Play on the Way mobile recreation program to start next summer by the RPL department
A Mobile Recreation program will start next summer, bringing recreation programs to rural communities around the Mount Pleasant area.
The program will involve students from recreation majors. Central Michigan University Professor Lori Irwin said one of the objectives of the "Play on the Way" program is to give students a wide range of experiences by getting them in touch with the Mount Pleasant community.
Many local communities are left without any recreational structure or real leisure activities, she said.
“We want to bring recreation programs to rural areas," Irwin said. "We’ll be going to churches, parks, city festivals, playgrounds and schools to involve people with sports and family activities.”
Program units will consist of a truck connected to a trailer, which will transport athletic sport equipment, fishing poles, kayaks and canoes, musical instruments and artistic materials.
“The challenge, now, is getting enough money to really start the project. The RPL Department will support and fund us, but we need to find off-campus sponsors,” Irwin said.
The program is meant to promote and make local communities aware of health benefits. It will cost $261,000.
“We have to make people more comfortable to have an active lifestyle,” she said.
A typical session will engage around 60 participants for 2-3 hours of activity. Most of the programs will be offered during weekend during out-of-school hours. The objective is to give service to more than 6,000 people in the first year, said the professor.
“The RPL program is putting great effort into this important project and I am proud to say that CMU will be the first university in the country to launch a mobile recreation program,” she said.
