Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) announced the opening of its Rebuilding and Recovery Micro-Grant Program to support outdoor recreation in communities recovering from the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Helene. The micro-grant program will award $5,000-$10,000 grants to fund organizations and volunteer groups working to clean up and repair recreation sites impacted by the storm and help alleviate the lingering economic burden of recovery efforts felt by local communities in North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia.
Since the hurricane, ORR and its members have been working diligently to support recovery efforts and emergency disaster funding to ensure that local communities have the resources they need to rebuild and restore their outdoor spaces. “Outdoor recreation is a cornerstone of our nation’s quality of life, and when natural disasters like Hurricane Helene strike, it’s our communities that are left to pick up the pieces,” said Jessica Wahl Turner, President of Outdoor Recreation Roundtable. “These micro-grants are designed to support local organizations and volunteers that are leading the way in restoring and revitalizing the outdoor spaces that are vital to the local economies and health, well-being, and connection to nature.”
According to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, outdoor recreation generated $14.6 billion and accounted for 147,000 jobs in North Carolina in 2022, $11.9 billion and 110,000 jobs in Tennessee, $13.4 billion and 122,405 jobs in Virginia, $8.6 billion and 86,211 jobs in South Carolina, $57.8 billion and 469,357 jobs in Florida, and $18.5 billion and 161,816 jobs in Georgia.
The vital role of the Offices of Outdoor Recreation in North Carolina and Tennessee in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene cannot be overstated. Directors of these offices serve as critical advocates and liaisons in times of crisis and are valuable community leaders for the long-term rebuilding and resilience efforts.
“These micro-grants provided by the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable are a great example of how our larger outdoor recreation community is showing up to support our recovery efforts,” said Amy Allison, Director of the North Carolina Outdoor Economy Office. “The health of our local communities and residents is directly related to the health of our public lands, and these grants will greatly help our most impacted communities as we work toward a revival of our outdoor recreation assets.”
“Parks and outdoor recreation are crucial to disaster recovery and rebuilding a healthy community,” said Brian Clifford, Director of the Tennessee Office of Outdoor Recreation. “This becomes increasingly important when a disaster takes quality of life to a low point. We appreciate the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable stepping up to help our communities recover their outdoor recreation assets.”
ORR will continue to shine a spotlight on the impact of outdoor recreation to these communities, their economies, and their cultures, and work with federal, state, and local partners to ensure ongoing attention to their recovery. These grants are made possible through funding from the Richard King Mellon Foundation.