GameTime Awards 1.45 Million Dollars in Grants for Illinois Park and Recreation Projects

GameTime Awards 1.45 Million Dollars in Grants for Illinois Park and Recreation Projects

Funding program developed in partnership with Illinois Park and Recreation Association will assist with the development of 18 new playgrounds throughout the state of Illinois

GameTime is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2016 Healthy Play Action Grants. The grant funds–totaling 1.45 million dollars–are part of an Illinois statewide initiative to promote healthy play with the Illinois Park and Recreation Association (IPRA), GameTime, and GameTime's parent company, PlayCore. In one element of the program, PlayCore provided CEU-qualified professional development sessions throughout the state to share research-based best practices in playground design and programming. To help put these best principles into action, GameTime set aside grant funds for agencies who demonstrated a desire to promote quality of life through play. Working with IPRA, GameTime developed the grant program to provide matching funds to assist parks throughout Illinois to create playground spaces that encourage best practice designs for active behavior.

“What made this program unique was the educational training and professional development provided by our parent company, PlayCore,” said Robert Barron, Senior Vice President at GameTime. “These workshops throughout the state of Illinois equipped park and recreation professionals with the research and resources to create recreation spaces that are based on best practices, encourage children and families to be more active, and increase the usage of community parks.”

Each of the playgrounds that are funded by the matching grant funds will be designated as National Demonstration Sites for data collection, and will contribute data toward the publication of a White Paper to highlight best practices and outcomes achieved. The initial findings will be presented at the 2018 IAPD/IPRA Soaring to New Heights Conference.

Debbie Trueblood, Executive Director of IPRA commented, “IPRA is excited about this opportunity for our members throughout the state. Not only will the matching grant funds from GameTime help our members provide active play spaces for children and families today, these sites will provide a research component that will elevate the field of parks and recreation for the future.”

The grant recipients, announced at the 2017 IAPD/IPRA Conference in Chicago, Illinois are:

About IPRA

Established in 1944, the Illinois Park and Recreation Association’s mission is to provide and promote exceptional standards of education, networking, and resources for all professionals in the Illinois park, recreation, and conservation communities. Learn more at ILipra.org

About PlayCore

PlayCore helps build stronger communities around the world by advancing play through research, education, and partnerships. The company infuses this learning into its complete family of brands. PlayCore combines best in class planning and education programs with the most comprehensive array of recreation products available to create play solutions that match the unique needs of each community they serve. Learn more at playcore.com.

About GameTime

GameTime is a leading manufacturer of commercial playgrounds, custom play spaces and outdoor fitness equipment. Headquartered in Fort Payne, Alabama, and with distribution around the world, GameTime has been dedicated to enriching childhood through play since our founding in 1929, and work to create play environments that make the world a better place for people of all ages and abilities. Learn more at gametime.com.