IPRA Thrives Because of You!

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families last week. At IPRA, we have so much to be thankful for. IPRA thrives because so many of our members actively volunteer their time and give back to their professional community.

If you are interested in volunteering with IPRA on one of our committees, task forces, or joint committees, please contact me at debbie@ilipra.org and I will share your name with our incoming Chair, Mary Jeanne Hutchison as she makes appointments for 2016. We are working to identify outside consultants to work with the IPRA board and staff on a process to streamline our organizational structure and create a clearer volunteer career path for those who wish to engage and volunteer with IPRA.

Additionally, if you are looking for a volunteer opportunity, the Illinois Park and Recreation Foundation (IPRF) currently has two openings on the board. Candidates may complete the application on the home page of the website, which is due Tuesday, December 8, 2015, 5:00 p.m. Contact me if you have questions.

IPRA is also grateful for the connections we have with students all over Illinois. As of November 30, we had 204 student members. This is the highest number of student members IPRA has had going back at least as far as 2010. If you know a full time college student who should sign up, their dues are free and a form is available on our website.

For members looking to connect with park and recreation students, I would remind you about the upcoming Sponsor A Student program at the January conference. In this program, an agency attending the Awards Luncheon can sponsor a student for free, to join you at your agency’s table. This is free for the agency and free for the student. The purpose is to allow the student to learn from you and network with you while being inspired by the careers of the award recipients in the hopes that student will rededicate his/her intentions for a lifelong career in parks and recreation. To participate, check the box on the conference registration form.

Speaking of students, congratulations to IPRA’s former graduate student, Gus Hallmon, who received the honor of Best Student Presentation at a conference in Alberta, Canada last month for his presentation on behalf of IPRA about the research he did for us about barriers to a diverse workforce in parks and recreation in Illinois.

We will soon be adding a second graduate student working for us at U of I’s campus in Champaign, collaborating with us on research and grant proposals. 

IPRA’s Board has approved the 2016 budget. IPRA continues to be financially strong and growing with very positive outcomes projected for yearend once again.

Again, at IPRA, we have so much to be grateful for. We could not do what we do without the dedication of so many volunteers. Thank you for your efforts, your commitment, and your passion for our professional community.

Debbie Trueblood, CAE
Executive Director