National Selfie Contest Winner Donates Prize to Hendricks County Parks
by Julie Randall | Jul 27, 2016 | blog-post
A Hendricks County woman's photo of herself and her daughter won a national selfie contest through the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA), and she then donated her $500 prize to Hendricks County Parks and Recreation.
To celebrate Parks and Recreation Month in July, NRPA held a selfie contest with a different theme every week, encouraging people to take pictures of themselves while enjoying the great outdoors. Each week's winner took home a $500 Amazon gift card from NRPA. The first theme of the month was to take a selfie with nature.
Meghan Stritar of Brownsburg participated in the Summer Fun Run Series hosted by Hendricks County Parks and Recreation at the Hendricks Regional Health YMCA on July 6 and took a selfie with her daughter during the event. She then submitted the selfie to NRPA to enter the contest.
Through a massive social media effort spearheaded by Stritar, her photo garnered the most votes of all the selfies throughout the country that were submitted to NRPA that week, and she was awarded the first $500 prize of the contest.
Stritar then immediately contacted the Hendricks County Parks and Recreation office and informed them that she is donating her prize to be used for children's programming.
"The contest was designed to promote local parks, so it seemed logical to me and my family to donate the prize to the county's parks department," said Stritar.
A mother of two children and the publisher of Macaroni Kid Hendricks – an online resource for local parents – Stritar and her family frequently attend Hendricks County Parks and Recreation's programs, many of which are offered at no charge to the public, but which involve supplies for crafts and projects.
"This was a great surprise for us," said Jeremy Weber, superintendent of Hendricks County Parks and Recreation. "It's nice to know we have a community willing to invest like this in parks. This donation is a huge investment in community health, nature education, and programs for kids. It will make a real difference, and we are very grateful."
Hendricks County Parks and Recreation operates McCloud Nature Park, Sodalis Nature Park, and the Amo-Coatesville section of the Vandalia Trail. Families can get more information about their programming at HendricksCountyParks.org. More information about Macaroni Kid Hendricks can be found at hendricks.macaronikid.com.