Network Expands through Five County Collaborative Partnership in Southeastern NC
The Kids in Parks program partnered with the College of Health and Human Services at the University of North Carolina Wilmington through their five-county collaborative group called the Southeastern North Carolina Regional Health Collaborative (SENCRHC) to install five new TRACK Trails in the southeastern region of the state.
Through the partnership, at least one TRACK Trail has been installed in each of the five counties that make up the SENCRHC region. On Saturday, June 4, four of the new TRACK Trails celebrated their grand openings in conjunction with National Trails Day. Those trails include:
- Elizabeth Brinkley Park located in the Town of Lake Waccamaw in Columbus County
- Town Creek Park in located in Warsaw in Brunswick County
- Onslow Pines Park located in Jacksonville in Onslow County
- Miller's Pond Park located in Burgaw in Pender County
The 5th trail, Smith Creek Park, which is located in Wilmington in New Hanover County, celebrated their grand opening last year.
The SENCRHC's mission is to improve individual and community health in Southeastern North Carolina through regional programs and interventions that promote residents in Southeastern NC to be actively engaged in healthy lifestyles. They partnered with The Center for Healthy Communities (CHC), and each of the region's County Health Department's, to work with the local parks departments to identify TRACK Trail locations for the Kids in Parks program.
Now, in combination with other trail sites that were previously established in the region, there are eight TRACK Trails in the southeastern region of the state, providing citizens of, and visitors to, the region with numerous opportunities to get unplugged, outdoors and active in our parks and public lands.
Kids in Parks is looking forward to continuing our partnership with the College of Health and Human Services at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and establishing more trails in the region.