Taking the Super Bowl by storm

Is anyone else out there a football fan?

Super Bowl XLII featured dazzling entertainment, hundreds of thousands of excited people, and a thrilling upset victory for the New York Giants. It also featured the Outdoor Recreation Village 2008 – an area that showcased recreational opportunities - encouraged more active, healthy lifestyles - and promoted volunteerism on our nation’s public lands.

Federal agencies and recreation organizations banded together to help educate and inform Super Bowl visitors about the many wonderful outdoor benefits and opportunities of America. Take Pride in America® participated in the Outdoor Rec. Village, and was able to spread the word about public lands volunteerism to thousands of visitors of all ages. We especially emphasized encouraging children and their parents to get outside and have fun.
The trip was a perfect opportunity to bring together football fans of all ages, and promote volunteerism.

Over the Super Bowl weekend, Take Pride was able to speak with hundreds upon hundreds of visitors, and communicate how important it is for citizens to care for our public lands, and to instill that desire in their children also.
The weekend also brought the arrival of a few government officials: Lyle Laverty, Assistant Secretary of Water, Science and Parks, Mark Rey, Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, and Alison Young, Deputy Director of USA Freedom Corps.

Lyle, Mark, and Alison each delivered speeches encouraging children to get outdoors, and Alison awarded a Lifetime Service Award to Doug Shippey. Doug has dedicated over 34,000 hours of his life to volunteerism on public lands!

Think about that for a minute. 34,000 hours. That’s the equivalent of volunteering 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, for over 16 years.

Doug, our hats are off to you! You are a shining example of volunteerism at its finest.