Missoula's Future
Missoula Parks and Recreation has earned and enjoyed a fine reputation of excellence. But the costs of excellence are as great as the rewards. Each park facility and program requires staffing, managing, scheduling, maintenance, equipment and an enormous amount of dedicated energy and attention in order to offer you all that we do. Your giving enables us to sustain and build on excellence. Now you can be a partner in our effort and success with your personal involvement in a favorite project or program.

Parks play a vital role in the quality of our lives by providing play areas, green places and open spaces. Quality recreation programs offer all ages opportunities for learning, enrichment, growth, self improvement, leadership and good citizenship in our community.

Park Needs
Below you'll find a list of needs for the many parks, facilities and programs you now enjoy. Its purpose is to raise additional funding to meet our growing needs. Your support and generosity can secure our future. You can keep us growing and blooming with endless possibilities.

Community Involvement
Supports Missoula’s low-income families:

• Requests for Parks and Recreation youth program grants have more than doubled over the past year.
• 18% of Missoula’s children live in poverty; That’s about 4000 Missoula kids living below the Federal Poverty Level.
• 13,000 Missoulians receive food stamps through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
• 32% of students in Missoula County Public Schools meet low-income guidelines to qualify for free or reduced-price school meals.

Obesity
Fights the youth obesity epidemic by increasing physical activity:

• 28% of Missoula’s third-graders are overweight or obese.
• Only 16% of Missoula students in grades 2 through 12 achieved the recommended levels of daily physical activity.
• The most active kids earn one grade higher in school than the least active kids. Additionally, the most active kids perform best on standardized tests.
• By increasing access to places and programs for physical activity, youth not only have higher levels of activity but are less likely to be overweight or obese.
• Access to parks, playgrounds, and recreation centers leads to other healthy lifestyle choices.

Youth Development
Encourages positive youth development and helps prevent juvenile delinquency:

• Students who participate in one to four hours per week of extracurricular activities are 49% less likely to use drugs and 37% less likely to become teen parents.
• Youth involved in recreation programs are more likely to do volunteer work and feel that they can undertake activities to make life better for other children and youth growing up in their community.

Activities
Participation in recreation activities gives youth a chance to:

• Find personally meaningful activities and develop lifelong interests.
• Learn self-determination and having control of one’s actions.
• Develop a variety of skills and competencies.
• Develop a sense of belonging and mattering.
• Have opportunities for personal growth and leadership.
• Engage in goal-oriented experiences and learn about future expectations.

Becoming a Partner
You may choose to earmark your contribution for a particular project or to fully sponsor a project. Areas of greatest need and sponsorship suggestions are listed below.

• $1001 to $2400 - Parks Fans
• $2500 to $5000 - Parks Supporters
• $5000 to $10,000 - Parks Teammates
• $10,000 + to $24,999 - Parks Champions
• $25,000 or more - Parks All-Stars

Donation Distribution

• Use my contribution in the areas of greatest need: Provides the greatest flexibility in addressing needs of residents.

• MOBASH Skatepark Community Outreach: Goal of $20,000
• Active 6 McCormick / Currents Pass: Goal of $30,000
  
  • Every sixth grade student in Missoula receives a free annual pass to Currents Aquatics Center, access to the Adventure Challenge Ropes Course, MOBASH programming, and more.
• Youth Recreation Scholarships: Goal of $30,000
  
  • Provides scholarships for recreation programming, swim lessons and aquatics passes and punch cards for low-income families.
• Volunteer Program: Goal of $10,000
  
  • Provides tools, equipment, supplies for large volunteer projects in parks, trails, and open space.

Contact Us
If you are interested in dedication and development of private property to public park land, or investing in park infrastructure or park memorials, please contact us for a Parks and Recreation gift catalog.