You're so Vain! and we're ok with that Vanity and Personalized Park District Youth License Plates Now Available

26 Illinois Parks and Recreation www.il-ipra.org

You see them everywhere- in your neighborhood, on the interstate, even in the grocery store parking lot. There used to be a game show about them. Kids and their parents diligently try to decipher them while driving to grandma's house. What are we talking about? You guessed it- vanity and personalized license plates.

The IAPD is happy to announce that at this year's IAPD/IPRA Conference, and thereafter, vanity and personalized plates will be available for the Park District Youth License Plate.

IAPD and IPRA members voiced their opinions on wanting vanity and personalized plates. You spoke and we listened.

Step up the Plate at Confrence

Representatives from the Secretary of States office will be located at booth #702 during exhibit hall hours to help you secure your vanity or personalized plate. Full drivers license sevices include: change of address, issuance of state IDs, license plate renewals, drivers license renewals (up to six months prior to expiration), and checking availability and ordering your vanity or personalized license plate. Bring your registration inforation and your checkbook for quicker processing.

Look Good and Do Good, Too

By showing your park and recreation colors in this unique way, you also make a real and lasting contribution to youth programing at agencies across the state.

With each Park District Youth License plate purchased, and subsequent renewals, $25.00 is deposited into a grant fund for youth programming that is provided by park and recreation agencies througout the state. This fund will ensure Illinois children have positive options for those crucial hours between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., when teens are most at risk to be the victims of violence, become pregnant or use drugs and alcohol. Did you know teens who do not participate in after-school programs are three times more likely to use marijuana and other drugs and are more likely to drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes and engage in sexual activity?

When school is out and parents are working, park and recreation agencies step in to fill the gap for children and working parents with after-school programming. Our agencies are doing a great job. But, they need more funding. Get your Park District Youth License Plate and invest in the young people of Illinois. They are our future!

"Flying 4 Kids" to Raise Awareness of Park Plate and its Purpose

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a... kite! Thousands of them, in fact!

Keep your eyes to the skies on Saturday, April 23rd for the first annual "Flying 4 Kids" statewide kite fly.

"Flying 4 Kids," organized by the Illinois Association of Park Districts and the Illinois Park and Recreation Association, is expected to attract thousands of families, kite enthusiasts and media at park and recreation agencies throughout the state. The goal is to raise awareness of the Park District Youth License Plate, which features a colorful kite as the symbol of youth and recreation. Twenty-five dollars from the sale and subsequent renewals of each plate lands in a special grant fund for youth programming at park and recreation agencies in Illinois.

"Several agencies have already agreed to host a 'Flying 4 Kids' event on April 23rd," says Ted Flickinger, IAPD's Chief Executive Officer. "Our goal is to have as many IAPD and IPRA members support this event, which will, in turn, create awareness of the Park District Youth License Plate - an important revenue generator for park district after-school programming in Illinois."

Coordinating a kite fly on April 23 is easy. IAPD will provide agencies with an event planning kit that contains ideas to make the kite fly as simple as possible for staff and as enjoyable as possible for participants. IAPD will also provide license plate brochures and signage, and promote each event via local and statewide media outlets. Kite clubs, manufacturers and retailers have been asked to support and promote "Flying 4 Kids."

While IAPD will provide general event guidelines, agencies are encouraged to get creative to make their own kite fly unique. "Some agencies are enlisting professional kite flyers to perform demonstrations, others are planning kite making workshops or offering kite hospitals to repair damaged kites," says Flickinger.

Visit www.Ilparks.org for a "Flying 4 Kids" registration form, or call Bobbie Jo Hill at (217) 523-4554 for more information. Please register your kite fly by February 18.

The largest barrel kite in the United States and a single-line trilobite take flight. These are some of the kites you may see at a Flying 4 Kids statewide kite fly event. Photo courtesy of Sarah C. Winkel, Bourbonnais Township Park District.
www.ilparks.org January/ February 2005 27