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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING THE FOREST PRESERVES OF COOK COUNTY'S GREATER MAYWOOD PADDLING PROGRAM FOR RECEIVING AWARDS FROM BOTH THE SOCIETY OF OUTDOOR RECREATION PROFESSIONALS AND THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COUNTY PARK AND RECREATION OFFICIALS
WHEREAS, on May 8, 2019, the Forest Preserves of Cook County's Greater Maywood Paddling Program received the Project Excellence Award from the Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals; and
WHEREAS, on June 9, 2019, the Forest Preserves of Cook County's Greater Maywood Paddling Program also received a National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials Award in the Park and Recreation Program - Class II category; and
WHEREAS, the Greater Maywood Paddling Program is a unique community paddling initiative that provides an economical, supportive and user-friendly way for organized groups to connect to nature through kayaking; and
WHEREAS, this program is the only kayak gear lending and training program in the country that partners with community groups and trains them to lead their own kayaking trips and provides participants with all the supplies needed to lead an organized group paddling trip; and
WHEREAS, the Greater Maywood Paddling Program is one way in which the residents of Proviso Township and the Village of Maywood can experience the Forest Preserves' and Des Plaines River's remarkable nature and beauty; and
WHEREAS, the program exceeded expectations in its 2018 pilot season by training five community organizations who led a total of 17 partner guided paddling trips, additionally Forest Preserves' staff led 15 public paddling events with the entire program engaging 527 participants; the program is set to meet or exceed those numbers in 2019 having already trained 16 community leaders representing seven local community organizations; and
WHEREAS, the program was launched through a Forest Preserves' partnership with the Cook County Department of Public Health and funded in part through a ge...
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