Don’t Forget to Vote in the America is Your Park Campaign

(photo Park by Henry Scott cc license)

Earlier this month I shared about Coca-Cola’s America Is Your Park campaign. I’ve been promoting it at city hall and trying to get a campaign going for our favorite park, Les Gove. Have you started advocating for your favorite park? It’s not too late! Here’s a quick video, tips on how last year’s small-town park won, and some ideas to get your own campaign going.

Last year’s winner was Oak Park in the small town of Minot, North Dakota. Do you want to know the secret to their success? Community action! Everyone in Minot got involved and campaigned for Oak Park. They held events in the park, mobilized through online communities, got hometown celebrities involved, and voted nonstop. When I shared about this campaign at city hall, I was at first met with understandable skepticism. It’s easy to assume that a big city or national park will sweep the voting. But any park, no matter the size, can win if it has a passionate advocate leading the charge.

Here are some tips for boosting your favorite park to the top of the list:

Start Online

• Vote from now until July 15, 2012. After you vote, you can share it with your social network simply by clicking the the Share button. (After voting, it’s just a FB share.)
• Set up a Facebook page to spread the word and rally everyone around your park. Share regular status updates on how your park is ranking on the leader board.
• Ask your local newspaper to encourage voting from its Facebook page.

Get Active in the Park

• Bike, run, rollerblade or play games with your friends and family.
• While you’re there, encourage everyone to vote! Each Foursquare check-in from the park earns your favorite 100 more votes. Check out more details on voting from the park.

Get Out the Vote!

• Use the toolkit found on LivePositively.com/parks to help organize your community and empower others to get involved.
• Send emails, letters and tweets to community leaders, park groups, local celebrities and more telling them about the campaign and why your park is so special.
• Print out the flyer found in the toolkit and post it all over your park. Ask park-goers to use their smartphones to cast votes on the spot!
• Work with local government or park groups to plan events in the park, and have event-goers check in from their smartphones to cast votes throughout the day.

I’d love to know if you’re doing anything to try to win for your park. Of course, if you’re not, you can always go vote for Les Gove Park in Auburn, WA!!!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Only legal residents of the 50 U.S. (and D.C.) who are at least 13 years old and reside within the U.S. at the time of participation are eligible to vote for a Park. Participate on behalf of a Park by: July 15, 2012. The 3 most popular Parks will be offered a grant and there will be 1 Wild Card drawing at the end of the Contest to award an additional grant. To participate, for Official Rules, and complete details including grant descriptions, visit www.LivePositively.com/parks. Void where prohibited.