16 NRPA grants have been awarded to Niagara Bottling communities in Arizona, California, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Washington.
For more information about the Niagara Perk Your Park program, click here.
To learn more about NRPA, visit www.nrpa.org.
To learn more about Niagara Cares, visit https://www.niagarawater.com/community/national-partnerships/.
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About the National Recreation and Park Association
The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) is the leading not-for-profit organization dedicated to building strong, vibrant and resilient communities through the power of parks and recreation. With more than 60,000 members, NRPA advances this mission by investing in and championing the work of park and recreation professionals and advocates — the catalysts for positive change in service of equity, climate-readiness, and overall health and well-being. For more information, visit www.nrpa.org. For digital access to NRPA’s flagship publication, Parks & Recreation, visit www.parksandrecreation.org.
About Niagara Cares
Niagara Cares is a philanthropic arm of Niagara Bottling, committed to supporting local and national community initiatives by engaging stakeholders and investing its resources for disadvantaged children and their families. Niagara Cares initiatives include national strategic partnerships, local community grants, employee engagement, volunteerism and the Andrew D. Peykoff, Sr. Scholarship Program. For more information, visit www.niagarawater.com/niagara-cares.
Niagara Bottling, LLC has been family owned and operated since 1963. Headquartered in Diamond Bar, CA, Niagara operates bottling facilities throughout the U.S. and Mexico. As a leading beverage manufacturer in the U.S., Niagara Bottling works closely with some of the largest beverage brands, retailers, grocers, club and convenience stores throughout the country. Niagara produces a variety of beverages including bottled water, sparkling, vitamin and flavored water, teas, sports drinks, ready-to-drink coffee, protein drinks and non-dairy milk products. For more information, visit www.niagarawater.com.
