Complete Internship Project

Kids- Story Walk

General Information

The story walk is a free program that we could offer at Legacy Park Community Center. Children and their parents would start at the beginning of the 1.6 mile trail and walk around the trail. Along the way there would be signs posted at the side of the trail with parts of a story on it. As the patrons progress further and further on the trail then they would be able to read more and more of the story. The ending of the story would be the end of the trail. This program would be offered once a month for a couple of days. It would be possible to find stories with an exercise component to it and allow patrons to interact with the stories so they are getting even more exercise.

Budget

See Attached

Marketing Plan

Target Audience

The target audience of this program would be young children or families with children who want to make sure their kids are getting exercise. Another target audience would be children who are overweight and need more exercise. Also, the target audience could be children who don’t want to take the time out from being outside to read.

SWOT

Strengths

A strength of this program is that it allows parents to exercise with their children, and make sure their children are safe. If parents are already walking around the Legacy Park trail then this allows them to keep that routine up, but bring their child along with them too. Another strength would be the ease of the program. Most of the time taken for this program would be to make the story signs and place them around the trail. The last strength is that the program promotes two different areas of need for children, exercise and literacy. This program allows children to get exercise while reading, thus helping to increase exposure. Any program that can help to fight childhood obesity and promote literacy goes over well with the community.

Weaknesses

A weakness of this program would be the different age ranges of people who may participate in this program. It might be hard to implement stories for children of different ages and/or reading levels, which may deter some people from participating. Another weakness is the length of the trail. Some parents and children may not want to walk the whole Legacy Park trail, which would mean that they may not participate in the program. This could be remedied by having different stories at different lengths for the trail or using a shorter distance.

Opportunities

An opportunity for this program is to expand it to a nature walking program, which can educate children about the outdoors while reading. Another opportunity is that the program draws new

members to Legacy Park Community Center and the use of the trails. Some parents may not have ever been to Legacy Park and this program may take them out there for the first time.

Threats

A threat for this program would be the weather. If the weather is not cooperating then the participation in the program will decrease. Another threat would be the other patrons who use the trail. They may not like the trail being used by kids who are stopping in order to read the story that is posted along the way.

Marketing

The event will be marketed in the same way as other LSPR events, including the following:

Social Media

Illustrated

Posters

Word of mouth

Other LSPR events

Email Blasts

Cross market with other kids programming

Cross market with Camp Summit

National Market Analysis

Overall conclusion

The StoryWalk program was developed by a group out in Maine for communities to use. Many different organizations participate in the program or host some sort of Story Walk, but it is not something that has spread to Parks and Recreation Departments across the nation. The StoryWalk organization has reached out to many different community sectors and distributed 36 stories to various organizations in Maine and Vermont in 2014.

Local Market Analysis

Warrensburg Parks and Recreation

This program is offered by WPR twice per summer for one week at a time. The stories are

posted along a trail for one week in order to allow patrons as much time to read the stories as possible.

One story is normally posted in June with the other being posted at the end of July. According to the

WPR Director the program is very successful and normally generates a lot of buzz on Facebook about

when the next one will be posted.

Gladstone Parks and Recreation

This program is offered twice per summer and is structured similarly to Warrensburg’s

program. The story is posted along the trail for one week at a time and there are two stories that GPR

post for their Story Walk throughout the summer. While there is an issue with actually counting the

numbers of participants in the program, since it is an open trail, the Director of Parks and Recreation

said that they have high attendance in their weekly storytelling class and have witnessed people

participating in the Story Walk multiple times.

Overall conclusion

There are a couple of Parks and Recreation Departments around the Metro that participate in

the program and have generated interest in continuing the program. Warrensburg Parks and Recreation

said they had success with the program plus it helps to bond families, increase reading skills, and

increase awareness about the various trails located around Warrensburg.

Description for the Illustrated

1. Looking for a way to combine exercise and reading at the same time? Come on out to Legacy Park Community Center and participate in our story walk. Starting at the beginning of the trail, walk the Legacy Park trail and stop to read parts of a story posted along the way. Walk the entire trail to read the entire story.

