Officially charged with a specific task or duty, commissions have the power to bring organizations together, and ultimately people as well. The Warwick Regional Recreation Commission (WRRC) helps to put the unity in the Warwick community, all in the name of physical activity, health and future well-being.

"It's not just for kids," said Ron Stief, who's been WRRC's director for three years. "Outdoor recreation is a great experience. It relieves stress. You're out breathing air. This area has a lot of cool opportunities for recreation."

Headquartered inside the Lititz recCenter, 301 Maple St., Lititz, WRRC serves as a facilitator, an umbrella agency and a sort of a liaison between organizations and community members to promote and make recreational activities available to as many local residents as possible. WRRC works in conjunction with the Lititz recCenter, the Warwick School District, Warwick Township, Lititz Borough and Elizabeth Township, and each one of those entities supports the commission financially or with other services.

"The purpose of the Warwick Regional Recreation Commission is to bring partners together to provide recreation opportunities to the Warwick area," said Stief. "It's a great partnership. The key word in all of this is partnership."

WRRC also partners with local independent youth organizations to provide athletic programs in sports like soccer, lacrosse, basketball, baseball, softball, wrestling and field hockey. The sports programs are mainly designed for kids ages 5 through 12, but some include children as young as 3 and as old as 15.

WRRC is also involved with the Lititz recCenter's free summer playground program, which is conducted for kids at four locations within the region.

In addition, WRRC helps manage the local skatepark, a Lititz Borough project located at the Lititz recCenter that provides a niche type of recreation for kids.

"We'll be that link between the townships and the school district for youth sports," said Stief. "Most of those groups are developmental for the high school sports teams. We're developing future Warriors."

Many of the recreational activities that WRRC helps facilitate are conducted at municipal facilities like Rothsville Park, Elizabeth Township Municipal Park, Elizabeth Township Community Park, Warwick Township Municipal Park, Linear Park, New Street Park and Spruce Street Park. The parks are owned and maintained by the municipalities, but WRRC does assist with the renting of pavilions from March 1 to Oct. 31.

WRRC also helps promote and organize activities on the Warwick to Ephrata Rail Trail, which traverses five municipalities.

"We use the parks," said Stief. "They're not built just for us."

While most of the programs that WRRC helps support are geared toward kids, Stief will direct adults with interest in recreation activities like pickleball, fitness and bus trips to the Lititz recCenter, where he also serves as a program director.

"(The position of WRRC director) ducktails nicely with my program job at the rec center," said Stief. "For me, it's a great fit. I'm all about kids getting opportunities to get out and play. We want to get kids outside as much as we can. We want them in the fresh air and having fun. It's a healthier alternative. If we can get kids an opportunity to play multiple sports, I think we're doing a service to the community. That's what motivates me."

More than 20 years ago, Warwick Township official Dan Zimmerman was instrumental in founding the WRRC. But it's been the commitments of the cooperating organizations that have helped the commission evolve.

"It's grown because the community has grown significantly," said Stief. "Its mission and responsibilities have grown with it. There are more opportunities for kids now."

For additional information about the Warwick Regional Recreation Commission, go to https://warwickregionalrec.org.