Lakeville is a moderate sized suburban community that consists of people of all ages and multiple levels of social class. The city tries to provide its residents with a safe, well-rounded, and positive environment. They have succeeded in establishing places for people to gather, interact, and become healthy through their parks and other recreational facilities. Two popular locations are North Park and Life Time Fitness. The city of Lakeville strives to create a vibrant community through people, parks, and programs. Public spaces such as parks provide tremendous community assets, serving not only as a place to relax, relate to nature and recreate, but to also play an important role in building community by creating places for social exchange. From providing spaces for team sports to play areas for children, and safe areas for walking, jogging and cycling; to community places for cultural activities, such as art and community events; or for simply socializing with friends; parks enhance our quality of life. Lakeville’s Park Maintenance Department provides high quality, safe and well-maintained public parks and open space of over 1,400 acres, 100 miles of pedestrian and bike trails, playgrounds and athletic facilities catering to all ages. On the city of Lakeville’s website it states: “The Lakeville Parks & Recreation Department will strive to administer safe, proficient means of managing park areas and provide diverse recreation opportunities in order to enhance the quality of life for Lakeville residents.” Across the country, communities are recognizing that by conserving land for new parks and green spaces they are building healthier communities and economies. A well-planned and maintained park system, with recreational fields... ... middle of paper ... ...ize the most up to date athletic equipment. Having membership at Life Time separates you from the rest of the community who don’t have the privilege of exercising there. It is viewed as attaining an improved status in Lakeville. Even your membership card is available in three colored echelons. Both Life Time Fitness and North Park maintain a very positive atmosphere. They are places people can improve their physical and psychological health through exercise. Also, residents can gather together with their neighbors or folks from surrounding communities. Both facilities promote family interaction. They provide opportunities to diffuse negative energy and endorphins through individual or collective activities. The main objective for each place is to improve the overall well-being of the community. Unfortunately, not all Lakeville residents will have equal access.
There should be no man made machinery operating in the park unless absolutely necessary. The creation of the National Park Service is to preserve wilderness in a way that gives people the opportunity to experience nature in all its wonder. It was never intended to create amusement parks where people never leave the safety of the modern age and look at the natural world through glass. Being completely enveloped in nature has many benefits, from physical such as lowering blood pressure, to psychological in boosting moods. According to Tyler Tapps in Parks & Recreation: “Recent research indicates that outdoor activity is associated with positive mental and physical benefits, including increased cardiovascular function, decreased stress levels, and reduced blood pressure” (Tapps). Abbey understood this, as did many Americans. Today however the number of people willing to immerse themselves in the nations parks is decreasing. In Desert Solitaire, abbey puts it this way: “A man on foot, on horseback or on a bicycle will see more, feel more, enjoy more in one mile than the motorized tourist can in a hundred miles” (Abbey). Today many members of the younger generation have lost that sense of joy and wonder in the outdoor setting. This change would bring back the love of nature in this
parks system is a great way to get away. If we continue to allow our parks to
Ever wonder why people have fears of height? People have been pondering this question for who knows how long, maybe since man was able to climb. The author John Tierney has a genuine way of looking at it. He even has an article about it called “Can a Playground Be Too Safe?” It explains that it has been scientifically proven that children who take healthy risks early in life are not as fearful as those who don't.Lake Stevens should build a risky playground because children can overcome fears.
The more than four hundred locations that are currently recognized as national parks have been set aside because they are considered special places of beauty, character, or uniqueness. Whether visitors come from the natural state or the concrete jungle, the magnificent aesthetics of these sites can cause anyone to be astonished. As they ponder on the wonderful landscapes and the closeness to the wilderness, their souls are nourished. Some people acknowledge the planet or the creator, but all appreciate the splendor of biodiversity and gain a new understanding of it. According to Frye and Nuest, “watching other species and interacting with them helps [people] better understand and appreciate [their] place among them and [their] obligations to other living creatures and the same planetary environment that sustain both [their and the lives of other species]” (54). Furthermore, since these sites have been carefully preserved, they have undergone very little physical or geological change in centuries. The NPS claimed through its website that “by preserving biodiversity, [they] also ensure that future citizens, artists, and explorers of science experience [America’s] lands as the founders of the parks did long ago.” National parks allow visitors to relive scenes from the past and appreciate the nation’s history as expressed in these iconic sites. However,
There is no better feeling in this world than to be outdoors with nature, especially when there are numerous activities to dabble in. Often times people take for granted the sentimental value that they can experience by simply walking through a park. God created the Earth to be beautiful and peaceful, and people need to keep it that way. I have always shared a love of the outdoors with my dad and my brother. We have gone on numerous camping, hiking, fishing, and star-gazing trips ever since I can remember. It was no surprise to me when my dad decided to buy a lake house on Hyco Lake, right outside of Roxboro. We got a really good deal on the house, so my dad decided that Hyco Lake was the perfect spot.
