Welcome to GP RED
Founded in 2008, GP RED is a non-profit organization whose goal is to fully recognize and expand research, education, and resource development activities for community “quality of life” agencies. The work of GP RED supports and provides opportunities for health, recreation and land management agencies, along with the associations and universities that support them, to work collaboratively and proactively to identify and fill gaps in knowledge and practical resources. Since our founding, GP RED has provided relevant strategies, training, and information to hundreds of professionals, introducing tools to create healthy communities. Our workshops have helped land management and quality of life professionals understand the connection between their work and public health.
GP RED was created to fill the gaps between the academic realm, practitioners, and associations through collaboration – not duplication or competition. Some of our significant accomplishments include:
- 30+ educational workshops worldwide on healthy community design, financial sustainability, active transportation, leadership development, and succession planning;
- Research Briefs, journalistic summaries of the current state of research and/or methods as they relate to promoting health in community settings;
- Alpha and beta site testing for our Healthy Communities Surveillance and Management Toolkit, researching parks and recreation agencies as vital contributors to public health;
- Developing our Safe Routes to Play Initiative to provide more children with travel options and access to nature, two areas that greatly impact childhood obesity and activity levels;
- Developing and distributing our online newsletter, “GP RED News You Can Use” to more than 5,600 recipients;
- Conducting national surveys to help define trends in the field of parks, recreation, planning,active transportation, and public health. Our survey results are used by organizations seeking to improve policy and management strategies;
- Convening national leaders and change makers in six national “Think Tanks” to envision how we can work together to determine the best practices for advancing common goals such as building healthy communities.
Support GP RED
As a non-profit organization, GP RED relies on contributions and commissions. Major funding has been provided by Corporate Sponsors. Additional support has come from individual members, non-profit organizations and national project partners and clients. Please consider joining the many contributors to insure the continuation of the important work and services provided by our organization. We can’t continue to do it without your support! GP RED is a tax-exempt public charity under the 501(c) (3) codes of the IRS.
There are several ways you can show your support for GP RED:
By becoming a Supporter or Sponsor, you are indicating your support for GP RED`s major initiatives – SHIFT Summit, Active Living Conference, our bi-annual Think Tanks, Healthy Communities Surveillance & Management Toolkit, Operation Recreation Rescue, Leadership Development Workshops, Safe Routes To Play, and other initiatives.