IPRA Today

Illinois Park and Recreation

MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Further, she has served associations from the advocacy side as manager of state government affairs for the American Osteopathic Association, managing legislation in all 50 states as well as serving as lobbyist for home care and hospice for six years with Illinois Home Care Council.

Debbie is a social worker with a drive to grow organizations so they can better serve their mission and their members to do the most good. In the management arena, Debbie’s strongest skills are with financial management and financial growth. With her former organization, she worked with volunteers and staff to build the reserve fund.  They are on track to finish with more than $1 million at year's end, an increase of $400k in just one year. Additionally, Debbie’s track record includes record-breaking success with membership growth, conference attendance and abstract submissions. Debbie is experienced in membership recruitment and identifying ways to better serve a multi-tiered audience.  
 
In the advocacy arena, Debbie was successful both in protecting the association constituency from damaging legislation as well as working with legislators to write, introduce and pass laws designed to advance missions. In 2005, Debbie led the passage of a law in Illinois that spread to 15 states in the following two years.

Debbie earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from MacMurray College and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Jane Addams School of Social Work. She is a graduate of several advanced learning programs, including the Dunn Fellowship program for future government leaders and the Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership, which trains women to run for political office. Debbie also graduated from the Institute for Organization Management (IOM), a four-year program which granted her a certificate in nonprofit management. She is a certified association executive (CAE).

Debbie will build on IPRA’s strong foundation, focusing on advancing the voice of parks and recreation, maintaining fiscal responsibility, improving membership benefits and education programs and working with the leadership to continue to implement the strategic plan toward an even stronger IPRA.

To contact Debbie, please email debbie@ilipra.org or call at 708-588-2285.
 
MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD
Each country parades around the stadium, displaying their flags and being cheered on by 80,000 fans until the center of the stadium is filled.  There were speeches and a fantastic fireworks display, even the Queen and James Bond got into the show which culminated with Sir Paul McCarthy performing.  What a great experience for these athletes, and to see how all their hard work and dedication has brought them to the Olympics.

Then I wondered, where did they get their start?  They just don’t all of a sudden become Olympians.  Many of them get their first opportunities to try sports at their local park district or recreation department.  Swimmer Matt Grevers learned to swim at the Gurnee Park District Pool, where his mother was his first coach and he was a member of the Stingrays park district swim team.  Bob Willis developed his surfing skills not in Florida or California, but on the shores of Lake Michigan maintained by the Chicago Park District.  These are just two of the many athletes that reach the Olympics that started out at their local park district or recreation department.  

Not everyone who comes through park district programs is destined to be an Olympian, but we all may have our own Olympic-type experience.  When I was 12 years old, I ran the 50 yard dash in Forest Park’s track and field day.  I won and qualified to race regionally.  After winning the regional races, I made it to the finals in Chicago at Hansen Stadium.  I won my heats and made it into the finals.  The gun went off for the final race and I immediately took the lead and was on my way to victory when, with about 20 yards left, I decided to see how big of a lead I had.  As I turned to see where the other racers were, I was able to watch them pass me by and my medal hopes were dashed.  I did learn a very valuable lesson that day:  Keep your eye on the target and don’t worry about what the others are doing.  Even though I didn’t win, it was a great experience.  It was my Olympics.  It was fun just to participate.  A special thanks goes to my coach Mr. Dowd and the Park District of Forest Park for giving me the opportunity to participate in this event.

Now flash forward. Think of what park and recreation professionals do each day, and how you introduce young people to a variety of sports, cultural arts, hobbies, and lifelong activities; the impact you have on the lives of young people as they learn through recreation programs and develop their interest in sports and other activities.   You may or may not have developed an Olympian, but you have provided many opportunities for children to be introduced to activities and develop their interests. Some of those participants just may become Olympians.

The final leg of the Olympic torch was carried by the athletes of the future, symbolizing that someday they will be Olympians.  Keep in mind as you produce recreation programs that introduce children to sports, that you could be developing a future Olympian or at least providing that child the opportunity to develop a lifelong interest in a sport.  Regardless of their future development, they will all have Olympic-type moments like I did thanks to their local park and recreation professional.  

- John Curran, IPRA Chairman of the Board

 
NEWS YOU CAN USE
IPRA was pleased with the high number of applicants for the 2012-13 Leadership Academy.

