In furtherance of the mission to strengthen the mind, body, and spirit of children and communities, PARC Foundation committed to support American Heart Association’s Start!SM Walking initiative, with the goal of having a positive impact on one of the most serious issues facing the youth of America – childhood obesity.

In January 2010, PARC Management and PARC Foundation entered into a formal relationship with Possibility Pictures of Orlando, FL. Possibility Pictures will develop, produce, and market three uplifting, endearing, and faith-based films in three years beginning with the feature film, Letters to God, released by Vivendi/Universal in 750 theaters nationwide on April 9, 2010.

PARC Foundation was recently introduced to research conducted by UNICEF by a faith-based intermediary organization, FreshMinistries, based in Jacksonville, Florida. The UNICEF research teaches that the health and economic opportunities available to the children living within the community are a good gauge to determine the community’s overall health and future sustainability.

The PARC Management park in Denver Colorado, Elitch Gardens, partnered with Denver Leadership Foundation and local hero Chauncey Billups, a point guard for the Denver Nuggets, to raise money for Chauncey Billups Foundation, Denver Leadership Foundation and PARC Foundation.

Coasters for Caring is an initiative at Elitch Gardens and Darien lake that provides an opportunity for local non-profit organizations to raise money.

At Darien Lake, PARC Foundation along with PARC Management celebrates the life and work of Jack Kemp, by presenting an award annually to a local non-profit organization. Jack Kemp served both the Western New York community and the country as a role model, public servant and tireless advocate of those less fortunate, especially children and families.

PARC Foundation also is the lead supporter for Lifework Leadership in Jacksonville Florida. Lifework Leadership is committed to equipping leaders because it believes that the quality of leadership in an organization makes the difference between success and failure. Lifework’s principles are based on a Christian world-view and are readily transferable for today’s marketplace.

On Tuesday, January 12, 2010, a catastrophic earthquake with a 7.0 magnitude hit the nation of Haiti. An anonymous donor agreed to match dollar for dollar all amounts that PARC Foundation could raise and donate the entire amount to the American Red Cross in support of its efforts in Haiti.

In coordination with PARC Foundation, the PARC Management Parks donate tens of thousands of tickets to support a wide variety of local charitable organizations. Some of these efforts include Elitch Gardens’ long-standing tradition of donating tickets to the Denver Public Library as well as other local libraries; the park has committed over 20,000 in 2010 season.

This year, PARC Foundation will partner with each of the water parks in the PARC family to be a host to The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson. Drowning remains the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages 1 to 14 years. In an effort to improve the health and safety of children, PARC will support the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson and teach swimming lessons at no cost to members of the local communities.