By Maricopa Youth Coordinator Rocky Brown

The city of Maricopa expanded its youth programming activities this year by adding a new program called Maricopa in Motion. Maricopa in Motion is a mobile recreation center on wheels that visits each of the local elementary schools. Our trained staff, which includes local high school students that serve as mentors, provide fun games, sports, arts & crafts and also educate kids about the dangers of drugs & alcohol. This opportunity is made possible by a unique partnership between the city, the Pinal County Attorney’s Office and the M.A.S.H. Coalition (a drug-free communities grantee). Each partnership entity provides different support to establish the program.

The Maricopa in Motion program has also developed a Functional Fitness component to help enhance physical activity for the participants. This includes the creation of simple exercises that are fun and can be completed on the school playground. To date, we’ve had 214 children complete the six-week training program. Overall, Maricopa in Motion has hosted 2,187 participants in more than 45 different school visits for an average of over 48 kids per day.

The city of Maricopa plans to continue offering the Maricopa in Motion program next year. This program will join other safe, fun recreational youth activities sponsored by the city including our Summer Fun & Fitness Camps, Open Gym Basketball, Super Teens and the Maricopa Youth Council.