Orange Bowl Field Opens at Glades Pioneer Park

The opening celebration of Orange Bowl Field at Glades Pioneer Park in Belle Glade, Fla, took place on Wednesday, December 19 at 4:00 p.m. The $3 million renovation of the existing football field at Glades Pioneer Park is the Orange Bowl’s fifth Legacy Gift to the South Florida community and first in Palm Beach County. Renovations include a synthetic turf field and maintenance, an electronic scoreboard, an entry monument, fencing, walkways and signage.

The new Orange Bowl Field allows for greater recreation opportunities and enhances the sense of community for the Glades. The field also serves as the playing site for several teams from the Glades Youth Football League, which is a current member of the Orange Bowl Youth Football Alliance (OBYFA) presented by Metro by T-Mobile. In addition, many current and former NFL players from the area have used the field to conduct youth football camps.

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The Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department, recognized nationally for excellence in park and recreation management, operates more than 110 parks and recreational facilities and provides organized recreational programs and services for people of all ages and abilities. Visit http://www.pbcparks.com for more information.

About the Orange Bowl

The Orange Bowl is a 360-member, primarily-volunteer non-profit sports organization that promotes and serves the South Florida community. With its primary mission since being created in 1935 to bring tourism to South Florida through an annual football game and events, it has also maintained a legacy of charitable contributions and community outreach. Orange Bowl community outreach efforts are comprised of four pillars: youth sports, fundraising and community events, academic programs and scholarships, and legacy gifts.

Know Before You Go: Wheelchair Course

In an effort to improve the quality of life for all Palm Beach County residents and visitors regardless of age, gender or ability, PBC Parks offers a Wheelchair Course inside John Prince Park, designed for those with physical disabilities. Participants travel along the course, completing different exercises along the way. Watch this episode of “Know Before You Go” to find out how to complete the eight different exercises!

The Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department, recognized nationally for excellence in park and recreation management, operates more than 110 parks and recreational facilities and provides organized recreational programs and services for people of all ages and abilities. Visit http://www.pbcparks.com​ for more information.

Know Before You Go: Sports Fields

Youth and adults can play a number of organized sports by joining sports leagues – or, open green space is available at no cost to those who want to play unorganized sports. Watch this episode of “Know Before You Go” to find out how to play sports like soccer, basketball, baseball and more in PBC Parks!

The Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department, recognized nationally for excellence in park and recreation management, operates more than 110 parks and recreational facilities and provides organized recreational programs and services for people of all ages and abilities. Visit http://www.pbcparks.com​ for more information.

POWER OF PARKS EPISODE 2: NOAH KRAFT

Welcome to Power of Parks, a podcast produced by the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department, where we share inspiring stories from people who have benefited from nature, parks and recreation.

Episode 2 features guest Noah Kraft, a 13-year old volunteer at Okeeheelee Golf Course. Noah has been volunteering at the golf course for almost a year. Volunteering has helped him in a few ways, including learning how to do different tasks and improving his game. Noah agrees volunteering has provided him with many opportunities to better himself, and much of this has come from interacting with golf employees at the course. This opportunity is providing him not only with a way to serve his community, but also valuable experience he needs to work his way up to becoming a professional golf player!

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About Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department:
The Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department operates more than 110 parks and recreational facilities and is committed to making the quality of life for Palm Beach County residents and visitors better by providing diverse, safe and affordable recreation services, welcoming parks, and enriching social and cultural experiences by promoting wellness, fostering environmental stewardship, contributing economic value, and by improving the community every day for this and future generations. For more information about recreational opportunities and healthy, happy living, visit www.pbcparks.com and follow @pbcparkson Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and WordPress.

