Adventure Stories

Otherworldy Adventures

May the Fourth be with you for a special parks shoutout in honor of Star Wars Day. Some of our TRACK Trail locations feature some pretty out of this world scenery. Whether along the TRACK Trail, or in another section of the park, these sites host unique features to thrill a young science fiction fan looking for an otherworldly adventure.
by Allison Royal, May 2nd, 2019
KIP and BCBSNC Foundation Staff pose for a picture with the award

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
SHIFT Award Presentation

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 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