Calling All Park and Recreation Leaders!
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Calling all park and recreation leaders! We are currently receiving applications for those people who wish to run in our next election. We have two seats up on the IPRA Board of Directors; Northwest Region Rep and Central Region Rep. Any member who lives in one of those two regions may choose to run for the board. For clarification, IPRA defines the Northwestern Region as the following counties; Boone, Bureau, Carrol, Jo Davies, DeKalb, Grundy, Henry, Kendall, LaSalle, Lee, McHenry, Mercer, Ogle, Putnam, Rock Island, Stephenson, Whiteside and Winnebago. IPRA defines the Central Region as the following counties: Adams, Brown, Cass, Champaign, Coles, DeWitt, Douglas, Ford, Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Iroquois, Kankakee, Knox, Livingston, Logan, Macon, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, McLean, Menard, Morgan, Peoria, Platt, Sangamon, Schuyler, Stark, Tazewell, Vermilion, Warren and Woodford.
Click here to access the Guidelines for Election
Click here to access Candidate Nomination Information
Applications are due Monday, August 1, 2016, 5:00 p.m. to Debbie@ilipra.org. We have contested elections and usually have at least two people running for each position. Incumbents may choose to run for re-election. We also have section elections coming up, for section board positions. You can visit each Section page for details, or access the applications below:
Parks & Natural Resource Management
Additionally, we are currently accepting applications for the 2016-2017 year for the ProConnect mentoring program. As you’ve heard, this program received a national award for innovation and participants gave it a 97 percent approval in its first year. The program is designed for all levels of professionals, matching them into a three-tiered mentoring team including early career, mid-level, and advanced professionals/retirees in each team. The teams meet together at five events over six months including events which feature educational topics, networking, a service project, and the culmination luncheon. This program is in partnership with University of St. Francis and is hosted by the ProConnect Board of Regents. Applications are due by August 1. The informational brochure and applications for ProConnect in the Chicago and suburban areas as well as ProConnect South in southern Illinois are available online.
If you’re busy this summer and you wish you had more time, I
would encourage you to look into Unplug Illinois and the Transformation Kit
that the task force has put together to help you save time and tell your story
better. This tool kit can be purchased at http://unplugillinois.org/order/ and
comes with a hard copy book as well as a flash drive of all the electronic
files which includes research, resources, templates, tools and inspiration
needed to communicate the value of parks and recreation through education and
storytelling. Save time and get help today. For more information on this
statewide campaign, click here!
Additionally, the Illinois Park and Recreation Foundation
(IPRF) has an opening for a new board member. The application is available online. Applications are due to Mike Clark by
Friday, July 8 at noon. This new board member will serve out a term ending
January 31, 2018 and could run again at that time. IPRF board meetings are held
on a monthly basis, typically on the second Friday from 10:00 AM-12:00 p.m. at
the IPRA office in La Grange or board members may choose to call in. If you
have questions about this position, feel free to reach out to either IPRF Chair
Mike Clark or to me at debbie@ilipra.org.
It is a busy time for park and recreation professionals. I hope you have a fantastic summer and the weather cooperates with all your programs and special events.
Debbie Trueblood, CAE
Executive Director
