December 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 48

CONFERENCE
2023
ANNUAL
foster justice, wellness and community
in parks.
Speakers Tyler Harrison, Carlos
Lopez and Alejandro Zizold presented
their process and findings
regarding several park access interventions
they attempted at three
parks in Miami-Dade County (Florida)
during the session " Increasing
Park Access to Enhance Health. "
One of the more well-received interventions
by the audience was the
team's decision to put up signage
near bus stops that indicated how
far away the nearest park was with
a QR code that provided directions
to pedestrians, as well as invaluable
data to the county. Other interventions
included opening various access
points around parks, planting
more trees and even working with
local homeowners associations to
help connect property points.
Honoring the Best
of the Best
On Wednesday, October 11, guests
gathered to recognize and celebrate
the field's most inspirational people
and programs during the Best
of the Best ceremony, sponsored
by ACTIVE Network. Carolyn
McKnight Fredd, past chair of the
NRPA Board of Directors, served as
the evening's emcee and assisted in
recognizing this year's scholarship
and fellowship recipients, as well as
the following award winners:
2023 Hall of Fame Inductee
* Dr. H. Douglas " Doug " Sessoms
Spotlight Awards
* Robert M. Artz Advocate Award
- Jeffrey Budnitz; Lake Roland
Nature Council, Baltimore
* Robert W. Crawford Young Professional
Award - Laura Schulz
Mortier, CPRP; Canton Leisure
Services, Canton, Michigan
Carolyn McKnight Fredd presents the
Best of the Best awards, which recognize
and celebrate the field's most
inspirational people and programs.
* Dirk Richwine Professional
Mentoring Award - Christopher
M. Nunes, CPRE; The Woodlands
Township, Woodlands, Texas
* National
fessional Award
Distinguished ProJanet
M.
-
Bartnik, M.S., CPRP; Prince
William County Department of
Parks, Recreation and Tourism,
Prince William, Virginia
Innovation Awards
* Innovation in Conservation
Award - Meadowdale Beach Park
and Estuary Restoration Project;
Snohomish County Parks and Recreation;
Snohomish, Washington
* Innovation in Equity Award -
SootheSpace; Fox Valley Special
Recreation Association; Aurora,
Illinois
* Innovation in Health Award -
Reducing Violence in Columbus,
VOICE; Columbus Recreation
and Parks Department; Columbus,
Ohio
* Innovation in Park Design Award
- Unity Park; City of Greenville
Parks, Recreation and Tourism;
Greenville, South Carolina
* Best in Innovation - Unity Park;
City of Greenville Parks, Recreation
and Tourism; Greenville,
South Carolina
Following the awards, guests
stayed to recognize this year's
newly CAPRA-accredited and
reaccredited park and recreation
agencies and certified professionals.
Networking Fun
One of the most highly-attended
events at the conference was the
opening reception, which was held
at Gilley's, a large event venue featuring
an iconic mechanical bull
that gave lots of rides throughout
the night to conference attendees.
Live bands played throughout the
vast bar areas, and depending on
which room one popped into, you
could hear the sounds of air hockey,
billiards and line dancing. The
venue provided a great way to unwind
and get settled in Dallas, as
well as connect with other park and
recreation professionals outside of
the walls of the convention center.
In addition to the opening reception,
NRPA offered myriad opportunities
for networking and fun, including
pre-conference workshops
and local host off-site institutes and
leisure tours. From a tour of Dallas
recreation centers to tree planting,
goat yoga and a golf tournament,
there were activities for everyone.
We are already well into planning
for the 2024 NRPA Annual
Conference. We look forward to
seeing you in Atlanta!
Chris Brummett is Production Coordinator at NRPA
(cbrummett@nrpa.org). Lindsay Collins is Managing Editor of
Parks & Recreation magazine (lcollins@nrpa.org). Alexandra
Reynolds is Associate Editor of Parks & Recreation magazine
(areynolds@nrpa.org).
PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G | DECEMBER 2 0 2 3
| Parks & Recreation
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December 2023 - Parks & Recreation

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