2. Once a month for a week throughout summer. 3. Free 4. No deadline- Drop in program 5. Weekly throughout the summer 6. Legacy Park Community Center trails

Story Walk Budget

Revenues

Registration Fees $0.00

Total Revenues $0.00

Expenses

Paper $5.00

Laminating Paper $10.00

Stakes for sign $5.00

Full-Time Staff $100.00 1 hr/session, 4 sessions

Total Expenses $120.00

Net -$120.00

Teens- Archery

General Information

Many departments/agencies around the country have implemented archery and seen success with the program. This program would be offered as a one month program in order to educate teens on the proper technique, safety, and maintenance of a bow. The sport of archery has increased in population throughout the country, especially with parks and recreation programs. Many of these programs have seen great success with their archery program.

Budget

See Attached

Marketing Plan

Target Audience

The target audience of this program would be teenagers who have an interest in archery, especially those who haven’t been able to find the time or space to get into the sport. Another section of the target audience would be teenagers who have done archery before, but need to refresh their skills or just have somewhere where they can practice.

SWOT

Strengths

A strength of this program would be the interest that archery has been gaining in the recreation world. Many Recreation programs around the Nation are starting to build archery ranges and/or implement archery programs into their normal rotation of programs. Another strength of this program would be the interest in the Lee’s Summit community that archery has. Lee’s Summit has a very active group of students who are interested in archery and are starting to branch out in the school system to include middle school students along with the high school students who are interested in the program.

Weaknesses

A weakness of this program would be the lack of space available at Lee’s Summit Parks and Recreation facilities. LSPR does not have a dedicated archery range which means that the program would have to go to another range in order to shoot or use one of the facilities that we have. Another weakness could be the lack of interest in teaching the class. If LSPR uses a staff member to teach the class there may not be interest in teaching it.

Opportunities

An opportunity of this program would be to partner up with the school district to increase exposure of the program to the children involved. Since the school district has increasing interest in archery, a partnership with them could be a boost to interest in the program through LSPR. Another opportunity would be to expand the program based on interest and start to hold archery competitions through LSPR.

Threats

A threat of the program would be the programs that are offered through the school district. While the school district may increase interest in the program it may also hinder the program if patrons choose to go through the school district rather than through Lee’s Summit Parks and Recreation. Another threat is the liability issue that comes with teaching archery. Any organization that implements archery wants to make sure that they are teaching a safe program.

Marketing


Social Media

Illustrated

Posters

Word of mouth

Other LSPR events

Email Blasts

Cross market with other teen programs National Market Analysis

James City County Parks and Recreation

The Archery 101 class offered by JCCPR is a beginning archery class for children ages 9 and up. This class is a three week long class with each session lasting one and a half hours. The class is aimed to teach the children the basics of archery and the cost is $50 for residents and $55 for non-residents. JCCPR provides the students with bows, arrows, and targets and has a volunteer program to teach the class. All of the instructors are certified through the 4-H program in Virginia.

Wheaton Park District

Similarly to other programs the Wheaton Park District archery program lasts for one month and is aimed at children ages 8 and up. During this one month long class the instructor will teach children the proper safety and technique of archery along with other subjects. All equipment is provided by Wheaton Park District and the fee is $80 for residents and $100 for non-residents. The teaching of this class is all done through a contractor and is held at a district facility.

City of Allen Parks and Recreation

City of Allen Parks and Recreation offers an archery program for children ages 8 to 18 and is taught for 1 month. Each class lasts for one hour and happens one time per week. The class is taught by a staff member of the City of Allen Parks and Recreation and all equipment is provided by the department along with the facility use. The staff member that teaches the class is USA Archery Level 1 certified.

Plymouth Parks and Recreation

Plymouth Parks and Recreation archery program is a one month program for children ages 7 and up. This class occurs one time per week, but lasts for an hour and a half, which is more than other

departments. Like the other departments, however, the equipment is provided by Plymouth Parks and Recreation. The cost for the program is $80 for residents and $92 for non-residents.

Overall conclusion

Many Gold Medal Parks and Recreation departments around the nation offer an archery program, so I listed some of them that would be close to what we offered. At least 10 of the past Gold Medal winners and/or finalists offer an archery program through their Parks and Recreation department. Due to the increasing interest in archery, this comes as no surprise. Many, if not all of them, have equipment provided by the department with the staff teaching the classes. All of the programs reported great interest and normally full classes.

