IPRA Today - RFP Announcement for Energy Efficiency Funding

This One's for You, Lydia!

As a "lake girl", I secured a summer job as a lifeguard with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on Whitewater Lake beach the summer after my freshman year. I had taken lifeguarding and secured my WSI, so I was ready to put those skills to work.     I loved lifeguarding so much that I secured an evening job at University of Wisconsin – Whitewater at the indoor pool. I also started a swim lesson program in front of my house for my neighbors’ kids. I was hooked.

In the fall when I transferred to UWL I changed my major. Fast forward three years, and I was searching for an internship. To this day I am not sure why I reached out to agencies other than parks and recreation departments or park districts. After a number of interviews, I ended up accepting a dual internship with NWSRA and, ironically, IPRA. What was even more ironic (and painful) was that I left my beloved lake for the summer to gain this experience. I was helping with aquatics and coordinating the "Swim for Heart" fundraising program at a number of sites for NWSRA. I was working with Kevin Kendrigan, the wonderful man who introduced me to the field of parks and recreation.   Clearly, I was as green as I could be. It was very scary leaving my beloved Wisconsin to go to the" big city". I rented a room in Arlington Heights where I knew no one.

My job with IPRA was to work with Lydia Lombardo, Membership Services Director to develop the member newsletters, perform a variety of public relations functions and coordinate the kick-off for the legendary "Run to Springfield." This was the event that kicked off in Chicago and Carbondale prior to the Illinois State Fair. Two groups of volunteers in the North and the South supported runners through the day and night, as they ran ten-mile legs, carrying a half-scissor. We talked to media as we moved our way down the state with the goal of increasing awareness of the importance of parks and recreation. When each group reached Springfield, the half-scissors were joined and used by the Governor to cut the ribbon opening the State Fair.

I credit Lydia Lombardo of IPRA for introducing me to all that Illinois has to offer for a young parks and recreation soon-to-be graduate. She took the time to teach me about the field, but also had a keen sense of pulling out and developing skills that I didn’t know I had. She introduced me to literally hundreds of professionals. Of course, we got pretty close as we traveled in a mobile home at five miles per hour watching runners make their way to Springfield through cornfields in Central Illinois in the middle of the night. I met the "shakers and movers" of IPRA....Dan Newport (Winnetka), Fred Hall (Palatine), Connie Skibbe (Highland Park) and the President of IPRA, Robin Hall (Urbana) to name a few. Through those long nights we talked. She helped me zero in on where I wanted to be once I graduate. She didn’t focus on doing what I knew. She focused on expanding my horizons, trying new things to further develop myself and to make myself more marketable. She didn’t treat me like a kid. She had high expectations of me and treated me like a professional. It was probably the best 10 weeks of my life.

When I applied for jobs I ended up interviewing with people that I had met from my internship. Dick Dooley of the Lisle Park District hired me to fill a Recreation Supervisor position. I had met Dick when we picked him up on Short Street in Lisle as he started his ten mile leg of the Run.

Our field is about making connections and having someone who helps us find our way. It’s about taking the time to help someone just starting out, by pointing out what they do well and helping them learn. Thanks to Matt Ellmann, Debbie Trueblood and a team of incredible professionals, a mentoring program is about to be launched for IPRA members. The program will be unique in that it won’t involve matching two people. It will actually match three individuals at varying levels of their career. The program, called ProConnect, will not just match you with your trio and send you on your way. There will be a series of events to make sure the seed of mentoring is nurtured and able to grow. I encourage you to participate in this program. You have the opportunity to learn, grow and make a difference no matter where you are in your career.

Yes, Lydia...this one’s for you. Thanks for taking the time to steer me in the right direction and for giving me a great start. Thanks for believing that I could make it in the field of parks and recreation in Illinois.    It’s been a great ride.

-Jan Hincapie, Director of Parks and Recreation
Lincolnwood Parks & Recreation

536 East Avenue, LaGrange, IL 60525 | Phone: 708-588-2280 | Fax : 708-354-0535