IPRA Today
Illinois Park and Recreation
MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
My favorite aspect of IPRA has been identifying the wide diversity of services that each park district and municipal department provides. In Rockford, I toured their new conservatory and stood in an accessible tree house at their new Birds of Prey exhibit. In Wheaton, they celebrated their new bobcat at the Cosley Zoo. At WDSRA they are looking forward to their Special Talent night featuring performances of the many talented people who receive services at the SRA. At NWSRA one staffer raised funds this summer to send one of their athletic teams to the national competition in Oklahoma. There are a wide array of programs, services and dedicated professionals working in our greater community to make a difference in people’s lives.
As our field grows and develops, our professionals grow and develop new skills. This week, we will hold our first Leadership Academy sessions for professionals in levels 1, 2 and 3 who will come together for one day a month for six months to learn skills that will help them advance in their careers and bring back information they can share with their agencies. For this program, IPRA only accepted the top candidates in each level and I congratulate all of those who were accepted into the program. I encourage those who were not yet accepted to reapply next year.
This past week, I also had the pleasure of attending the Supervisor Symposium. The volunteers who coordinated the event did a great job of ensuring everything ran smoothly, presentations were high quality and attendees received the education they were looking for. I was thrilled to see that Judson University in Elgin sent 22 students to the program. I had the opportunity to meet the students, many of whom were freshman and sophomores majoring in Health and Wellness and Sports Administration, attending their first professional educational event. To each of you, I thank you for coming and taking this step to identify if a career in parks and recreation is right for you. To their professor, who coordinated their experience, I hope that more colleges and universities will follow your example and identify ways for their students to get the exposure to this kind of educational opportunity for their students.
In the coming weeks, I look forward to my visits to Southern Illinois Park and Recreation Association meeting in O’Fallon, Central Illinois Parks and Recreation Professionals meeting in Springfield, Northwest Illinois Association for Parks and Recreation meeting in Rockford and visits to the Decatur Park District, the Peoria Park District and many other agencies, affiliates, sections, committees and individuals across the state. If you would like me to come and visit your agency or group, please email me at debbie@ilipra.org. I am especially interested in visiting agencies that feel removed from IPRA’s services, those that have a unique perspective to share and students and new professionals who want to share their experiences.
To those who have already shared their time with me, I appreciate it very much. IPRA members have done so much to make me feel welcome. I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to serve with. Not only do you make a difference in your communities, you inspire others in the field to strive to do even more, and you inspire me with your commitment to challenge myself to do all I can to provide you with the best membership services possible. Thank you for all that you do to make a difference.
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MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD
In the next few months there are some great learning opportunities for people at every professional level. In October, we start with the first ever Leadership Academy that will provide training and learning opportunities for the young professional, mid-level professional and senior-level professional. The curriculum at each level will focus on building great leaders to strengthen parks and recreation agencies. Congratulations to all the professionals on your acceptance into the inaugural Leadership Academy. Special thanks to Rick Hanetho and his committee.
Professional Development School: Blazing New Trails in Parks and Recreation will be held Nov. 11-14, 2012 at the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel in Decatur, Illinois. PDS is the longest-standing educational and networking opportunity offered by IPRA. Professional Development School is a two-year program that provides the opportunity to experience high-quality education in a small, student-focused atmosphere. There is still time to register for PDS.
The Certified Playground Safety Inspector Course (CPSI) will be held Oct. 23 to 25 from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Tinley Park – Park District. If you are not able to travel to educational opportunities then check out the IPRA webinars online from the comfort of your office. The next webinar is Ethics and Ethical Dilemmas on Oct. 17, 2012 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. As our profession has grown more diverse, IPRA has responded with a wide variety of educational opportunities.
Networking opportunities bring our members together in a way that allows them to share informally and develop trusted professional relationships. Some of my best friends and trusted colleagues have been met through IPRA networking opportunities. These are the professionals I rely on for support and advice in my career. For those of you who are attending the NRPA Congress in Anaheim, IPRA will host a networking social for Illinois professionals on Thursday, Oct. 18 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Watch your emails for the yet to be determined location. Mark your calendar for the mega networking opportunity of the year from Jan. 24 -26, 2013 at the IAPD/IPRA Soaring to New Heights Conference at Hyatt Chicago.
