There’s a new annual stipend opportunity for NIRSA’s Canadian members

In 2012, Core Health & Fitness, formerly named Star Trac, had the opportunity to sit down with our partners at NIRSA and the NIRSA Foundation and discuss how we could all become further involved. We talked about sponsorships at the various regional and national events throughout the year. One persistent thought I had during this conversation was that these are great for those attending the NIRSA Annual Conference & Campus Rec and Wellness Expo, but what about those who are restricted by budgets and can’t or haven’t attended in a long time? How does sponsorship help them?

We floated the idea of supplementing those who couldn’t attend with assistance for travel and lodging. Now we are embarking on our sixth year of the NIRSA Foundation & Core Health & Fitness Travel Assistance Stipend and are thrilled to announce its expansion to include the new NIRSA Canadian Region. We have joined with our distribution partner, National Fitness Products of Canada, to offer this opportunity.

It is our hope that adding the Canadian Region to the stipend program will further our goal to provide access to NIRSA’s message and educational programs across North America. We want to give those professionals who have not been able to attend in the past the opportunity to either come back and renew their commitment to NIRSA or to provide them with a first opportunity to experience the education and networking that takes place at the Annual Conference.

I believe that the Travel Assistance Stipend Program has been a huge success all the way around. Those professionals who haven’t been able to participate in the Annual Conference in years (or ever) are provided with an opportunity to network with their peers, take education blocks to further their knowledge, and get a chance to spend time in an atmosphere where we are all supporting each other. Core Health & Fitness is very proud to assist in forwarding anyone’s professional development. We are proud to sponsor this and provide people with the opportunity to learn and expand their knowledge base whether that is in the classroom, the hallways talking to a new or old acquaintance, or in the exhibit hall.

Each year, I am greeted with the opportunity to hear stories from NIRSA members about how a stipend has made a huge impact on their development. Everyone has had a smile and a warm handshake when we’ve met. This year, during my travels, I had the pleasure of walking into two separate offices and seeing the picture that is taken each year with the winners on the wall behind their desks. If this award didn’t mean anything to them but a free trip, they wouldn’t have had it mounted.

Recreation is extremely important in my life, and I am grateful for the chance to meet to with these recipients, increase their access to recreation education, and help contribute to the establishment of healthy, thriving campus rec communities across North America.

We at Core Health & Fitness continue to see the value of our partnership with NIRSA and the NIRSA Foundation and look forward to meeting seven new winners this year in Denver!

Applications for NIRSA Foundation scholarships and stipends are due on Tuesday, October 17. Don’t miss your chance to have your travel expenses covered for NIRSA 2018 or your registration covered for one of NIRSA’s professional development events. Apply today!