Parks, Recreation & Neighborhood Services News

July Is National Parks And Rec Month - We Honor Our #PRNSBEST Employees And The #EssentialWork They Do To Support Our Community And Residents

Post Date:07/26/2021 2:00 PM

DID YOU KNOW that Parks and recreation services are often cited as one of the most important factors in surveys of how livable communities are? Parks provide gathering places for families and social groups, as well as for individuals of all ages and economic status, regardless of their ability to pay for access. And our team of City of San José Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services’ (PRNS) professionals are the backbone of providing these facilities and parks for our community.

July is National Parks and Rec Month! The National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA) observes this month as a time to honor Parks and Recreation Departments nationwide and acknowledge their staffs’ dedication to providing essential services and quality programs to their communities.

PRNS is structured by multiple divisions to offer services and programs that aim to build healthy communities that inspire a sense of belonging. Our #PRNSBest employees throughout the department are #Essential to building strong communities, promoting health and wellness and increasing residents’ access to nature and recreation.

People with their bikes at Viva Calle 2017
VivaCalleSJ has become one of PRNS’ most popular activities with more than a hundred thousand residents participating at each event.

The City of San José is home to over 200 parks and one of the nation’s largest urban trail networks. PRNS Parks division is responsible for maintaining our city’s outdoor spaces and preserving natural areas so they can be enjoyed by future generations. This division also oversees many aspects of planning for large events, concerts and festivals that are held within our parks, ensuring that the protection of our parks and outdoor spaces is uncompromised.

Volunteers helping with restoration at Alum Rock Park
The PRNS Volunteer Management Unit offers monthly outdoor volunteer events where residents can take part in beautifying their parks and trails spaces while enjoying time outdoors.

The Recreation division includes our community centers, which are essential to the community, providing recreational classes for young and old- and those in between, food distribution through our vital Senior Nutrition Program and providing other offerings that enhance the health and wellbeing of members of our community.

Kids from Rock N Learn lined up
The ROCK n Learn program offered youth a safe space for virtual learning and additional educational assistance during the pandemic.

Our Community Services division focuses on improving the quality of lives within our neighborhoods through vital programs like BeautifySJ, Project Hope and Youth Intervention Services, which offers gang affected youth resources and support.

PRNS is also home to some amazing facilities and parks such as Happy Hollow Park and Zoo, the Municipal Rose Garden, Lake Cunningham Action Sports Park, Alum Rock Park (California’s oldest municipal park) and the recently-opened Arcadia Ballpark. Many of these parks were planned, renovated or improved through our Capital Improvements division.

Lastly, the entire department would not be successful without a strong Administrative division team to take care of finances, grants, human resources and the structure needed to ensure our department is able to provide the services, programs and facilities to the community.

These are just some examples of the incredible work our #PRNSBest employees do in order to support our community, residents and strive to make San José a better place for all through quality recreation and services. Thank you to the entire PRNS department and Happy National Parks and Recreation Month!

The ActivateSJ Strategic Plan is the City of San José's Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services’ (PRNS) plan to maintain, improve and expand our facilities, programs and services. The plan guides how we care for and develop a diverse park system, and an abundance of recreation programs and services for all in San José.

ActivateSJ’s mission is to connect people through parks, recreation and neighborhood services for an active San José. To learn more about our department’s plan and vision to move forward, visit activatesj.org

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