I believe that Lee’s Summit Parks and Recreation would benefit greatly from a strong archery program. As it is shown above, many gold medal winners and finalists offer this type of program, and following their lead would be beneficial. Many programs had a minimum enrollment number of about five or six with a maximum of 12 to 16 participants.


Johnson County Parks and Recreation

The Johnson County Parks and Recreation archery program is aimed towards teaching 8-12

year olds the basics of archery. This is done through two, 90-minutes sessions. The price point for this

class is $29 for residents and $31 for non-residents.

Gladstone Parks and Recreation

Gladstone Parks and Recreation’s archery program is geared towards teenagers, with the age

range being 10-15 years old. All the equipment is provided, much like many other programs, but this

class is taught by a staff member of the Missouri Department of Conservation. Classes last for two

weeks and there is one class per week. The fee for this program is $15.

Lawrence Parks and Recreation

The program offered by LPR is for ages 7-16 and is for one session of lessons. These sessions

last for an hour and a half and are taught by certified instructors. The goal is to introduce the

participants to the basics of using a compound bow. The fee for this class is $10.

Turner Recreation Commission (Kansas City, Kansas)

This program is a month long session that provides the basic training for operating a bow. The

ages are 7 to adult and costs $30 per month. Each class is an hour long and takes place on Thursday of

each week.

Overall conclusion

Many Parks and Recreation departments around the metro area do not offer archery only

classes; they offer archery as part of a summer camp and/or day camp alongside other activities. There

are many independent organizations and/or clubs that offer archery lessons, but not many Parks and

Recreation departments. I believe that Lee’s Summit Parks and Recreation could benefit from exploring

this niche and being one of the first departments in the area to provide a solid archery program. If this

program is implemented LSPR could qualify for a $500 rebate that is offered by Missouri Conservation

after the purchase of new equipment.


1. Ever wanted to learn how to shoot a bow and arrow? Come join us in learning how to shoot archery. Bows and equipment will be available, but feel free to bring your own.

2. $50 per 4-week session 3. 1 Hour long class 4. 1 class per week for 4 weeks. 5. 3 sessions 6. HPCC/ External Site 7. At maximum the class would have three students sharing a bow and shooting at the

target. This would be repeated so there are five groups of three students.

Minimum: 5 patrons

Maximum: 15 patrons

Archery Budget

Revenues

Registration Fees ($50) $750.00 5 patrons*$50*3 sessions

Rebate (1 time revenue) $500.00

Total Revenues $1,250.00

Expenses

Bows ($50) $250.00 5 bows

Arrows ($30) $150.00 30 arrows (6 arrows per pack- 5 packs)

Targets ($20) $100.00 5 targets

Certification $150.00

Full-Time Staff $600.00 2 hrs/week, 4 weeks, 3 sessions


Net $600.00

Young Adults- Pickleball Instructional Class

General Information

This program would be young adults who were interested in learning how to play Pickleball in a non-competitive setting. This program would provide all the equipment and space for new players to learn how to play the game.

Budget

See Attached

Marketing Plan

Target Audience

The target audience for this program would be young adults, ages 16 to 29, who are interested in learning how to play pickleball.

SWOT

Strengths

There already is a significant interest in pickleball offered by LSPR. The interest in our program at Legacy Park Community Center could help attract younger players to learn how to play the game. Another strength would be that pickleball is a growing sport and gaining more and more popularity. The sport is starting to be introduced into schools which would help to spread awareness and increase interest in it.

Weaknesses

A weakness of this program could be the location. Patrons may not be aware of Upper Banner Park or the pickleball courts there. Another weakness could be the quality of the instructor. If the instructor isn’t good then the patrons won’t enjoy their time, learn anything, or want to participate in the program.

Opportunities

An opportunity of this program would be to generate enough interest in young adults who take this class that they want to participate in our other pickleball programs. This would drive more people to our leagues and to Legacy and continue to increase the exposure.

Threats

A threat would be all the other sport options that young adults have. They may not be interested in learning how to play pickleball if they are able to go out and play something else. Another threat would be the weather because if the weather is bad then we would have to cancel and reschedule class.

