The Foundation Community is directed toward those who are involved with their park foundation, whether just starting out or a well-established foundation. This will be a forum to share best practices and ask questions related to establishing a successful park foundation. Topics can include: development, philanthropy, governance, board leadership, volunteerism, fund strategy, prospecting and cultivation.

Designed with your needs in mind, the Unplug Illinois Transformation Kit is equipped to provide you with the resources, templates, tools and inspiration needed to communicate the value of parks and recreation through education and storytelling. Kits will be available mid-March. Order yours today!

2017 Conference Session Suggestion Form - Deadline March 11, 2016

Session/workshop handouts are now available in the Resource Library on the conference website. Passwords will be emailed to registered attendees.

• Thursday Sessions
  
• Friday/Saturday Sessions

Communities work with volunteers and unpaid staff to support their programs in various ways. In many cases, volunteers are essential to providing services beyond limited budgets and staffing restrictions. Using one agency's model, you'll learn how to use volunteerism both as a recreational opportunity and agency resource.

We will learn basic GIS terminology, explore different GIS software available, what kind of data can be used in GIS, how to add data to a map, and how to use the basic controls like zooming, panning, and selecting.

The second session will focus more on data management, as we explore not just the geographic features, but the powerful information that underlies them.

Providing students and professionals in the recreation field a curriculum that builds a strong foundation of basic skills needed to obtain a supervisory position. Sessions provide opportunities to increase knowledge, which can be implemented immediately and expose participants to emerging trends that can help advance their career in the recreation field.

Online registration is now open! Please note that the course and exam have separate registration fees. It is not necessary to register for the course in order to take the exam. Attendees who wish to participate in both the course and exam* must register for both options. Registration Deadline is March 18, 2016.

Park Pursuit is modeled after the TV show "Amazing Race." It allows members of IPRA to engage in a day-long race where team building, healthy competition and recreation take center stage. Participants navigate through the host town based on clues and complete challenges.