Community Honored With Two Statewide Recreation Awards

The Big Bear Valley Recreation and Park District is celebrating some year-end accolades as two local programs have received awards for 2008, as selected by the California Park and Recreation Society, among over 500 other local parks and recreation agencies throughout the state. The first of these awards was in the Recreation and Community Services, Health and Wellness category for the Big Bear’s Biggest Loser fitness program, which drew 50 participants who lost nearly 1000 pounds during the program; the second round of this program begins on January 12. The Rec and Park District also submitted an application on behalf of the Lighthouse Project’s Move a Million Miles for Ryan Hall campaign, in which Big Bear logged over a million miles for local Olympian Hall, who ultimately placed 10th in the Beijing marathon—this community spirit-driven effort won in the statewide category Champions of the Community. Local Rec and Park Director Reese Troublefield tells KBHR that this is Big Bear’s second award in this category in the last three years, as Soroptimist International of Big Bear Valley won in 2006, for their support of park district programs and activities. In March, staff from the Big Bear Valley Recreation and Park District will attend an awards ceremony hosted by the California Park and Recreation Society, to accept these two awards on behalf of the Big Bear community.