Marketing


Social Media

Illustrated

Posters

Word of mouth

Other LSPR events

Email Blasts

Cross market with other programs aimed at young adults


James City County Parks & Recreation

JCCPR offers a beginner’s pickleball class for anyone ages 12 and up. This program is led by the pickleball players in Williamsburg, Virginia and scheduled by them. The Parks and Recreation department just helps to advertise and promote the class along with allowing the pickleball players to use their facility.

Bend Metro Parks & Recreation District

Bend Metro offers an introduction to pickleball class for adults of any age. Their program is a 75-minute long class designed for beginners. While there is no set length to the class, it runs from the beginning of June until the end of August, patrons are able to attend as many or as few lessons as they feel they need to. For each lesson they attend the patrons pay $5/$6. All of the sessions take place on Monday at the pickleball courts in Bend.

Plymouth Parks & Recreation Department

Plymouth offers a beginner’s pickleball class for ages 6-12. The class last for two hours and is four days in length. The participants are taught the basics of pickleball. The cost for residents is $75 and for non-residents it is $86.

Overall conclusion

Many Parks and Recreation departments around the nation offer an informal or volunteer led pickleball class, but not an actual structured program. The departments that do offer a class are often led by pickleball players and very relaxed in nature. I think LSPR would benefit from the growing popularity and the uniqueness of this program.


Kansas City Parks & Recreation

They offer a class for adults 18 years and older which is offered every Friday for two hours

during the spring. During this class patrons learn the basics of pickleball. The cost of this class is $10.

Johnson County Parks & Recreation

While Johnson County doesn’t necessarily offer a beginner’s class they do have a beginner’s

pickleball tournament and they have a two day clinic. The two day clinic has two sessions that last two

and a half hours each. During this time veteran pickleball players teach beginners how to play and let

them get hands on experience.

Raytown Parks & Recreation

Raytown has had a lot of success with their women’s pickleball clinic. However they do not

offer a class for pickleball beginners besides this women’s clinic. They have had success with the clinic

and had about 50 people attend their last clinic. In order to teach the clinic they have a 5 rated pickleball

player that teaches around the nation. The event has players from all around the Midwest including

Oklahoma, Kansas, and Iowa.

Overall conclusion

LSPR could fill a need in this area for a pickleball class since many Parks and Recreation

departments don’t offer any sort of beginner’s class. There are a couple of programs and a couple of

successful clinics that are hosted around the area.


1. Curious about the new sport of pickleball? Come out to Upper Banner Park to learn what the sport is and how to play. All equipment is provided, but feel free to bring your own paddle.

2. 1 day a week in the evening, every other week 3. 1 hour long classes 4. $10 per class 5. 7 days before class starts 6. Upper Banner Park & Harris Park Community Center

Minimum: 4 patrons per session

Maximum: 16 patrons per session

Pickleball Class Budget

Revenues



Expenses

Balls $23.99 12 balls

Paddles ($15) $60.00 4 paddles

Full-Time Staff $100.00 0.5 hr/week, 8 weeks total


Net $56.01

Adults- Outdoor Pickleball League

General Information

An outdoor pickleball league provided by LSPR would allow pickleball players a way to compete against others to see who the best pickleball player in Lee’s Summit is. This league would take place one day a week in the evenings on the courts at Upper Banner Park. Patrons are encouraged to bring their own paddles, but LSPR will provide balls for the matches. Prizes will be awarded to the top finishers in each league.

Budget

See Attached

Marketing Plan

Target Audience

SWOT

Strengths

A strength of this program would be the interest that pickleball has at Legacy Park Community Center. Implementing a league would allow people who may be unable to play at Legacy or wanted to play more, to have the time to play competitively. Another strength would be that the league would utilize the brand new outdoor courts at Upper Banner Park. Since these courts are new, patrons may be more interested in going out and playing on them.

Weaknesses

A weakness of the program could be that the patrons who already play pickleball are not interested in playing in a competitive league and would rather just play with their friends. If patrons do not want to play competitively then there will be no interest in the league. Another weakness is the number of courts at Upper Banner Park. If interest in the league is substantial then the number of courts at Upper Banner might be an issue and cause the league to run long in order to get everyone’s games in.

Opportunities

An opportunity of this program would be to expand and offer this league to more timeslots and ages through the patrons of LSPR. Another opportunity would be that the league has a lot of success and gains traction through the USAPA (United States of America Pickleball Association). Through this traction LSPR could start to run sanctioned tournaments and increase the interest in pickleball around Lee’s Summit even more.

