Tucson Parks and Recreation is pleased to announce it has won two Arizona Parks and Recreation Association (APRA) awards for its Ready, Set, Rec! mobile recreation program. Tucson Parks and Recreation was nominated for Outstanding Program – Youth Enrichment and Marketing and Communications. The department received the awards at the 72nd Annual APRA Awards Event held on Tuesday, Nov. 8, at the Peoria Sports Complex.  

City of Tucson Parks and Recreation’s Ready, Set, Rec! (RSR) is an innovative mobile recreation program that began in February 2021. It was approved by the City’s Mayor and Council to allow the Parks and Recreation department to use CARES Act funds to purchase six cargo vans, equipment, supplies, and staff uniforms to get started. The intent of the program is to bring recreation into parks, offering a diverse range of recreational amenities to ensure access, inclusion, and connectivity for all.  

RSR has filled a vital role in the community with equitable access to recreation and play. The perfectly branded and easily recognizable vans are a welcome sight as they move through the community delivering the promise of fun, recreation, education, stimulation, and connection for everyone. Ready, Set, Rec! is proudly Tucson-centric and customized to unique qualities for different areas of Tucson.   

Tucson Parks and Recreation teamed up with Kaneen Communications to develop branding and design for the vehicles and program. Strategic engagement and a creative approach helped to develop the elements that combine to drive program’s success. It has 10 icons that immediately transmit the wide range of possibilities inside, everything from stretching and music, to sustainable planting and STEM. The van hoods were designed to be unique to each ward, providing a sense of pride and ownership.   

The program continues to see an increase in followers on social media to find the next park locations and increasing the number of participants and requests for vans to visit different community parks. Thanks to recognizable branding, a robust kickoff, a continued marketing campaign, and of course, a quality program, the department had an impressive 8,068 youth and 2,743 adults who participated in 2021, which included 682 park visits. The participation numbers for 2022 have been even greater.  

Find a schedule of where the vans will be on the website or follow @readysetrec on Facebook or Instagram.