MotorCities - Every Kid in a Park | 2018

May 24, 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:
Bob Sadler, MotorCities National Heritage Area, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
313.259.3425 x302 (office) 313.819.5761 (cell onsite)
MEDIA OPPORTUNITY:
WHEN:
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
WHAT:
Students will be engaged in a number of activities spread across the campus. Photos and videos of activities will be limited to students with media clearance. Spokespersons from Detroit Public Schools Community District, Detroit Parks & Rec Dept. and MotorCities National Heritage Area will be available for interviews.
WHERE:
Historic Fort Wayne
6325 W. Jefferson Ave.
Detroit, MI 48209

Detroit Parks & Recreation Department and Detroit Public Schools Community District Launch Third Annual Every Kid in a Park Initiative at Historic Fort Wayne Tuesday, May 29

DETROIT – The Detroit Parks and Recreation Department (DPRD) and Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) are partnering with the Historic Fort Wayne Coalition and MotorCities National Heritage Area to continue the Every Kid in a Park (EKIP) Program in the City of Detroit. This initiative launched as part of the National Park Service’s 2016 centennial as a way to connect fourth graders across the country to their public lands and cultural resources. The 2018 EKIP events take place Tuesday, May 29 through Friday, June 1 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Historic Fort Wayne | 6325 W. Jefferson Ave, targeting more than 1,600 fourth graders.

Every Kid in a Park is designed to inspire the next generation to discover all that our nation’s public lands and waters have to offer, including opportunities to be active, spend time with friends and family, serve as living classrooms to build critical skills, and discover our nation’s heritage.

“This is a great opportunity for our City’s youth. We are excited to be working with the National Parks Foundation to continue this program and with our many partners, including the Historic Fort Wayne Coalition, Detroit Parks & Rec, Detroit Public Schools Community District and so many others to facilitate this event,” said Shawn Pomaville-Size, Executive Director, MotorCities National Heritage Area, the non-profit affiliate of the National Park Service preserving and promoting Michigan’s automotive and labor heritage.

The National Parks Service’s Mission is to preserve the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world.

More than 20 partners will present enrichment activities in science, social studies and recreation. The partners include: All Nations Veterans Council, Detroit City Council Historic Planning Board, Detroit Historical Society, Detroit River Project, Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan, Michigan Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Adventure Center, Michigan Historic Preservation Network, Michigan Sea Grant, Michigan State University Extension, National Museum of the Tuskegee Airmen, River Raisin National Battlefield Park, Sierra Club-IOC, Wayne State University-Anthropology Department, and The United States Army Corps of Engineers, United States Forest Service, United States Fish and Wildlife Services, and YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit.

More than 3,000 Detroit fourth graders will receive a pass that provides free access to federally managed lands and waters – including national parks, forests and wildlife refuges. Additional information, can be found at www.everykidinapark.gov, or by following the program on Twitter @everykidinapark, on Facebook, on Instagram and YouTube.

This project is underwritten by the National Park Foundation through generous support of partners like Disney, the lead sponsor of Open Outdoors for Kids, and donors across the country.

# # #

About the Every Kid in a Park Program

Local Contact: Athena Zissis, National Park Service, Rivers, Trails, Conservation, Assistance (RTCA) program This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

In conjunction with the 100th birthday of the National Park Service in 2016, the Every Kid in a Park initiative was launched as a call to action to get all children to experience America’s unparalleled outdoors. Today, more than 80 percent of American families live in urban areas, and many lack easy access to safe outdoor spaces. At the same time, youth spend more hours than ever in front of screens instead of outside.

Fourth graders: log onto the website www.everykidinapark.gov and complete a fun educational activity in order to obtain and print your pass. You can also trade in your paper pass for an official card at participating federal sites nationwide. Sites in Michigan are honoring the Every Kid in a Park pass, and you can find out more through the Michigan Activity Pass portal at http://michiganactivitypass.info

Educators and community leaders: use the website to access educational activities, field trip options, and the ability to print passes for your classrooms.

Parents: find additional links for more information on planning trips to nearby public lands on the Every Kid in a Park website.

The Every Kid in a Park program is an Administration-wide effort offered in partnership with the Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Education, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Fourth graders can get their official passes at many National Park Service sites as well as lands managed by other federal agencies. For more information, please visit www.everykidinapark.gov, and follow the program on Twitter @everykidinapark, on Facebook, on Instagram and YouTube.