Happy Spring. It feels like the weather may finally be changing, and at the very least the colors are filling in and it is vibrant right now. A perfect time to head outdoors and fill your senses. 

The Parkscriptions teams have been busy this past month. Our Advisory Team met last week and filled the room with their energy, insight and passion for the program. Through their conversations we are underway updating the program’s vision, goals and evaluation plans. Stay tuned…

Our promotional and technology teams continue to move forward developing materials for Doctors and the content for the website. 

Mid-April provided a major goosebump moment as April and Todd joined Michele Anderson for a meeting with the Bellingham Bay Family Care Network Clinic team. We met with Dr Greg Anderson, Practice Manager Cyndi McClary and LPN David Hawthorne who will be the first to pilot Parkscriptions this summer. It was wonderful to see their enthusiasm for the program and to hear Dr Anderson say how valuable of a resource Parkscriptions will be. He is already recommending exercise and/or time outdoors to half his patients and sees the website as a great compliment and a needed tool. Their enthusiasm was contagious as Dr Sara Bowling (in the same clinic) joined the pilot the next day!

We participated in National Park Rx Day this past Sunday and saw a phenomenal response! We had 70 people join us for a walk in the woods and to learn more about Parkscriptions. You can read the follow-up article and watch a video from the day on the Bellingham Herald site. 

Other recent events are garnering support and enthusiasm as well. The Whatcom Community Foundation recently held their annual event to recognize current grant recipients and we were chosen to present Parkscriptions. Those three minutes led to possible partnerships with four new organizations! Lindsay Poynter also invited April to talk with her recreation students at WWU and that resulted in 40 students expressing interest in volunteering.

We also had recent meetings with the East Whatcom Regional Resource Center, the team of Let’s Move Blaine and Unity Care and are excited about possible partnerships with each of these incredible organizations. 

April Claxton

April is a co-founder and former co-Executive Director for Recreation Northwest. She has a passion for place and loves exploring, experiencing and sharing the beauty of the pacific northwest.  She is currently working with Ocean Conservancy to protect our oceans, specifically the Arctic.