No leaf unturned: Kent, Wash

Located 15 miles south of Seattle, the city of Kent--Washington State's eighth-largest city, with more than 84,000 residents--has a Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department (PRCSD) that prides itself on its cutting-edge programming. The diversity of its participants, which last year ranged in age from 6 to 101 and spoke some 86 languages, implies a remarkable degree of community outreach. And in Kent, quantity is matched to quality: Driven by the efforts of 11 program coordinators and six program specialists in six divisions (recreation/ athletics/community education, senior programming, specialized recreation, youth and teen programs, cultural programs and aquatics), the department has, in recent years, offered an average of 114 sports programs every quarter to some 32,000 individual registrants.

The PRCSD uses every method available to develop and promote programs optimally tailored to Kent's unique needs: Surveys, statistical data, trend research, collaboration with the Kent School District and a host of marketing techniques, including quarterly brochures, program flyers, mass mailings and public service announcements. Also keeping the PRCSD a step ahead is its emphasis on looking at the department as a growing, fluid entity at all times--in the past five years, the PRCSD has acquired 152 acres of land for future use.

The stated aim of the PRCSD--the mission statement of which is "Dedicated to Enriching Lives"--is to use recreation as a vehicle for improving the overall quality of life of participating community members, and to that end, the department's philosophy is to guarantee universal access to its programs. The department's Web site offers full program listings and online program registration 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; people with special needs or those with the inability to pay are never excluded. Also, though a variety of competitive leagues are available for older, more experienced youths including Little League, Junior Football, Kent Youth Soccer and others--initial emphasis is slanted in favor of participation and enjoyment, the aim being for participants to view aspects of sports and recreation as lifelong, healthy pursuits rather than as an assortment of wins and losses. Coaches are well-versed in helping engender this mindset. Adults are also evaluated for skills and placed in leagues and on teams accordingly.

The range of program opportunities is remarkable. Youth activities include dance, music, art, movement, theater arts, fitness, gymnastics, martial arts, cheerleading, skating, pottery, day camps, resident camp, trips, fishing, language instruction and inclusive classes for tots and their parents that incorporate movement, tumbling and play. Teen programming includes late night activities at Lighthouse (positive peer influence while participating in creative activities, games, sports, music, dance, tutoring and counseling), T.O.A.C (Teen Outdoor Adventure Club, which includes day long and overnight trips, skiing, horse back riding, kayaking, camping, back packing, etc.), "Teen Employment" and internships, "Work Your Way Back" (a collaborative program with the Kent School District providing structured work projects, counseling and tutoring), Big Blue (a mobile technology bus featuring computer classes) and classes in dance, music, art, theater, cooking and fitness.

Adult programs include dance, fitness, health, cooking, finance, computers and a wide variety of creative arts (such as soap making, home decorating, scrap book making, quilting, painting and wood working). Finally, senior activities include day trips and tours, overnight/extended tours, entertainment events, music and dancing opportunities, games and cards, sports and fitness including skiing (downhill and cross country), walking club, pickleball, volleyball, sport fishing, aerobics, strength and stretching, workshops and classes, arts and crafts and computer learning. There are also special interest groups, including book club, woodcarving, fly tying, stamp collecting and singing, plus services such as Meals on Wheels, an adult day center and Mill Creek Cafe--a senior 5-day-per-week meal program.

To support these endeavors, Kent includes 25 softball/baseball fields, 10 soccer fields, three flag football fields, an indoor ice arena, an indoor swimming pool, three outdoor three wall handball courts, 15 tennis courts, nine basketball courts, an 18-hole disc golf course, an 18-hole golf course, a par-3 golf course, a mini-putt course, two outdoor concrete bowl skate parks, a resource center with a gymnasium, a senior center with dance hall and activity rooms, and a community center with gymnasium, weight training center, and handball courts. Partnerships with the school districts, clubs and churches open the greatest possible number of facilities for community rise.

The department has won a slew of awards over the years as a result of its tireless efforts. Add to that a well-earned selection as a Sportstown USA

COPYRIGHT 2003 National Recreation and Park Association
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group