The academy will meet one full day per month for six months (October – March). The Office of Recreation & Park Resources and the Recreation, Sport & Tourism Department of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are the proud sponsors of the IPRA Leadership Academy. As one of the first colleges to offer a degree in parks and recreation, the university understands the importance of leadership and continuing education in our field. At the completion of each level, individuals will receive a Certificate of Completion from the University of Illinois.

Applicants will be notified of their acceptance in the program mid-August. Please contact Matt Fairbanks, Membership & Education Director, with any questions.
 
If you’ve never participated in the salary survey or have not participated for a while, there have been a number of improvements based on feedback from users.

Click here for details!
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ray McGury, Executive Director, 630-848-3500, rmcgury@napervilleparks.org or Sameera Luthman, Director of Marketing and Communications, 630-848-3570, sluthman@napervilleparks.org
        
Date:        July 25, 2012

Following the close of the 2012 legislative session, Governor Quinn signed into law a bill that began its three-and-a-half-year journey in November 2009 as an idea discussed in a Naperville Park District Legislative Committee meeting.

In this meeting, Naperville Park District Commissioner Ron Ory pointed out that school districts have access to lists of minors who are sex offenders, but that park districts are not able to access these lists. Ory noted that the Naperville Park District employs hundreds of youth under 18 who interact with children, yet the District is unable to screen these applicants for serious offenses.

To remedy this situation, the Legislative Committee began reaching out to legislators and researching potential legislation. Former Naperville Park District Commissioner Suzanne Hart spoke with Representative Darlene Senger (R-96), Representative Mike Connelly (R-48), and former Senator A. J. Wilhelmi (D-43), all of whom agreed to support a measure to allow park districts to have limited access to delinquency records of minors who are applying for park district employment.     Representative Connelly introduced HB5146 in February 2010; however, the bill did not pass out of committee in the spring 2010 legislative session. The Naperville Park District Legislative Committee conferred with Reps. Connelly and Senger, with the Park District’s legal counsel Derke Price, and with the Illinois Association of Park Districts’ legal counsel Jason Anselment and CEO Peter Murphy as to how to improve the bill. 

In the 2011 spring legislative session, Rep. Senger introduced HB3129 and Sen. Wilhelmi sponsored a parallel bill, SB2286.  Both bills reflected a narrowed focus, allowing park districts to receive information only on adjudications for serious offenses, and not juvenile arrest records. Furthermore, the information would be strictly limited to the Park District president. Later in the session, an amendment was added to include the Chicago Park District, which has its own section of the Illinois Park Code and must be treated separately.

Although both bills passed their respective houses in 2011, neither bill was brought to the opposite house in time for a final vote. The fall veto session proved too busy for further action on either of the bills.

 In January 2012, Sen. Wilhelmi planned to re-introduce the bill, but then resigned from the Senate before the end of the term. Sen. John Mulroe (D-10) picked up the bill, renamed SB3809, which passed the Senate unanimously and was shepherded through the House by Rep. Senger, with co-sponsor Rep. Connelly, where again, it passed unanimously. Governor Quinn signed the measure into law on June 22, 2012.

"The success of this legislation came about through the collective support of the other park districts and with the help of legislators on both sides of the aisle," said Naperville Park District Executive Director Ray McGury. "People came together to do the right thing. This is how government is supposed to work."

"We are grateful to our state legislators for their support of this bill, which will protect children in our programs," said Naperville Park District Board President Kirsten Young.

The text of SB3809 and its history can be viewed on the Illinois General Assembly website at www.ilga.gov. For more information about the Naperville Park District please visit www.napervilleparks.org.

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About the Naperville Park District: Created in 1966, the Naperville Park District is an independent, municipal agency serving the recreation needs of its residents. An Illinois Distinguished Agency since 1994, the district is one of only 1% of park districts across the country to be nationally accredited through the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA). The Naperville Park District’s mission is to provide recreation and park experiences that enhance the quality of life for our community, including benefits such as community health, environmental education, social connections, and personal growth. The district maintains and operates more than 2,500 acres with 140 parks and facilities and provides more than 1,400 recreational, arts and environmental programs and special events annually. Included within the district’s operations are two championship golf courses, a multitude of playgrounds, trails, athletic courts and sports fields, two inline skating and skateboarding facilities, the Millennium Carillon, a paddle boat quarry, historic Centennial Beach, and the beautiful Riverwalk.

