Illinois parks, recreation agencies vie for Gold Medal awards

Ten Illinois park and recreation agencies are finalists in the 1987 National Gold Medal and Special Recreation Awards program.

The Sports Foundation, Inc., in cooperation with the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), presents these awards annually to communities throughout the United States for excellence in park and recreation administration and for outstanding service to handicapped persons.

Finalists in the Great Lakes Region, grouped by population of their respective communities, are: the Rockford Park District, nominated by Camsports Sporting Goods (Gold Medal - Class II); Champaign Park District, Alexander's Sporting Goods, Inc. (Gold Medal - Class III); Schaumburg Park District, Hayden's Sport Center (Gold Medal - Class III); Elk Grove Park District, Creative Awards By Lane (Gold Medal -Class IV), and Homewood-Flossmoor Park District, Hayden's Sport Center (Gold Medal - Class IV).

Gold Medal winners will be announced in September.

Other finalists are the Elmhurst Park District, nominated by Chipain's Sporting Goods (Gold Medal - Class IV); Lemont Township Park District, Hayden's Sport Center (Gold Medal - Class V); Northwest Special Recreation Association, Cooper Sporting Goods (Special Recreation - Class I); Champaign and Urbana Park Districts' Special Recreation Program, Alexander's Sporting Goods (Special Recreation - Class II), and Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association, P.O. Knuth Co., Inc. (Special Recreation - Class II).

Judges' criteria

The Grand Award winner in each class will be selected based

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upon improvement, service, continuing development, extent of future planning, and degree of participant involvement and acceptance by the community. Winners will be announced and honored at the NRPA Congress to be held in September in New Orleans, LA.

Judges for the 1987 awards are nationally recognized authorities in the field of park and recreation management. They are: Charles C. Clegg, recreation consultant. University of Georgia; James A. Colley, director, City of Phoenix Parks, Recreation and Library Department; Dr. Theodore B. Flickinger, executive director, Illinois Association of Park Districts; Walter C. Johnson, regional director, NRPA Great Lakes Service Center; Dr. Lee Meyer, associate professor, Curriculum in Recreation Administration, University of North Carolina, and Dean Tice, executive director, National Recreation and Park Association.

Illinois Parks and Recreation 18 July/August 1987