IPRA Today
Illinois Park and Recreation
NEWS YOU CAN USE
If you need immediate assistance on 10/7, please contact Mike Selep at 630-914-0067 or Jan Arnold at 312-259-7359. Our new address is: 536 East Avenue, LaGrange, IL 60525. Our new main office number is: 708-588-2280. Fax number: 708-354-0535. Direct numbers for IPRA staff members starting Oct. 7:
IPRA chose U.S. Communities as a purchasing partner because of its long history of working with recreation and government agencies and ability to save members time and money. U.S. Communities is a national nonprofit cooperative instrumentality of government and is jointly sponsored by the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO), the National Association of Counties (NACO), the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP), the National League of Cities (NLC) and the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM). PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Date: Oct. 13 - 9 AM Learning Outcomes: Participants will learn and be exposed to practical tools that can be implemented at any level of the organization to improve performance. Participants will participate in a variety of group and individual exercises that will build the foundation for performance excellence. Date: Oct. 13 - 10 AM Speaker: Barbara Heller, President Heller & Heller Consulting Why this is important: Recreation programming is an important service and economic engine of park and recreation services. Strengthening the program mix results in improved registrations and revenue. Learning Outcomes: Participants will be provided with information related to recreation program lifecycles and will receive a list of all the necessary attributes involved in programming, such as standards and marketing support. Registration deadline is 10/7. Webinar access codes and instructions will be emailed a week prior to event. Date: Oct. 14 - 10 AM Date: Oct. 17 - 10 AM This is a plan to provide facilities and services without significantly increasing, or even reducing, general fund budget support. The Alternative Fund Development Program has many components including:
Speaker: Barry Weiss is the interim assistant city manager for the City of Galt, Calif. His main assignment is to assist the Parks and Recreation Department in achieving excellent service to the community and enhance their revenue and return on investment. He retired as director of parks and recreation for the city of San Carlos, Calif., a community of 28,000 located on the San Francisco Peninsula, where he administered the award-winning parks and recreation department for eight years through 2008. Barry has been in the parks and recreation profession since 1983, working his way up from recreation supervisor for the city of Alameda, general supervisor for the city of Oakland, and recreation superintendent for the city of Palo Alto. Registration deadline is a week prior to webinar (10/10). Webinar access codes and instructions will be emailed a week prior to event. CALENDAR/UPCOMING EVENTS
Event Date: Oct. 18 9 - 9:30 AM CONFERENCE
Distinguished Service to Leisure Nomination This IPRA award recognizes an individual or organization whose contributions have made a significant and consistent impact on the leisure field and/or profession. Click here for a printable version of the Distinguished Service to Leisure Award Fellow Award Nomination The IPRA Fellow Award is presented to a past or current park and recreation professional who has shown excellence in promoting the parks and recreation movement on a statewide basis. Click here for a printable version of the Fellow Award
Meritorious Service Nomination Meritorious service awards recognize and honor members of IPRA who have rendered continuously outstanding leadership, service and professional commitment to the field of parks and recreation. All individuals nominated for the Meritorious Service Award receive recognition if criteria are met. An individual may receive the Meritorious Service Award only once. Click here for a printable version of the Meritorious Service Award Professional Recognition Nomination The IPRA Professional Recognition Award is presented to a current parks and recreation professional who has shown excellence in promoting parks and recreation on local and regional levels within the state of Illinois. Nominations will be valid for two years and therefore considered again next year. Click here for a printable version of the Professional Recognition Award Robert Artz Distinguished Service Award The Artz Award was initiated by IPRA because of Bob Artz's legacy of service to the park and recreation profession and his commitments to the citizens and advisory board that are so important to this field. The recipients' efforts must have had lasting value and must have created an awareness of the importance of parks and recreation among his/her colleagues and the community in which the person works. The Robert Artz Distinguished Service Award is given at the discretion of the IPRA Board of Directors. Click here for a printable version of the Robert Artz Distinguished Service Award Young Professional Nomination The IPRA Young Professional Award is presented to a current parks and recreation professional who has shown excellence in promoting parks and recreation on local and regional levels within the state of Illinois. Nominations will be valid for two years and therefore considered again next year. Click here for a printable version of the Young Professional Award Outstanding Conservation Program Award: The IPRA Outstanding Conservation Program Award is designed to recognize Conservation Districts, Forest Preserves, and Park Districts that have done an outstanding job in the management or restoration of an open space or other natural area. Click here for the Outstanding Conservation Program Award application Outstanding Facility and Park Award: The purpose of the Outstanding Facility and Park Award is to honor public agencies for outstanding and unique achievements in the design and development of parks or recreation facilities. Click here for the Outstanding Facility and Park Award application Outstanding Program or Special Event Award The IPRA Innovative Recreation Program/Special Event recognizes the successful efforts of an agency that has provided its community with a unique and outstanding recreation program or onetime special event. Click here for the Outstanding Program or Special Event Award application Citizen Volunteer of the Year The purpose of this award is to recognize individuals who have demonstrated exemplary service and contributions to their community. Click here to nominate someone for Citizen of the Year Community Service Award Community Services Awards recognize outstanding contributions and unselfish devotion for the advancement of parks, recreation and leisure in the community and the State of Illinois. Click here to nominate someone for the Community Service Award Excellence in Environmental Leadership Award Excellence in Environmental Leadership Award recognizes an individual who has achieved outstanding individual or agency achievements for environmental advancements. Click here to nominate an agency for Excellence in Environmental Leadership Award JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Customer Service Coordinator - Northbrook Park District Executive Director - Palatine Park District Superintendent of Recreation - Winnetka Park District Landscape Maintenance Worker III - Northbrook Park District Part-Time Head Swim Coach - Elk Grove Park District Facility Maintenance - Park Ridge Park District
NEWS ABOUT MEMBERS
"Marianne will be responsible for the overall leadership and general administration, strategic planning and supervision of the WSSRA cooperative and its staff. Marianne brings a wealth of knowledge about each of the eleven communities the agency serves. Her program development skills and current relationships with WSSRA partner staff and commissioners, local legislators, WSSRA participants and their families and other social service organizations make her an excellent person for the executive director position. We appreciate her years of dedication in the therapeutic recreation field. The WSSRA Board of Directors looks forward to working alongside her, "said Larry Piekarz, WSSRA board chairperson and executive director of the Park District of Forest Park. Ms. Birko came to WSSRA in 1983 as program supervisor and nine months later was promoted to superintendent. Birko designed and supervised year-round recreation for children and adults with any kind of disability or handicapping condition. During her early years, Birko developed Special Olympic teams, unique programs for adults with visual impairments, programs for children with multiple disabilities, a unique toy lending library and a variety of swim programs. What began as a small agency serving just Oak Park and River Forest residents, Birko witnessed the growth of WSSRA to include its current 11 communities. "WSSRA has a mission to serve persons of all ages with any disability. The challenges can be unique, especially in Illinois and near west Cook County where here is a vast number of persons with developmental disabilities needing every kind of service. The rate of autism is growing; we are all living longer and surviving disabling conditions more often. The families we serve now have often included new immigrants and needs seem greater. WSSRA has always been able to respond to community need. I look forward to continuing to do so. I will continue to encourage our staff to look at all that our participants can accomplish and all the things we can accomplish as a team," Birko said. For more information about WSSRA visit their website at www.wssra.net. |
