By Amy Hopf
With our bounty of summer programs, capital projects, and special events, Parks & Rec receives a lot of attention from the media. Here’s some of the positive coverage from the first part of summer 2019.
June 1, 2019: Mayor Kenney’s Rebuild initiative and its impact on parks, rec centers, and libraries gained attention in a Philadelphia Inquirer article, as well as in CityWide Stories.
June 8, 2019: Justin Udo at KYW gave a shout-out to Parks & Rec summer camps and showed off the improvements around inclusion and diversity this year.
June 10-11, 2019: As summer began, media outlets shared ideas of fun activities, such as picnics, yoga, and movies, to do in Philly parks.
- Metro’s reporter Madeline Presland showcased 5 fun things to do at Philly parks this summer
- An extensive list from Billy Penn rounded-up 35 places to have a picnic in Philadelphia this summer.
June 14-24, 2019: Starting in the middle of June, Parks & Rec pools got plenty of attention as Philly prepared for summer fun in the sun.
- Billy Penn, KYW, Philly.com, and Patch all helped share the public pool schedules
- KYW was there for the pool opening event at Bridesburg Pool.
- “Morning Edition” host Jennifer Lynn from WHYY met up with Parks & Rec Commissioner Kathryn Ott Lovell to discuss the many offerings for kids at Philly pools.
June 19, 2019: The launch of new citywide network of up to 25 composting sites, designed to reduce food waste and create organic soil, was reported on in the The Philadelphia Inquirer. A call for applications to host a compost site ended June 28.
June 19-20, 2019: Inspiration and possibility flowed through many articles surrounding Parks & Recreation Commissioner, Kathryn Ott Lovell, being named a Public Spaces Fellows from the Knight Foundation.
- Michaela Winberg wrote about the future impact of this award on rec centers at Billy Penn.
- The Architects Newspaper and Smart Cities Dive both covered the seven nationwide community leaders honored by the Knight Foundation as a public spaces fellows.
- Kathryn Ott Lovell also spoke with Sabrina Vourvoullas from Generocity about the honor.
July 5, 2019: The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Mariah Rush wrote about the history of the fountain in Rittenhouse Square.
July 10, 2019: WHYY dove into the ins and outs of how NaturePHL, a collaborative effort between Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, CHOP, and the National Forest Service, is prescribing kids (and adults) to get outside.
July 11, 2019: Greenland Nursery in West Fairmount Park was featured in Grid Magazine. The piece described the department’s efforts, spearheaded Max Blaustein and Dhan Parker, to combat invasive species in our park system. Parks and Rec’s Theresa Stuhlman was also quoted about the origins of the “Greenland” name.
July 16-20, 2019: The return of The Oval+ and its efforts to “double the fun on the Parkway,” were heralded by The Philadelphia Inquirer, CBS 3, and WHYY.
July 17, 2019: The $3.5 million commitment by Parks & Rec, the Philadelphia Union, and Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer to build 15 miniature soccer fields and two full-size fields across the city over the next five years was covered by The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philly Voice, and KYW.
Last, but by no means least, our successful Suit Up for Summer swimwear drive, and the free swim lessons offered at every Parks & Rec pool, were the focus of a report on CBS 3.
