Homewood-Flossmoor Park District Named a Finalist for 2016 National Gold Medal Awards in Parks and Recreation

—Submitted by the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District

The American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA), in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), is pleased to announce the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District as a finalist for the 2016 National Gold Medal Awards for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management. Musco Lighting LLC has been a proud sponsor of the Gold Medal Awards program for over 10 years.

Founded in 1965, the Gold Medal Awards program honors communities in the U.S. that demonstrate excellence in parks and recreation through long-range planning, resource management, volunteerism, environmental stewardship, program development, professional development and agency recognition. Applications are separated into seven classes, with five classes based on population, one class for armed forces recreation and one class for state park systems awarded on odd numbered years.

Homewood-Flossmoor Park District is a finalist in the Class V category (population less than 30,000). Agencies are judged on their ability to address the needs of those they serve through the collective energies of citizens, staff and elected officials. Homewood-Flossmoor Park District joins three other finalists in their class that will compete for grand honors this year.

“We are so honored to receive this national recognition. The work we do would not be possible without our park district commissioners, leadership and staff all working together towards the common goal of providing this great community with diverse programming along with quality parks and facilities,” stated Debbie Kopas, Executive Director of the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District. “Being selected as a finalist acknowledges our ongoing commitment to being a leader in our field not only locally, but also on a national level.”

A panel of five park and recreation professionals reviews and judges all application materials. Judges are chosen for their considerable experience and knowledge in parks and recreation on both the local and national levels.

This year’s finalists will compete for Grand Plaque Award honors this summer, and the six Grand Plaque recipients will be announced live during the NRPA General Session at the 2016 NRPA Annual Conference in St. Louis, MO, Oct 5-8, 2016.

For more information on the Gold Medal Awards, visit www.nrpa.org/goldmedal or www.aapra.org.

The Homewood-Flossmoor Park District has served the Homewood and Flossmoor communities for the past 47 years and maintains 31 parks covering 356 acres. The district is nearly conterminous to each village's boundaries and extends into a small portion of Glenwood to the east. The H-F Park District’s unique parks — often built the first of their kind in the South Suburbs — include Rover’s Run Dog Park, the Extreme Scene Skate Park, the Millennium Park Splash Pad, Leavitt Sculpture Park and Patriots Park.

The district also manages several recreation facilities. These include: Coyote Run Golf Course, The Clubhouse at Dolphin Lake, H-F Auditorium, H-F Ice Arena, H-F Racquet & Fitness Club, H-F Sports Complex, Irons Oaks Environmental Learning Center, Irwin Community Center and Lions Club Pool.

The American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration is a non-profit organization founded to advance knowledge related to the administration of recreation and parks; to encourage scholarly efforts by both practitioners and educators that would enhance the practice of park and recreation administration; to promote broader public understanding of the importance of parks and recreation to the public good; and, to conduct research, publish scholarly papers and sponsor seminars related to the advancement of park and recreation administration. For more information, visit www.aapra.org.

The National Recreation and Park Association is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing park, recreation and conservation efforts that enhance quality of life for all people. Through its network of 50,000 recreation and park professionals and citizens, NRPA encourages the promotion of healthy and active lifestyles, conservation initiatives and equitable access to parks and public space. For more information, visitwww.nrpa.org. For digital access to NRPA’s flagship publication, Parks & Recreation, visit www.parksandrecreation.org.

Musco Lighting, LLC is a company that has specialized in lighting systems for sports and large areas for more than 30 years. Musco has pioneered dramatic improvements in energy efficiency and affordable ways to control wasted spill light and glare. Permanent and temporary lighting services range from neighborhood fields to NASCAR super speedways. For more information, visit www.musco.com.