Glenn, Stacia. "Youths Push for New Park." Student Research Center. N.p., 22 Aug. 2006. Web. 6 Dec. 2013.
A prevalent but highly economical constraint that has plagued inner city communities is a lack of financial income. Studies have identified “costs of registration, equipment and travel expenses”, as key determents of the lack of participation within recreational activities by lower and single income families (Hughes et al, 1992). Though many programs are offered for free, programs which require fees discourage youth in lower income families from participating (Torrance, 1998). Many Inner cities do not offer recreational programs for its residents within the community, forcing the residents to seek recreational activates elsewhere. This results in additional investments in both time and transportation cost, as many low income families cannot afford a car (Hughes et al, 1992). This causes a strain on single parent families with more than one child, as they struggle to find programs which are suitable for various ages in different locations (Hughes et al, 1992). Another socioeconomic constraint which has heavily impacted recreational activities throughout inner city communities, is a lack of facilities and space for community centers. Residents of low income communities often reside in neighborhoods which lack resources needed to facilitate positive recreational involvement. A study in regards to the
By placing this emphasis on beauty in the wilderness the American people expected to see a beautiful wilderness, although in reality these two are not mutually exclusive. Muir supported a form of natural improvement in which alterations to the natural world are made, but not with any economic value in mind. Interestingly, Muir suggests that our wildness is a commodity to which, we are glad to see how much of even the most destructible kind is still unspoiled”. (Muir) By the time the National Park Service was founded in 1916 the American people wanted to be entertained by, and in, nature
“… It is apparent, then, that we cannot decide the question of development versus preservation by a simple referral to holy writ or an attempt to guess the intention of the founding fathers; we must make up our own minds and decide for ourselves what the national parks should be and what purpose they should serve.”-Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire
"LA Fitness grew out of three clubs, each owned by one of the founders. In 1990 Fred Turock, Jeremy Taylor and David Turner decided to get together to jointly manage these clubs, with the aim of building up a network of gyms with first class facilities. In 1996 they created the LA Fitness brand and the following year they joined the top ten health and fitness club operators, catering to a wide variety of people of all shapes and sizes and with a huge range of goals. In 1999 the growth and success of the LA Fitness group led to a listing on the London Stock Exchange. In 2005 the team decided they needed more control - they wanted to make sure LA Fitness could continue to provide affordable membership and a fun environment for its growing band of members. LA Fitness now has more than 88 clubs and over a quarter of a million members all over the United Kingdom" (LA Fitness, 2007).
This can be extrapolated to a community service as a recreational activity, where people have to interact and that way the life of a city becomes more outgoing. A dog park can be a good experience for dogs because they can feel the relaxing place where they do not have to use a leash, so they are free to move wherever they feel like inside the park. This situation can be helpful to the people, since they are free of worries of their dogs because a big, closed pet-friendly place would give them the confidence that there are no hazards, like vehicles, or any damage to the dog. Also, a dog park in the city would help to create friendship and an identity of community since dog owners do not have to go to other cities to enjoy these kind of parks. Instead, they can be part of an identity and recognize themselves in their own city.
The ambiance of a district also sways the wellness of the individuals that reside within the province. It is proven that citizens who have “greener” communities (more parks, grassy areas, trees) are more likely to be healthier and have a greater life expectancy (2). This could stem from a feeling of security which allows for the people of that area engage in exercise more often than people from areas where it is unsafe to walk the streets alone even in the daytime. Lack of r...
On September 9th, 2017 at approximately 7 p.m., I went to Gracedale Public Park to carefully conduct my observation on the individuals, who were at the park and their specific activities in the one hour of time. When I got there, the weather was beautiful with soft winds, a clear sky and with some dim sunlight. The park was full of people of all ages. Though, there were more kids than adults and some teenagers. There were many bicycles and strollers parked beside the tree I sat under. After a couple of minutes, the park filled up with more and more individuals and everyone seemed busy doing their own actions.
As I make my way on this journey that is my life, I realize that I have always believed in the fundamental worth of all humanity and my responsibility as a fellow human being to respect this premise and also to support individuals, as much as I am able, to help unearth it should this basic truth become hidden to them. This is a guiding principle for me and I believe that many of the constructs of the field of Therapeutic Recreation (TR) are congruent with this philosophy. Making the decision to obtain a Therapeutic Recreation Specialization (TRS) degree offered a theoretical rationale in which to further explore the concept of leisure, define my professional philosophy and an opportunity to reflect critically on the field which I have chosen and my evolving role within it.
The entire course content including envisioning, developing and implementing a recreation program, as well as preparing a grant application will be most useful in my professional career. Each component is important and necessary to create an effective recreation program that will enable the participants to have a fulfilled leisure experience and improve their quality of life. This will be useful in my professional career because I gained a good sense the value of leisure education, conducting a needs assessment and implementing