Submitted by: Recreation Northwest
Thanks to the generous support of the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, Recreation Northwest is proud to launch a new and innovative Parkscriptions Public Health Campaign in Bellingham. Parkscriptions partners with doctors and other health care providers to prescribe time outdoors, connecting patients with positive outdoor experiences in our public parks for healthier lifestyles and improved mental and physical health.
M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, created by the will of the late Melvin J. (Jack) Murdock, provides grants to nonprofit organizations in five states of the Pacific Northwest—Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. These grants seek to strengthen the region’s educational, social, spiritual and cultural base in creative and sustainable ways.
“We are honored to receive the support of the M.J. Murdock Trust Grant,” says Todd Elsworth, Executive Director of Recreation Northwest. “Their support means that we can reach out to more health care providers and educate our community year round to encourage outdoor recreation as an important part of healthier lifestyles and improved mental and physical health.”
The public health campaign will launch on the new, annual Whatcom Parkscriptions Day, on Sunday, April 28. More than 15 free, concurrent, all-ages, fun and educational events are planned in more than 10 City, Whatcom County and State Parks in Whatcom County. Check the website, the Facebook event and follow @Parkscriptions on Instagram for the updated list of events and details offered throughout the day.
“As a nonprofit organization, offering the public free events meets our mission of bringing people together to enjoy, preserve and improve the places where we play,” says Elsworth. “Working with our community partners, we are able to provide this as a free experience for the greater community. Everybody will leave Whatcom Parkscriptions Day with exercise, education, insight, new motivation and a greater appreciation of our area parks.”
Whatcom Parkscriptions Day Sponsors include Family Care Network, Peace Health, Mt. Baker Care Center, Bellingham Advanced Medical Imaging, Adventures NW Magazine, Humana, Tivity Health, La Fiamma Wood Fire Pizza, VibrantUSA and KAFE/Cascade Radio Group.
Everyone is welcome to come out, get your dose of nature and play in local parks for free at one or more of these events on Sunday, April 28. Ask your doctor what park is right for you. After all, there’s no such thing as a park potato.
More About Recreation Northwest
Recreation Northwest is a Bellingham, Washington–based nonprofit organization dedicated to promote outdoor recreation and bring people together to enjoy, preserve and improve the places where we play.
To accomplish this mission, Recreation Northwest focuses its efforts in three areas:
- Parkscriptions
- Recreation Economy–Bringing the outdoor recreation community together to learn from each other, raise the profile of this key sector of our economy and advocate for the value of outdoor recreation and our public lands at the state and local level.
- Recreation Economy Study
- Outdoor Recreation Summit
- Recreation Northwest EXPO
- Basecamp Networking
- Fairhaven Park Stewardship–Recreation Northwest helps maintain the trail system by removing invasive species, rerouting trails to improve access and restoring wetland habitat through native plantings.
For more information, visit Recreationnorthwest.org.
