By Cort Jones
There’s something special about summer in a local park. The sounds of a ballfield coming to life in the morning. The smell of freshly cut grass. The sights of community members coming together in a space you helped shape. It’s the kind of thing most people don’t think twice about — but we know how much goes into this sometimes thankless work.
Every July, Park and Recreation Month (https://www.nrpa.org/events/july/) gives us a chance to slow down and recognize the people who make these everyday moments possible. An initiative of the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), this year’s theme is, “Build Together, Play Together,” and we are thrilled to celebrate.
Because parks and sports fields don’t just appear – they’re built by people who care deeply about community; people who show up every day to mow, rake, paint, patch, repair, reline, replant — and repeat. People like you.
If you manage sports fields, maintain parkland, facilitate programs or keep facilities running, this month is about you just as much as it is about the spaces themselves. Your work is the foundation; without it, there’s no game, no practice, no gathering – just empty space.
But what’s remarkable is how often that work goes unseen. And that’s part of why Park and Recreation Month exists — to shine a light on the people behind the scenes, the folks doing the work that makes everything else possible.
That freshly groomed infield? You. That field striped just in time for a championship match? You. That complex built last fall that is now a centerpiece of the community? You helped make that happen, too.
What “Build Together, Play Together” really means
“Build Together, Play Together” isn’t just about playgrounds, sports fields and recreation centers; it’s about connection, collaboration and community.
We build things with and for each other. When that’s done right, people come back to play. That’s when the real magic happens – neighbors become teammates, strangers become friends, and kids grow up remembering the places they felt free to be themselves.
The word “together” is the key component. The best parks, programs and public spaces don’t succeed in isolation. They thrive when maintenance staff, recreation leaders, planners, volunteers and community members work side by side. We don’t always get it right, but it’s always meaningful, and we learn new ways to collaborate each time.
Getting involved this July
So how do you make the most of Park and Recreation Month? Start small. This isn’t about adding more to your workload; it’s about showing the value of what you already do, and helping others see it, too.
Here are a few simple, impactful ways to get involved:
- Share your story. Take a few minutes to post a photo on social media of your team or a recent project. Write a short caption explaining the work behind it. People love seeing the process, not just the final product.
- Use the hashtag. Tag your social media posts with #BuildTogetherPlayTogether and #ParkAndRecMonth. It connects your work to a national movement, and NRPA might even share your story with a wider audience (be sure to tag us).
- Highlight your team. Whether it’s a staff shoutout on your website or a printed thank you at the rec center or ballfield, give credit where it’s due. Recognition doesn’t have to be elaborate. Sincerity wins the game here.
- Host something simple. If time allows, invite the community in. A casual open house; a drop-in sports night; a walk-and-talk with staff – anything that shows how much thought and effort goes into these spaces.
- Download the Park and Recreation Month promotional toolkit at https://www.nrpa.org/events/july/toolkit/.
These spaces matter — and so do you
One of the best parts of my job at NRPA is hearing from the people who do this work. Groundskeepers who stayed up all night ahead of a weather-threatened tournament. Teams who turned a forgotten field into a youth sports hub. Crews who kept parks clean, open and welcoming during challenging times. The common threads in every story? Service. Community. Pride.
And those common threads are contagious. When people see the care you put in, they start to care, too. When you invest in a space, the community invests in it right back. It’s not instant, it’s a relationship that builds over time. But July is a good time to remind people just how much of yourself you put into these places.
[First-level subhead, bold] A month to reflect and rechargePark and Recreation Month isn’t just about celebration. It’s a moment to step back, look around, and relish what you’ve helped build. Not just the physical infrastructure, but the emotional landscape, too. The memories. The gatherings. The sense of belonging.
It’s easy to forget all of that in the middle of the season. You’re busy. The days are long. But your work leaves a mark and deserves to be celebrated.
Thank you for building, maintaining, improving, restoring and, above all, caring. For showing up, over and over again, to make sure our communities have a place to play.
Let’s keep building and playing together.
Cort Jones is the director of content marketing at the National Recreation and Park Association. For more information about Park and Recreation Month, visit https://www.nrpa.org/events/july/.