Adventure Stories | Kids in Parks

Kids in Parks founding partner honored for significant philanthropic investments

Kids in Parks founding partner, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation (Blue Cross NC) was named the 2018 Outstanding Foundation by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Western North Carolina Chapter in front of a sold-out crowd at National Philanthropy Day. The annual award ceremony honors philanthropists, fundraising professionals, and volunteers making significant contributions to Western North Carolina’s philanthropic community.

by Jason Urroz, November 27th, 2018

Kids in Parks Wins Youth Engagement Award at SHIFT

On October 17, 2018, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation accepted the Youth Engagement Award for its Kids in Parks program at the annual SHIFT Festival in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Kids in Parks was recognized for engaging more than 450,000 children with the outdoors through a nationwide network of TRACK Trails and its Parks Prescriptions program, TRACK Rx.

by Jason Urroz, November 2nd, 2018

Kids in Parks in the running for SHIFT Youth Engagement Award

At Kids in Parks, we love connecting kids and families to nature and helping our parks thrive. That’s why we were honored to recently learn that our program has been named an Official Selection for a Youth Engagement Award by the group SHIFT (Shaping How we Invest For Tomorrow).

by Jason Urroz, July 6th, 2018

Summer Fun on the Coast

Check out these great coastal TRACK Trails this summer.

by Adam Roades, June 19th, 2018

The Story in the Numbers

Every year, we dive into the statistics of the of the Kids in Parks program. The numbers tell a powerful story.

by Adam Roades, June 19th, 2018

Let it Snow Photo Contest

We don't know about you, but photos of snow make us incredibly happy. If you have a great photo of snow, we want to see it.

by Adam Roades, December 14th, 2017

Dr. Olson Huff Receives the 'Fostering New Horizons Award'

Dr. Olson Huff was awarded the 'Fostering New Horizons Award' at the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundations 20th Anniversary celebration for his work establishing and developing the Kids in Parks program.

by Adam Roades, November 15th, 2017

Vote to Raise Money for Kids in Parks

As part of its Hike NC intiative, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is donation $100,000 to five nonprofits and Kids in Parks was selected as one! The more votes we get, the higher the percentage of the donation we will receive.

by Adam Roades, May 30th, 2017

Kids in Parks Invited to International Seminar for Kids in Nature

As Americans, it’s easy for us to recognize the issues surrounding children and their lack of connection to and interaction with nature here in the United States; but the problem of children disconnecting from nature is truly a global challenge. In March, Kids in Parks Director Jason Urroz attended the Salzburg Global Seminar’s session titled, “The Child in the City: Health, Parks, and Play,” to work with 50 leaders representing 23 countries to address the multiple facets of this important issue.

by Jason Urroz, May 1st, 2017

Patients, Doctors, and Rangers Brave Weather on National Park Rx Day

On April 23, the Kids in Parks program joined the National Park Service, National ParkRx initiative, and several other park prescription programs from across the country in celebrating the second annual National Park Rx Day. The annual ceremony takes place on the last day of National Park Week, and doctors nationwide prescribe the events to their patients to get them active outdoors and connect them with the health benefits associated with spending time in parks.

by Jason Urroz, May 1st, 2017