Threats

A threat of this program would be the pickleball that is played at Legacy Park Community Center. Since there is such interest in pickleball at LPCC, patrons may not want to play elsewhere or play more than they already do while at LPCC. Another threat would be weather. If the weather is uncooperative during the scheduled league time then it could cause some effects in having to move

games around in order to get everything in. The last threat would be patrons, not associated with the league, wanting to use the courts at Upper Banner Park while league is going on.

Marketing


Social Media

Illustrated

Posters

Word of mouth

Other LSPR events

Email Blasts

Cross market with other adult athletics

Cross market with the pickleball program offered at Legacy Park


Athens-Clarke County Parks and Recreation

ACCPR offers adult pickleball for patrons ages 18 an older than takes place every Wednesday evening from 6:30-8:30 pm. This league is aimed at beginners of pickleball with a learn as you play attitude. The ACCPR does not charge a fee to play in the league, and does not offer any sort of prize or award with the league.

Wheat Ridge Parks and Recreation

WRPR offers an eight match adult pickleball league for intermediate players that starts in the beginning of February and runs until the end of March. The league plays eight matches which are best two out of three with a 45 minute time limit on them; after the season there is a single-elimination tournament held to determine the winner. The structure of this league seems to be one of your more typical sports such as softball, baseball, etc. In the last league WPR ran they had five patrons participate. The entry fee is $99 for residents and $199 for non-residents.

Overall conclusion

Many Gold Medal Parks and Recreation Departments around the nation participate in drop-in Pickleball play, like what LSPR offers at Legacy Park Community Center. Many of them have had success, but haven’t offered leagues due to the fact many of the programs are aimed towards seniors. A quick search shows departments like Wheat Ridge, CO and Athens-Clarke County as just some of the departments that offer an adult pickleball league.



While JCPR does not offer a pickleball league they do offer an eight-hour tournament for

senior citizens. During the tournament they have t-shirts, food, and prizes available. Alongside their

tournament JCPR also offers a senior clinic for people interested in learning how to play. This

tournament costs $20 to enter.

Raytown Parks and Recreation

Raytown offers a six week adult pickleball league for $40. This league provides the equipment

to the participants. This summer was the first time they had offered the program.

Overall conclusion

Much like nationally, many local parks and recreation departments offer drop-in pickleball

and/or beginner classes, but few offer leagues. I believe that LSPR would benefit from being a parks and

recreation department to actually offer a league and could draw interest not only from its own patron

base but from others around the metro area.


1. Want to test your pickleball skills against other players? Join the LSPR pickleball league at the new Upper Banner Park pickleball courts. Balls will be provided by LSPR, but please bring your own paddles.

2. 1 day a week in the evening, lasting 1 month. 3. 2 games per evening, best of 3. 4. Double league 5. $10 entry fee for the league 6. 10 days before league starts 7. Minimum of 5 games, depending on popularity. 8. Upper Banner Park & Harris Park Community Center

Minimum: 12 teams

Maximum: 16 teams

Pickleball League Budget

Revenues

Registration Fees ($10) $120.00 12 patrons*$10*1 league session


Expenses

Balls $24.99

Awards $10.00 2 shirts at $5 per shirt

Full-Time Staff $50.00 0.5 hr/week, 4 weeks total

Part-Time Staff $30.00 1 hrs/week, 4 weeks total- Site Supervisor


Net $5.01

Seniors- Poker Walk

General Information

Wanting a way to make your morning walk more interesting? Come to the Gamber Center and take part in our Poker Walk. During a poker walk you receive a card for each lap you complete on the trail. Once you complete five laps you can turn in your poker hand for a chance to win a prize or keep walking for the chance to improve it. A poker walk is a great way to promote physical fitness while still competing and having fun.

This program would be done every Thursday (flexible date) for the season and take place for two hours every morning. The prizes would go to the best hand and would be something along the lines of snack foods, chips, and household items. The best hand would be determined after the two hour walking period and would be monitored by the front desk. The patrons would check in their final hand with the service representative who would keep track of who had the best hand.

