June 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 25

■■ Newly

designed recreation activity
guides that incorporate historic photos
and excerpts from our 100 Years of Recreation booklet.
■■ Designs for county bus ads, digital billboards, posters, and ads in school district publications.
■■ New staff shirts, letterhead, business
cards, newsletters, news release templates, and thank you notes.
■■ Photo magnets to use as giveaway items.
■■ A large-scale (6 feet by 6 feet) collapsible
display featuring more than 60 historic
photos. This display is traveling to each
of our community centers and citywide
events throughout 2011.

Staff Participation
From the beginning, our planning committee wanted to involve our entire recreation staff to make our anniversary
celebration successful. We provided
regular updates about our progress during all-staff meetings, encouraging our
coworkers' input along the way. At one
point, we hosted a roundtable discussion
with our retired full-time staff to gather additional ideas. In January 2011, we
gave each full-time staff member a " time
capsule " (or cardboard box, if you prefer). Inside, our coworkers discovered the
giveaway items discussed in this article,
along with a special surprise: a genuine
penny from 1911. Everyone also received
a list of requests to help us publicize the
anniversary. For example, we asked staff
to replace our standard logo with the anniversary logo on all departmental materials, including flyers, posters, trophies,
certificates, and giveaway items.

Conclusion
Based on the positive feedback we have
received from our coworkers, customers, supervisors, and city officials, we
are proud of our efforts to celebrate 100
years of recreation in Milwaukee. If you
are planning your own anniversary celebration and would like more detailed information about Milwaukee Recreation's
strategies and tactics, please e-mail
-Brian@MilwaukeeRecreation.net.

Celebrating 100 Years of Service!

(414) 475-8180

MilwaukeeRecreation.net

100
SINCE 1911

Anniversary Celebration Checklist:
✔✔ Develop a mission statement and define your objectives for celebrating your
anniversary.
✔✔ Locate stories, photos, and films that shed
light on your department's history. You
may need to visit a local library or historical society as part of your research.
✔✔ Interview past employees or community
members who have a connection to your
department's past.
✔✔ Design a new logo or alter your existing logo to reflect the anniversary year.
✔✔ Create a history booklet, brochure, or
video so you can share your department's story with internal and external
customers.
✔✔ Develop banners or signs that can be
prominently displayed at playfields, community centers, and other high-traffic areas in your city.
✔✔ Ask local media to donate advertising
space or develop news stories about
your celebration.
✔✔ Ask your existing community partners to support your anniversary. For
example, Milwaukee Recreation received permission to set up displays in
local sports arenas, school buildings,
and libraries.
✔✔ Update staff shirts, letterhead, business
cards, news releases, and your
website to reflect your anniversary theme.
✔✔ Provide your full- and parttime staff with the information and tools they'll
need to publicize your
anniversary.

Brian M. Hoffer is
Assistant Supervisor,
Milwaukee Recreation,
Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

www . N R P A . O R G

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June 2011 - Parks & Recreation

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