Glenview Park District Named Finalist For National Gold Medal Award

GLENVIEW, IL — It seems like the Glenview Park District is due to win a National Gold Medal Award, as it has been named a finalist in three of the past seven years. With that, just being named a finalist is quite the accomplishment.

"Being named a Gold Medal finalist inspires us to continue striving for excellence for our community," Michael McCarty, Glenview Park District executive director, tells Patch. "I couldn't be prouder of the staff, volunteers and board members who made this possible."

The American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration, in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association, announced the Glenview Park District was a finalist earliest this month. Founded in 1965, the Gold Medal Awards program honors communities in the United States that demonstrate excellence in parks and recreation through long-range planning, resource management, volunteerism, environmental stewardship, program development, professional development and agency recognition.

The District won the award in 1970 and 1974, and was a finalist in 2009, 2019 and 2024.

According to officials, applications are separated into seven classes, with five classes based on population, one class for armed forces recreation and one class, awarded on odd numbered years, for state park systems. Glenview is a finalist in the Class IV category (population 30,001 to 75,000).

Agencies are judged on their ability to address the needs of those they serve through the collective energies of community members, staff and elected officials. Four finalists in each class are chosen to compete for grand honors each year.

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, both locally and nationally.

This year's finalists awardees will compete for Grand Plaque Award honor, and the six Grand Plaque
recipients will be announced at the 2025 NRPA Annual Conference in September. For more information on the Gold Medal Awards, visit www.nrpa.org/goldmedal or www.aapra.org.