New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
Hundreds of thousands of children nationwide, including here in New Bedford, MA, will take part in a grassroots movement to discover America’s parks through play on
Saturday, May 21, to commemorate National Park Trust’s (NPT) sixth annual Kids to Parks Day.
New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, as one of the over 400 National Park units nationwide, to offer a special invitation to participate in their Kids to Parks event on Saturday, May 21, from 11:00 AM-3:00 PM. The event will feature Ruth and Abby, the park’s 1850s ladies, in an afternoon of fun and games. Visitors will want to bring their cameras to see what happens when two 1850s ladies meet up with Buddy Bison, the park’s lovable wooly mascot.
At a time when an obesity epidemic touches nearly 1 in 3 children who are either overweight or obese, communities are witnessing sky-rocketing rates of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and elevated cholesterol levels in children. Like New Bedford, other cities across the nation are committing to a simple motto: “active kids are healthy kids” and encouraging their residents to use Kids to Parks Day as the first of many days spent outdoors, at local parks and recreation sites, to develop more active, healthy lifestyles.
NPT is working with numerous cities and towns included those affiliated with First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Cities and Towns program, which is designed to encourage mayors and elected officials to adopt policies and programs that create systemic changes, reducing childhood obesity.
The City of New Bedford was recognized in 2015 at a ceremony at the White House with First Lady Michelle Obama for reaching five key health and wellness goals as part of the nationwide Let’s Move! Cities, Towns and Counties (LMCTC) initiative. LMCTC is the First Lady’s comprehensive initiative dedicated to solving the problem of obesity, so that children born today will grow up healthy and able to pursue their dreams. Through Mass in Motion New Bedford (MiMNB), the City of New Bedford has achieved gold medal status in each of the program’s five key areas, making New Bedford one of just 58 other communities in the nation to earn the same distinction.
On May 21, families are encouraged to visit a park or recreation area and submit photos of their adventures to Buddy@BuddyBison.org for possible inclusion in NPT’s national map commemorating the day.
Kids to Parks Day has been endorsed by America’s State Parks, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Hiking Society, Boy Scouts of America, Children & Nature Network, National Environmental Education Foundation, National Geographic Kids, National Parks Hospitality Association, National Recreation and Parks Association, National Wildlife Federation, US Army Corps of Engineers, National League of Cities, National Park Service, National Parks Conservation Association, Bureau of Land Management, Sierra Club, American Recreation Coalition, Outdoor Alliance for Kids, City Park Alliance, US Play Coalition, Eastern National, and Falcon Guides and supports the First Lady’s Let Move Outside! initiative and the President’s Every Kid in a Park movement to get more youth and families to be active and live healthier.
“We are committed to healthy living and our wonderful parks and recreation areas like New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park to provide excellent spaces for outdoor play. I invite all of the area residents to join us outdoors on May 21, for Kids to Parks Day,” said park superintendent Meghan Kish.