Budget

See Attached

Marketing Plan

Target Audience

The target audience of this program would be seniors. This program would allow them a place to walk and get their physical fitness while still having fun. It would also be targeted at current patrons of the Gamber Center and targeted to try and bring in new patrons from around Lee’s Summit.

SWOT

Strengths

A strength of this program would be that the target audience already has an interest in physical fitness and walking. Many seniors are interested in staying in good physical shape, and this program would allow them to do that. Another strength of the program would be the amount of people at the Gamber Center. Since there already is a consistent amount of people at the Gamber Center in the morning, this program would have great exposure to the people who are there during those times.

Weaknesses

A weakness of the program would be a disinterest from the patrons in walking for prizes. If people are not interested in the prizes being offered through the program then they will not participate in the program. Another weakness would be the stigma that is involved with poker. Some people have issues with poker and might be turned off by a poker walk. Another weakness of the program would be the cost. Seniors may not want to pay $1 in order to walk around the trail even if they have a chance to win prizes.

Opportunities

An opportunity provided by this program would be to help LSPR increase physical fitness of the senior citizens that use the facilities. This is another way that LSPR could help promote physical

fitness among the target market. Another opportunity would be that the poker walk could increase traffic to Gamber Center and allow more people to have access to the facility.

Threats

One of the threats would be the weather. If the weather does not cooperate then people may not want to walk outside. However, this program could be transferred insider the Gamber Center if the weather is bad. Another threat is a lack of interest from the community. If the community isn’t very interested in a walking program, they won’t be interested in walking for prizes as well. The last threat would be the theft or damage of playing cards while the patrons are walking.

Marketing


Social Media

Illustrated

Posters

Word of mouth

Other LSPR events

Gamber Gab

Email Blasts

Cross market with other senior programming, such as bingo


Overall conclusion

Nationally there are a couple of organizations and colleges that do Poker Walk events in order to fundraise, but not a Recreation Department that hosts any sort of program the way we would. I believe this could be an advantage because people already know the idea of a Poker Walk, they just don’t have a consistent program to participate in.


Warrensburg Parks and Recreation

Warrensburg Parks and Recreation does a Poker Walk program with their seniors at their

senior center. The program has two, one-month long segments with competitions being held on

Monday and Wednesday of each week. The events last for two and a half hours during the day with

prizes being given out to the patrons with the best hands at the end. The prizes they give away are a

one-day use pass to their fitness facility or a one-day use pass to an exercise class for senior citizens.

Overall conclusion

This program has had success in Warrensburg when done at their senior center. WPR had

seniors who walked their track already and thought this would be a fun way to spice it up. I believe that

the success Warrensburg Parks and Recreation has had with this program could be duplicated if

implemented by Lee’s Summit Parks and Recreation at Gamber Center and possibly Legacy Park

Community Center. The target audience, however, would be the patrons at the Gamber Center.


1. Wanting a way to make your morning walk more interesting? Come to the Gamber Center and take part in our Poker Walk. During a poker walk you receive a card for each lap you complete on the trail. Once you complete five laps you can turn in your poker hand for a chance to win a prize or keep walking for the chance to improve it. A poker walk is a great way to increase your physical fitness while still competing and having fun.

2. Thursday Mornings 8am-10am 3. $1 4. Seasonal 5. Gamber Center 6. Prizes to the best hand

Poker Walk Budget

Revenues



Expenses

Prizes $10.00

Cards $5.00

Full-Time Staff $75.00 0.25 hr/week, 12 weeks


Net $6.00

All-Inclusive- Family Camp-Out at the Amphitheatre

General Information

Come out and enjoy camping under the stars at our beautiful Legacy Park Amphitheatre. Gather around the campfire to tell ghost stories, cook s’mores, and enjoy a night out under the stars. Alongside your traditional camping activities you can take a canoe out onto the beautiful lake and even cast out a line to catch some fish. This event will take place starting at 6 pm and occur every other Friday from the first Friday in June until the last Friday in August. Everyone will meet at the Legacy Park Amphitheatre and make sure to bring your own tent, sleeping bags, and flashlight. The camp-out will cost $10/$15 and the registration is due the Monday of camp-out week. Supervision could be done by a full-time staff member or by a volunteer and their family. Allowing a volunteer to supervise would allow LSPR to save some cost while allowing the volunteer to partake in the program for free. I would recommend looking into finding a volunteer for this position.

