Sports Organizations Make a Play for Publicity MOST VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATIONS reach out to recruit new members, but it takes a more concerted effort to publicize campaigns, achieve name recognition, and secure a base of supporters. Different goals, however, demand different approaches to outreach: some groups keep efforts intimate to create a close-knit group of committed participants, while others embrace a broader constituency to galvanize them behind larger campaigns. The strategies of two local athletic organizations prove that successful publicity can take many forms. MIKA Sports Association is named for a young woman named Mika who inspired its formation in 1989, but the initials also stand for Making Intelligent Kids Athletes. Today, MIKA serves about 60 girls from four boroughs ranging from elementary school to post-college. The girls participate in year-round practices, tournaments, and educational programs including tutoring, assistance with college applications, SAT preparation classes, and college visits. President Barney Davis has clear priorities when recruiting new players for the program. His motto is “no superstars that are not good kids.” MIKA stays small deliberately so that coaches and tutors get to know every girl personally. “Our main objective is to take good kids and mold them into college graduates, good citizens, and ultimately role models, through basketball,” he says. “The most important thing is not being the best player, it’s having character.” In keeping with this approach, MIKA does not advertise widely or produce public news conferences; its current and former players are its best recruiters and fundraisers, who speak highly of the program to friends and colleagues, and whose dedication to MIKA speaks for itself. This selective outreach suits MIKA’s focus on serving the long-term needs of a limited membership. Aggressive marketing techniques are required when the goal is to reach an entire community. The Highland Park Tennis Association, under the leadership of Founder/President Dion Lachmanen, seeks to accomplish just that. Not long ago, the courts of Highland Park were badly maintained and misused; but only seven months after first meeting in October 2004, the HPTA welcomed 135 visitors to Opening Day on clean, well-equipped courts. Over the course of 18 weeks, 154 children ages 4 to 17 received free tennis lessons, and a four-week session of adult lessons graduated 23 players. Other accomplishments included a Kids’ Day, a trip to the U.S. Open, and the formation of a team for the U.S. Tennis Association Junior Tennis Tournament. With a USTA grant for equipment, and other supplies donated by local businesses, the HPTA earmarked a Partnerships Capacity Fund Grant specifically for outreach. “We want to reach everyone. It’s not even about the game as much as it is about building a community,” says Lachmanen. Funds have financed a website, banners for the courts, and printed materials for distribution. HPTA also advertises in the Ridgewood Times and posts listings on the gothamgazette.com message board. Players and coaches recruit at local schools, the neighborhood library, Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCA, and the other athletic programs in Highland Park. The HPTA ultimately hopes to run year-round sport and educational programs and improve Highland Park overall in cooperation with other community organizations. Whether your intended audience is small or large, Partnerships can help you reach them. Call us at 212-360-8180, or go to “Resources for You” at www.partnershipsforparks.org. SENIORS GET FIT WITH CITY PARKS FOUNDATION! Experts recommend that adults of any age exercise for 30 minutes 5 days a week, but The Department of Health and Human Services reports that few older persons engage in regular physical activity. Only 31 percent of individuals aged 65 to 74 report participating in 20 minutes of moderate physical activity 3 or more days a week. City Parks Foundation’s (CPF) new CityParks Seniors Fitness hopes to change that by making fitness more accessible – and fun – for adults aged 60 and over. This spring, CPF is offering four senior fitness programs designed to encourage participants of all abilities and interests to become more active while socializing with their peers. Those looking for a competitive sport might try tennis. Meditative types looking to increase flexibility and build muscle tone might like yoga. Fitness walking and biking offer good workouts as well as opportunities to enjoy our parks in bloom. All four FREE programs will be offered in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, Flushing Meadows in Queens, and Marine Park in Brooklyn. Sessions are held Monday through Friday beginning between 8 and 10 am. For information and registration, call 718-699-4200 or visit www.CityParksFoundation.org. Shape Up, New York! New York families can get energized and toned with Shape Up, New York, the free "fun and fitness" program funded by the Department of Health, staffed by Parks' Recreation professionals, and offered in 12 Parks and NYC Housing Authority facilities citywide. To get started with light aerobics, group walking, stretching, and breathing exercises, check out www.nyc.gov/parks or call Ralph Pereda at 212-360-3311. Get your heart pumping on the Forest Park Health Hike. Meet