Homewood-Flossmoor Park District Announced as Finalist for the 2016 National Gold Medal Awards in Parks and Recreation

Flossmoor, IL., May 6, 2016 – 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.