Volunteer Spotlight: Kim Ryan

PBC Parks’ Volunteer Spotlight highlights our talented and dedicated volunteers! Meet DuBois Pioneer Home volunteer, Kim Ryan, one of the four “original” Dubois Pioneer Home historical docents. Watch the video to learn about Ryan – including why she volunteers and what reactions she gets from visitors! Docents provide guests with quality, educational, and enriching experiences by giving educational tours throughout the DuBois House exhibit. Consider becoming a docent at the DuBois House located at DuBois Park in Jupiter! Call PBC Parks Volunteer Services at 561-966-6609 for more information.

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The Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department operates more than 110 parks and recreational facilities and is committed to making the quality of life for Palm Beach County residents and visitors better by providing diverse, safe and affordable recreation services, welcoming parks, and enriching social and cultural experiences by promoting wellness, fostering environmental stewardship, contributing economic value, and by improving the community every day for this and future generations. For more information about recreational opportunities and healthy, happy living, visit http://www.pbcparks.com​ and follow @pbcparks on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and WordPress.

Nature Ninja Warrior Spring 2018

 

Through the vision of our Director, Eric Call, a new department initiative kicked off this spring. The Nature Ninja Warrior Program provides underrepresented middle and high school youth with diverse experiences in parks and recreation. This free program highlights youth development opportunities in park and natural resource management, outdoor experiential learning and environmental recreation, with an emphasis on job and life skills development. Between February 17 and April 14, 2018, 14 middle school youth traveled to John Prince Park in Lake Worth on eight consecutive Saturdays and two days during spring break and set out for adventure and learning in our parks and natural areas.

Activities included the FAU ropes course, canoeing, archery, fishing, habitat restoration, assisting with Outdoor Adventure Day and geocaching. Students learned about wetlands, prescribed fire, resume building, proper interview techniques, bird adaptations and invasive exotic plants. The program culminated with a graduation ceremony at the CMAA Therapeutic Recreation Center in Lake Worth where family and friends of the participants gathered for presentations and refreshments.

The program was a huge success thanks to our partners and the parks and recreation professionals that facilitated all components of the program. Partner agencies included: PBC Youth Services, who assisted our department with identifying program participants; Palm Tran, who provided bus passes for participants with transportation challenges; 4-H and UF IFAS Extension, who presented a youth workforce readiness program and the Friends of Green Cay Nature Center, who provided a generous financial contribution to this program. Special thanks to the Parks Natural Resource section, our nature centers, recreation centers, therapeutic recreation and Riverbend Park staff for their support.

As a result of the Nature Ninja Warrior program, participants not only broadened their access to the parks and recreation field, but also showed significant improvements in eight youth development outcomes. Teamwork, independence, responsibility, competency, problem solving, friendship, exploration and affinity for nature were measured through pre and post testing developed by the American Camp Association. The Nature Ninja Warrior Program will continue in the fall with returning students building upon the skills they learned during the spring. Returning program participants will have a leadership role during the new season and will assist in guiding the new participants through the program. The Nature Ninja Warrior student work experience program will begin in summer 2019. This will provide program graduates with paid work experience in the Parks and Recreation Department.

For more information on this program, please contact Pat Rash at: prash@pbcgov.org 

 

 

Say “hello” to the PlayMaker

The Palm Beach County’s Parks and Recreation Department’s ‘PlayMaker’ van has arrived!

“The PlayMaker” is Palm Beach County’s mobile recreation van, bringing recreation to communities one day each week and one weekend day per month, August through May. Residents of all ages will enjoy free activities and music in a safe and caring environment. Adults & seniors, rediscover the kid in you and meet your neighbors. Teens and kids, come play games and hang out with your friends.

For more information, visit The PlayMaker’s webpage or call 561-966-7054.​

We make the quality of life for Palm Beach County residents and visitors better by providing diverse, safe and affordable recreation services, welcoming parks, and enriching social and cultural experiences. We achieve this by promoting wellness, fostering environmental stewardship, contributing economic value, and by improving our community every day for this and future generations.

Please visit www.pbcparks.com​ for more leisure opportunities available through the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department.