Budget

See Attached

Marketing Plan

Target Audience

The target audience of the Family Camping Trip would be parents who have young children who might not be ready to go on a full weekend excursion to the wilderness. This program provides them the opportunity to maintain an eye on their children and make sure they are safe while participating in the same activities they could on a trip elsewhere. Another section of the target audience is families who do not have the time or the money to go on a weekend camping trip out of town. This provides them the opportunity for a quick and a cost-effective camping trip that can help make memories that will be remembered.

SWOT

Strengths

The strengths of the program are that it is a unique program aimed towards the non-traditional campers. The target demographic is one that cannot afford or does not have the time in order to take a weekend trip to go camp somewhere. This program fits in perfectly for them because it allows them to pick one or multiple weekend during the summer to have a relaxing camping trip, without ever having to leave Lee’s Summit. The last strength of the program would be the frequency that it is offered. While this is a weakness, as I discuss below, this is also a strength of the campout because it allows parents the flexibility to pick a week that works for them. If a parent is unavailable for a week there is still six other weeks that they can attend, rather than having to miss out if it was a one-time event. This also allows people who had a good time one week to keep coming back and having the same experience the entire summer.

Weaknesses

The weaknesses of this program are that there may be a lack of activities during the camp-out. While some families may want to partake in camping out at the amphitheatre they may not be interested in fishing and/or going out on the lake. In instances like this there may not be as many

activities for them to participate in. Another weakness would be the potential for injury while outside. While this is something that happens anytime that you go outside, being around a lake or out in the amphitheatre may exacerbate the chance or severity of injuries that occur. The last weakness could be the frequency in which the activity occurs. While this is also listed as a strength, some families may not be interested in coming to a campout multiple times in the same summer so they may only choose one or two weeks in which to participate. This would cause a fluctuation in numbers and a need to market the event for the full duration of the summer.

Opportunities

The opportunities that are derived from this event are an increased interest or awareness of the Legacy Park Amphitheatre. This program would be another way to market and promote the amphitheatre as well as getting patrons out and allowing them to see what it is like for themselves. If a patron has a fun time at the campout at the amphitheatre then they may be more likely to attend one of the other events at the amphitheatre. Another opportunity would be to increase Lee’s Summit Parks and Recreation’s image in the community. This program allows LSPR to reach out to more citizens in the community and attract more people to other LSPR events.

Threats

One of the threats to this event is the weather. As is the condition with any outdoor event, the weather is a factor to the success of this event. If the weather is too hot or too cold or if there is rain the event may have to be postponed, moved, or cancelled. Another threat is that people may not have the proper equipment to campout at the amphitheatre overnight. This would make it so they are unable to participate in the event. The last threat would be the “Great American Family Campout” that Johnson County Parks and Recreation puts on. This event takes place during the middle of our planned program time and may draw patrons away from our event for a week or two.

Marketing


Social Media

Illustrated

Posters

Word of mouth

Other LSPR events

Email Blasts

Cross marketing with other family programming

Cross marketing with other kids programming, e.g. Camp Summit


Bend Metro Parks & Recreation- Bend, OR

They offer an overnight exploration trip that involves rafting and camping out in the wilderness with everything provided by Bend Metro Parks & Recreation. Bend Metro Parks and Recreation provides all the equipment to the patrons for this program. This is not a very good comparison to what we would offer through our Parks and Recreation department, but something that

we might be able to expand to if there is substantial interest. If there is vast interest in the program then we could expand our programming to overnight trips to more scenic locations.

Denton Parks & Recreation- Denton, TX

Denton offers a 4-day long campout experience for $150. This program is offered for children who are grade 1-5 and held at the local middle school plus staying at cabins in Turner Falls Park. The activities offered are very similar to what we would or could offer in camping, fishing, hiking, outdoor games, and campfires and comes out to $37.50 per day for a child.

Plymouth Parks & Recreation- Plymouth, MN

They offered a camping experience at the Hilde Amphitheatre, but it was a one-time event at the beginning of August. According to the Plymouth website the average attendance at this event was 400. During the event there are playground games, a storyteller, a movie, nature walk, catered food, and a campfire plus s’mores. The cost per family is $12 for residents and $15 for non-residents. However, the Director of Parks and Recreation for Plymouth said that the event was not successful in the past and no longer run it.

