City of San Rafael
Proclamation
Designation of July 2026 as Park and Recreation Month
WHEREAS parks and recreation programs are an integral part of communities throughout this country, including the City of San Rafael. Parks and recreation promote physical, emotional, and mental health and wellness through organized and self-directed fitness, play, and activity; and WHEREAS, parks, recreation, and open space areas are fundamental to the environmental wellbeing of the community and the City of San Rafael recognizes the benefits derived from parks and recreation programs by maintaining three community centers, the Falkirk Cultural Center, Terra Linda Pool, two community gardens, 106.41 acres of improved parkland, and 934.9 acres of unimproved open space, and;
WHEREAS, parks and recreation foster social cohesiveness in communities by celebrating diversity, providing spaces to come together peacefully, modeling compassion, promoting social equity, connecting social networks, and ensuring all people have access to its benefits; and WHEREAS, parks and recreation support the economic vitality of communities through increased property values, by providing frontline jobs, childcare for the workforce, and promoting community revitalization; and
WHEREAS, parks and recreation support human development and endless learning opportunities that foster social, intellectual, physical, and emotional growth in people of all ages and abilities, and parks and recreation strengthen community identity by providing facilities and services that reflect and celebrate community character, heritage, culture, history, aesthetics, and landscape; and WHEREAS, parks and recreation sustain and steward our natural resources by protecting habitats and open space, connecting people to nature, and promoting the ecological function of parkland; and WHEREAS, in 2023, the City of San Rafael adopted a Park and Recreation Master Plan to help the City prioritize recommendations and develop strategies to improve our parks, update facilities, increase ways for people to access and connect to parks, and strengthen recreation programs; and WHEREAS, this year’s theme highlights ‘The Power Of’ parks and recreation and the people who make it all possible, a reminder of the contributions of parks and recreation employees and volunteers, and in the spirit of this theme, the City of San Rafael invites you to join us this summer as we celebrate the many ways parks and recreation connects us through Play, Community, Nature, Belonging, and Well Being.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, KATE COLIN, Mayor of San Rafael, do hereby recognize that July 2026 is recognized as Park and Recreation Month in the City of San Rafael.
Kate Colin
Mayor