the Urban Park Rangers at the Visitors’ Center at 10am every Sunday for a two-hour hike on Forest Park’s scenic Orange Trail. For information, call 718-846-2731. Dishing the Dirt on Compost. Learn to make 'black gold' from organic waste to nourish your garden, street tree or houseplants. The NYC Compost Project, funded by the Department of Sanitation, is providing compost education in all five boroughs. Visit www.nyccompost.org or call the program in your borough. Bronx: The New York Botanical Garden 718-817-854 Brooklyn: The Brooklyn Botanic Garden 718-623-7290 Manhattan: Lower East Side Ecology Center 212-477-3155 Queens: Queens Botanical Garden 718-539-5296 Staten Island: S.I. Botanical Garden 718-361-1010 Join us to help rebuild City Park in New Orleans. As we celebrate It’s My Park! Day on May 13, community groups throughout the City will be raising funds to replace over 1,000 oak trees uprooted by Hurricane Katrina. City Parks Foundation will assist in coordinating these efforts, and a full list of donors will be sent to City Park. For more information, please call Eileen Remor at 212-360-8126. Chelsea Recreation Center offers free Soccer Clinics for kids of all abilities, ages 6 through 12, on Saturdays from 10am to 12pm through June 24. For information, call 212-255-3705. Save the Date: It's My Park! Day is coming up on Saturday, May 13! Come network, clean up, and celebrate with fellow park volunteers. Register by calling 212-360-1357, completing the online form at www.partnershipsforparks.org, or emailing signup@itsmypark.org. Dear Friends, Spring is right around the corner, and with it the promise of flowers in bloom and long, sunny afternoons. If you shelved your New Year’s resolution to get fit, now is the perfect time to dust off your sneakers and take your workout outdoors. Free or low-cost sports and recreation opportunities for children and adults can be found citywide. Drop by your neighborhood park or recreation center or visit www.nyc.gov/parks or www.CityParksFoundation.org to find out about upcoming activities near you. Sincerely, Adrian Benepe, Commissioner Parks & Recreation David Rivel, Executive Director City Parks Foundation Successful events can be a great way to attract media attention for your organization. Here are a few ideas to help you maximize the press potential of your next event. » Hold a variety of smaller public events in advance of a large event. Building support gradually should pay off with a large crowd and good advance buzz. » Reach out to local media outlets at least three days before with a press advisory giving them the event information. Have press releases available at the event for reporters, and send copies to media outlets immediately after your event. » Time your event to coincide with a holiday or special event that relates to your organization’s work. This could be a ‘hook’ that convinces reporters to write about you. » Invite VIPs such as public officials, local business leaders, and prominent activists to lend their star quality. » Get noticed by displaying plenty of flyers, posters, banners, or other printed materials with your name and logo. Visit our website to find tip sheets about using the media to promote your organization. Has your group been cleaning and planting for so long that it might just be the oldest in the city? Partnerships is seeking the group with the longest documented history of volunteer service. To enter, mail “proof of age” (meeting flier, newspaper article, etc.) to: Historic Park Group Search, Partnerships for Parks, 830 Fifth Ave, NY, NY 10021. Winners will be announced in the next issue of the Leaflet. Warming up before exercise improves performance and prevents injuries. A warm-up should begin with light, continuous aerobic activity that raises your pulse but doesn’t leave you feeling tired. Follow this with stretching. Use all the muscle groups you’ll be exercising and hold each stretch for 10 to 30 seconds, so that you feel your muscles working, but aren’t in pain. Get loose, then get going! SUPPORT FOR SPORTS The Balance Bar Food Company offers grants supporting projects that will provide communities with opportunities for residents to lead healthy, active lifestyles. Organizations with 501(c)(3) status can request amounts ranging from $1,000 to $25,000. The next deadline is August 30, 2006. For additional information, visit www.balance.com.

Partnerships for Parks works to increase community support for and involvement in parks throughout New York City. Founded in 1995, Partnerships works to start, strengthen, and support neighborhood park groups; to link these groups together so that they can learn from each other and become stronger collectively; and to promote involvement in parks so people will join in efforts to restore and preserve them. Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor City of New York Adrian Benepe, Commissioner Parks & Recreation David Rivel, Executive Director City Parks Foundation Jason Schwartz, Director Partnerships for Parks EDITOR: Hillary Angelo, Director, Technical Assistance Program WRITER: Jennifer Keeney Sendrow DESIGN: Anne LaFond http://www.partnershipsforparks.org http://www.nyc.gov/parks http://www.CityParksFoundation.org To contact Partnerships for Parks and for information on volunteering in parks, call (212) 360-1357 or call the City's non-emergency hotline, 311.