Calling All Families: Second Annual National Kids to Parks Day Set for May 19

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May 08, 2012, 12:09 ET

Parks Offer Natural Remedy for Nation's Rising Obesity Rates

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hundreds of thousands will head to parks May 19 to celebrate National Kids to Parks Day and National Park Trust (NPT) hopes this official kick off to summer will help combat two disturbing national trends: park attendance is trending down and national obesity is trending up.

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"Park fun for families is a simple prescription to help adults and children stay healthy and active," said Grace Lee, Executive Director of National Park Trust. "We hope families will skip the drive through and screen time and head outdoors – our parks are the best natural remedy to help fight our nation's rising obesity rates."

Parks around the country are offering an enticing menu of events to attract visitors. Every state park in Virginia is offering a National Kids to Parks Day event. Forty-five other states are getting in the game. Families will be bird watching in California, fishing in Connecticut, biking and hiking in Georgia, doing volcano restoration in Hawaii, and pond prowling in Louisiana. Families can go to www.kidstoparks.org to find an event nearby or plan their own event by downloading a toolbox of ideas.

Over 61,000 have pledged to play on May 19 by signing up on www.kidstoparks.org, 228 mayors in 45 states have passed resolutions of support, the governors of Washington State, Colorado and West Virginia have declared May 19 National Kids to Parks Day and the U.S. Senate is expected to pass a resolution of support next week.

The Second Annual National Kids to Parks Day has been endorsed by Department of the Interior's Youth in the Great Outdoors, American Academy of Pediatrics, National Education Association, Western Governors' Association, Children's National Medical Center, Boy Scouts of America, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, America's State Parks, National Recreation and Park Association, Children & Nature Network, National Geographic Kids, National Environmental Education Foundation, and the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition in support of the First Lady's Let Move Outside! initiative.

NPT is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and protection of our nation's critical parks and reconnecting our youth – especially those that are underserved – to nature. NPT is preserving parks today and creating park stewards for tomorrow (www.parktrust.org).

SOURCE National Park Trust