While this event was a one-time event, it is still a good comparison for our pricing point and location. This might help to support the cause to make our camping program a once a summer type event rather than something that is offered bi-weekly. It is hard to know for sure what the success of the program was.

Overall conclusion

While there are several camping programs offered by some of the nation’s top Parks and Recreation departments, none of them are similar to a bi-weekly family camping program like the one detailed below; this causes some issues with providing good analysis about our program. From the programs we do have to use we can see that our pricing point and amenities are similar to other ones that are offered. Plus, these other programs show that there is room for expansion or to shift the format to a once a year type event.


Kansas City Zoo

The Kansas City Zoo provides an educational opportunity to spend the night with Polar Bears,

Penguins, or in Africa. Patrons are required to bring their own tents, flashlights, and sleeping bags. The

cost of these nights ranges from $30-$40. These programs are offered every couple of weeks by the zoo,

for a total of about 3-4 times a month, but you can choose your own date and choose your own private

overnight. While this is a good educational experience I believe that it isn’t similar enough to the

program we might offer in order to cause issues with our program, but it might be in the future if we

were to expand to try and make the campouts more educational.

Raymore Parks and Recreation

They offered a family camp-out three (3) times, but did not offer it the last two (2) years due

to scheduling conflicts and a lack of interest. The program that was offered by Raymore Parks and

Recreation was an overnight camping event held at one of the local parks that cost $12.50 per person.

RPR provided dinner and breakfast with overnight entertainment and orienteering. Their program

sounds similar to what LSPR would be able to offer, but at a better cost for the patrons of LSPR. A typical

family of 4 would pay $50 in order to campout, but their program was only held one time per year.


They host an annual campout sponsored by Bass Pro Shops called “The Great American Family

Campout”. It is a one-time event in July (19th-20th) and runs from 2pm to 10am. As part of the package

fee you receive passes to Shawnee Mission Park Beach, pedal boat rental, and tickets (plus early

admittance) to the Park’s production of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”. Campers are required to bring

their own equipment and dinner on Saturday night is not provided. However, a breakfast of donuts,

juice, and milk is provided on Sunday morning. The cost for a family of 4 is $30, for an individual it is $10,

and children under 3 years of age are free.

While this is an annual event that has a history behind it, I believe that it is not a threat to the

family campout we would provide. This event is comparable to ours in the fact that it is overnight and

you have access to water, but it is a one-time event. This event would go on during the proposed time of

our event, so that might affect the numbers of participants at our event for that one week, but it

shouldn’t affect the long-term viability of the program. This would be the biggest local threat to our

camping program, as I detailed in the threats portion of the SWOT.

Jackson County Parks and Recreation

While they do not offer a campout program, they do have the facilities to offer one.

Overall conclusion

Very similarly to the national market there aren’t many camping programs offered locally and

even fewer of them are not once a summer type events. The Johnson County campout shows that a

camping program can succeed, for a very reasonable price, in this market. It might be worth a discussion

about making the camping program a one-time, all-day event rather than something that is repeating,

similar to what Johnson County does.


Come out and enjoy camping under the stars at our beautiful Legacy Park Amphitheatre. Gather around the campfire to tell ghost stories, cook s’mores, and enjoy a night out under the stars. Bring your tent, sleeping bags, and flashlight. The program will take place Friday evenings/Saturday mornings from 6pm to 8am. The cost of the program will be either $10. Registration is due Monday the week of the camp-out. The program runs from the first Friday in June until the last Friday in August (6-7 weeks) and takes place at the Legacy Park Amphitheatre. Make sure to bring your own tent, sleeping bags, and flashlights.

Minimum: 9 families per week

Maximum: 40 families per week

Camp-out Budget

Revenues

Registration Fees ($10) $630.00 9 families*$10*7 weeks


Expenses

Matches ($3) $3.00 300 count

Marshmallows ($3) $21.00 7 bags, 28 ounces

Graham Crackers ($3) $21.00 7 boxes, 14.4 ounces

Chocolate Bars ($3) $21.00 7 bags, 10.35 ounces, snack size

Worms $10.00

Full-Time Staff $525.00 3 hrs/week, 7 weeks


Net $29.00

Complete Internship Project

Documents