By Heather Wood

The past 2 months have been incredibly stressful for everyone. Sometimes, it honestly does not seem like real life. The Coronavirus is claiming thousands of lives around the world. It is not a joke. It is not a drill. This pandemic is what you will see in the pages of a history book someday. Like many of you, we are in a holding pattern as the Coronavirus has completely disrupted our daily lives. It has also left many parents scrambling to find activities to keep their children occupied, while also working at the same time.

The Centers for Disease Control and the North Carolina State Governor ordered to close municipal facilities and nonessential businesses across North Carolina, leaving residents homebound. Through this process, Kernersville Parks and Recreation has worked hard to get creative in our efforts to keep the community engaged, and we are lucky enough to have a great staff and team behind the scenes to do just that. Normally our department offers enrichment and fitness classes for kids, teens, adults and seniors. We know a lot is changing day-to-day and we want to stay connected and continue to serve our community the best way we know how during this time.

Parks and recreation departments locally and even across the country, are continually inspiring us to build solutions that keep pace with their innovative programs, activities, facilities, and inclusive community offerings. The outpouring of support within our profession has been amazing! We are always aspiring to serve our own communities but now we have found a way to help bond together and serve each other well. The field of Parks and Recreation is in transition and we want you to come join us as we work towards a “new normal” and find balance.

COVID-19 has pushed the Parks and Recreation programming to go virtual. The internet has been a great resource, as well as sharing ideas from other Parks and Recreation departments, and coming up with a few of our own. Making sure children and adults are not cooped up inside for days or weeks at a time is vitally important. Being active is both physically and mentally rewarding. We have encouraged so many of you to get out and take a walk in your neighborhood, local park and discover nature again. There are ways to stay active while making sure you follow the guidelines of social distancing.

If you are not following our social media pages you are missing out! Catch live streams of wild zoo animals up close and personal, take a virtual tour through a museum of history or art, grab a few household items and get creative, get moving with dancing and/or fitness routines, relax with a children’s book read by a celebrity, the options are endless. Don’t worry if you cannot catch them live on our social media pages, we have a full list for you to browse our Programs and Activities resource page at www.kvparks.com.

We are all learning how to PIVOT, (for all my FRIENDS viewers out there) and just like you, your Parks and Recreation department has things planned as the warmer months approach, but whether or not events are cancelled are beyond our control. We have our usual events and programs planned, such as outdoor movies and summer camp, but it is still unknown whether or not they will be postponed or cancelled. We will continue to monitor the situation and keep you as updated as possible on these matters. When everything is ready to go, and people can get back to a new normal, our parks and recreation department will be here to continue to serve the community.

It is our responsibility to keep ourselves safe and by doing that, we keep those around us safe too. The proof is in the numbers. Stay home and wash your hands regularly. I understand that this is new to all of us. We are in this together and that is even more reason to stay home and stay safe. We miss you and cannot wait to see you soon!