Press release from Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation:
Over the past few decades, people have become increasingly disengaged with nature, preferring to spend more time indoors interacting with electronic media rather than exploring a wealth of parks and public lands. These lifestyle choices are drastically impacting on the overall health of our kids and families. To combat the health implications of sedentary lifestyles, doctors are beginning to write prescriptions for outdoor activities. The TRACK Trail program, National Park Service, and pediatricians will come together to engage families in outdoor recreation.
The park prescription movement led to the creation of National Park Rx Day during National Park Week (April 15-23). To celebrate, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation’s Kids in Parks program, Blue Ridge Parkway, and National Park Service are hosting a family-friendly event at 2 p.m., Sunday, April 23, at the Parkway Visitor Center in Asheville. The afternoon will included a guided hike with park rangers and local pediatricians to spread awareness about the enjoyment and health benefits provided by outdoor adventures.
Dr. Olson Huff, a retired pediatrician with Mission Children’s Hospital and Kids in Parks board member, is ready to pull out his prescription pad for the event. “Over the years, I’ve seen the rise of obesity, early onset diabetes, ADD/ADHD, and other ailments that are becoming increasingly more prevalent in our children,” Huff said. “Recent research has shown that spending time in nature can help prevent, or cure, all of these ailments. So, I am prescribing this event to folks in the community, and encouraging my pediatrician friends and colleagues in the region to do the same.”
The event is also celebrates the Kids in Parks’ TRACK Rx adventure program. Over the past seven years, Kids in Parks has created a network of trails in Western North Carolina (and beyond) that encourage kids and families to get outdoors and reconnected to nature to boost their health and the health of parks, and now the program has more than 75 doctors writing prescriptions for their patients to visit the program’s network of trails. Children that complete the adventure and fulfill their prescriptions through the program’s website become Trail TRACKer team members and receive free prizes.
Parkway Superintendent Mark Woods will join his rangers for the event. “For several years, the National Park Service has been active in the establishment of the National Park Rx movement,” Woods explained. “The event we are hosting at the Blue Ridge Parkway is one of several Park Rx events that are happening across the country; and we couldn’t be more excited to be involved through the partnerships we have formed with the Kids in Parks program and local pediatricians.”For more information about the event, visit the kidsinparks or the program’s Facebook page.
National Park Rx Day Celebration
Where: Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center (Milepost 384), 199 Hemphill Knob Road, Asheville, NC 28803
When: 2 p.m., Sunday, April 23
What: Guided hike with rangers and doctors on the TRACK TrailAbout the Kids in Parks program
Kids in Parks is a program of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and was formed through partnerships between the Foundation, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation. Working together with partners throughout the country, its mission is to promote children’s health and the health of our parks by engaging families in outdoor adventures that increase physical activity and foster a meaningful connection to the natural and cultural world. The Kids in Parks TRACK Trails program provides kids and families with a network of self-guided hiking trails. Every TRACK Trail has a series of brochures designed to turn an ordinary walk in the woods into a fun-filled adventure. Kids can register every adventure through the Kids in Parks website, www.kidsinparks.com, and earn Trail TRACKer Gear designed to make their next outdoor adventure more interactive and fun.
About the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is the primary nonprofit fundraising partner, 501(c)3, of the Blue Ridge Parkway, helping ensure cultural and historical preservation, natural resource protection, educational outreach, and visitor enjoyment now and for future generations. The Foundation is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Since its inception in 1997, the nonprofit has worked with donors to invest more than $12 million in critical projects along the scenic road. For more, visit brpfoundation.org.
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