 
CALENDAR/UPCOMING EVENTS
Lifeguard Games - 8/5/12
Chicago Park District - Portage Park Pool
1:00PM - 8:00PM

IPRA Board Meeting - 8/30/12
Tinley Park Park District
10:00AM - 12:00PM
 
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Here are some of the most recent job posts - to view the complete listing, click here!

  • Recreation Specialist-Youth Athletics, Waukegan Park District
  • Recreation Coordinator, Foss Park District
  • Community Center Manager, Homewood-Flossmoor Park District
  • Parks Maintenance Crew Member, Glencoe Park District
 
NEWS ABOUT MEMBERS
Faced with too many tomatoes or a plethora of peas, gardeners can donate their surplus produce to those for whom fresh vegetables are a mealtime luxury.  

Through a unique cooperative program between the Park District and the Northern Illinois Food Bank, excess crops will be donated to the NIFB’s Geneva office for distribution through various programs that deliver food to the area’s hungry.  

Located at both Primrose Farm Park and James O. Breen Community Park, near the Hickory Knolls Discovery Center, nearly 500 garden plots are available for use by private individuals. At each site, the Park District has installed informative signs describing the program and provided baskets where donations can be deposited.  Produce is collected every Tuesday evening and safely stored inside Park District facilities in food-grade-approved containers donated by community gardener Sue Davis of Jersey Mike’s Subs in Lake-in-the-Hills.  Park District staff deliver the donated goods every Wednesday morning to the NIFB distribution point located at Jewel Supermarket on Route 38 and Prairie Street in St. Charles.

"We usually have an abundance of food in our gardens that we are not always able to harvest, so this is such a great way to give the extra produce to someone who really needs it," says Davis. "I love knowing that our harvest is going to a local food bank, run by volunteers...who distribute it into the local area – our community!"

Inspired by the national "Plant a Row for the Hungry" campaign, a public service initiative launched in 1995 by the Garden Writers Association Foundation, the Park District contacted those individuals maintaining community garden plots and encouraged them to plant extra rows of peas, onions, potatoes or beans that could be harvested and donated throughout the summer to the NIFB.  Gardeners who did not wish to specifically plant an additional row of crops for this cause are invited to donate whatever excess vegetables they produce.  Gardeners hope to follow up with a second crop of lettuce, onions or Swiss chard in the fall, says Davis.

Such fresh produce is a welcome addition to NIFB pantries, since most of their donations are of nonperishable items, according to Pam Otto, the Park District’s manager of nature programs and interpretive services who is coordinating the community garden plot donation drive with the NIFB.  

"The NIFB is thrilled to have these donations of fresh produce to help increase their nutritional offerings," says Otto.

"Obtaining fresh, quality produce for the more than 60,000 hungry neighbors Northern Illinois Food Bank serves each week can be challenging.  We are extremely grateful to the gardeners who are gracious enough to share their abundance.  The donations we receive will help provide quality nutrition for our hungry neighbors who may not otherwise be able to enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables," said Steve Ericson, director of food procurement for the Northern Illinois Food Bank.

The Northern Illinois Food Bank is a non-profit organization serving 13 counties throughout northeastern Illinois.  Working with some 600 network food partners, such as soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, and youth and senior feeding programs, the NIFB’s mission is to work to solve hunger programs in northern Illinois through innovative programs and partnerships such as this one.

For more information on the St. Charles Park District’s Community Gardens donation drive, contact Pam Otto at 630-513-4399.

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Photo caption: One of the many deliveries to the food bank. Veggies included are tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, hot peppers, yellow squash, cucumbers, collard greens, kale, onions and Yukon gold potatoes.



 
SECTION/COMMITTEE INFO
Park & Natural Resource Management Section Meeting & Discussion - 8/9/12
West Chicago Park District - Reed Keppler Park
9:30AM - 10:00AM

Facility Management Section Social - 8/10/12
Pinstripes - South Barrington
1:00PM - 3:00PM

Athletic Committee Meeting - 8/16/12
Northbrook Park District - Village Green
11:00AM - 1:00PM

Ethnic Minority Section Meeting & Discussion - 8/16/12
University Park Golf Club
11:00AM - 1:00PM

Administrative & Finance Section Meeting & Business Manager Discussion - 9/5/12
Palatine Park District
9:30AM - 12:00PM
 
Wintrust Financial
Ancel, Glink, Diamond, Bush, DiCianni & Rolek, P.C.