Are you looking for inspiration? IPRA strives to offer its members a comprehensive centralized depository of a variety of resources making IPRA your first stop when looking for samples such as policies, position descriptions, manuals, etc. IPRA has a Professional Services Committee led by Mike Kies from Hoffman Estates Park District which is developing a case management program and resource papers to help the professional address issues that are critical to our profession. IPRA is also working with an intern to update the resource library with new manuals, job descriptions and best practices to assist the professional.
One of the best parts of being a park and recreation professional is the willingness to share both our successes and failures to help improve each other’s operations. The Distinguished Park and Recreation Accreditation Committee, led by Margaret Resnick from Mundelein Park & Recreation District, provides an opportunity for agencies to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of your operation and develop the highest standards to provide the best leisure services to your local community. If you’re inspired, contact Margaret for more information on accreditation.
Learn. Connect. Inspire. IPRA provides the opportunities, now you have to take advantage of those opportunities.
– John Curran, IPRA Chairman
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CONFERENCE
Conference registration can be done online by clicking here, completed by hand with your paper registration form or onsite at conference.
Registration Details:
- The early registration deadline is Friday, Nov. 30, 2012.
- Please complete a separate registration form for each individual registering.
- Registration for conference and any pre-conference workshops must be done at the same time.
- Delegates wishing to change any pre-conference workshops must pay the difference for a higher priced workshop or forfeit the difference for a lesser priced workshop.
- Register online and save $25 per registration package.
- Cancellations must be submitted in writing and received by Nov. 30, 2012 in order to receive a refund less a processing fee of $25. No refunds will be granted for cancellations received after Nov. 30, 2012.
- Registrations will not be accepted after Jan. 18, 2013; registrations not postmarked or faxed by Jan. 18, 2013 will be returned. However, onsite registration begins at 7:30 a.m. on January 24, 2013.
- THE DEADLINE FOR RESERVING A TABLE AT THE AWARDS LUNCHEON IS FRIDAY, JAN. 11, 2013. After this date, no more table reservations will be accepted. There will be no onsite table reservations taken. Reserve your table early as tables are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. All reserved tables will be tables of 12. You must have a full table or your agency may be combined with another.
- Admission to all conference events requires a name badge.
- Visa and MasterCard only will be accepted. IAPD/IPRA will not invoice agencies or individuals for conference registrations.
- Online registrations must be accompanied by credit card information for payment.
- Faxed registrations must be accompanied by credit card information for payment and faxed to: (847) 759-6979. Please complete a separate registration form for each individual registering.
- Mailed registrations must be accompanied by either credit card information or a check for payment and mailed to: 2013 IAPD/IPRA Conference, 981 Busse Road, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007.
- ADA compliance: Please contact Dina at IPRA at dina@ilipra.org by no later than Dec. 30, 2012 if you have any special accessibility/meal requirements.
- Questions? Changes to an existing registration? Send an email to ilparks2013@cteusa.com or call (847) 759-4279.
Registration Packages:
- Full: Includes Friday and Saturday conference workshops and sessions; admission to the Exhibit Hall; Friday All-Conference Awards Luncheon ticket; Friday dessert in the Exhibit Hall ticket; Closing General Session; Saturday Closing social ticket
- No Frills: Includes Friday and Saturday conference workshops and sessions; Closing General Session; admission to the Exhibit Hall
- Friday Only: Includes Friday conference workshops and sessions; admission to the Exhibit Hall
- Saturday Only: Includes Saturday conference workshops and sessions; Closing General Session; Saturday Closing social ticket
- Students/Retirees: Includes Friday and Saturday conference workshops and sessions; Professional Connection; admission to the Exhibit Hall; Student Luncheon on Friday; Closing General Session
- Guest/Spouse/Family/Friend: Must not be affiliated with or employed by any park and recreation agency. Includes Friday and Saturday conference workshops and sessions; admission to the Exhibit Hall; Closing General Session; limited number of passes to various museums on a first-come, first-served basis
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Here are some of the most recent job posts – to view the complete listing, click here!
- Recreation Program Manager SOAR - Bloomington Park District
- Catering Sales Associate - Wheaton Park District
- Recreation Specialist - Belvidere Park District
- Park Foreman - DeKalb Park District
Have an open position to post? Click here!
SECTION/COMMITTEE INFO
Attend the IPRA Athletic Committee Meeting on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012 (11 a.m. - 1 p.m.) at the Oak Forest Park District - Central Park Building. Lunch will be provided by Hershey Track & Field, and the Illinois Hershey Track & Field Chairperson, Ryan Sparrow, will be there to discuss the program and answer questions.
Please RSVP online.
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