One of the easiest ways to get your message in print (besides paying for an ad) is to send a Letter to the Editor. You can find the email address for most Letters' editors on your newspapers' website or right on today's Letters or Op/Ed page. Typically, editorial pages are very well read by community leaders, activists, politicians and business people. God bless the First Amendment which gives you and the press freedom to speak your mind about just about anything. As a recreation professional you have all sorts of great information and opinions to share with the world (or at least your community). The "letter pages" are a great place to quell rumors, correct misprints and offer an educated or experienced opinion about various topics from sports and fitness to environmental issues and conservancy.
To get you started I've penned a template "Letter to the Editor" that you can use to promote National Recreation and Parks Month (July). But, don't despair, if you miss the July opportunity; you can tweak the article to focus on another time of the year. Email me if you need some help.
You can download the letter as a Word file Download prmonth.doc or cut and paste from here.
The only thing I ask is keep me posted! Did you send it? Did it get printed? One thing's for sure -- it won't get printed if you don't send it! So what are you waiting for? Replace the red with your info and presto -- you're ready to roll. Five Minutes is all it takes. Go for it!
Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor,
July is National Parks and Recreation Month. Unlike earlier July celebrations, there’s no parade or fireworks to commemorate the occasion. However, everyone in {your town} (whether they know it or not) gets to celebrate the benefits of parks and recreation each and every day -- just by driving past {your most beautiful park/open space name}, hiking on trails, cooling off at the pool, playing ball, walking or biking on trails and paths, or picnicking at a favorite spot.
But parks and recreation is really about the people behind the parks and programs. An army of volunteers who serve you and your children in countless ways supports our professional staff. These generous men and women, boys and girls, do everything from pick up trash from our parks to help teach kids to swim. They are the unsung heroes who coach our kids’ teams, help them meet new friends, explore their creativity and feel good about themselves. Park volunteers also help our staff protect our {17,000 acres of parkland} including trails, wildlife and open space. On behalf of the entire department I pay tribute to over {1,000} volunteers who contribute more than {20,000} hours to our city. Their tireless work saves our economy more than {$X thousand/million – see note below for volunteer value formula*} dollars every year. Together, park and recreation staff and volunteers ensure that {your town/community/ service area} is, indeed, a wonderful place to live, work and play ... today and for generations to come. I salute you all! With gratitude, Your Name Your Title Your Agency Name July X, 2007 (Send by July 20 for best results)
