Georgia Recreation and Park Association

Calling all members interested in Maintenance education opportunities! February 15-18 (in person)- Maintenance Management School YEAR 2- https://grpa.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1451897&group= March 1-3 (Virtual ONLY)- Certified Playground Safety Inspectors Course (CPSI)- https://grpa.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1452073&group=... Be sure to sign up before deadlines and more information can be found on the GRPA website under "EVENTS"

Congratulations Decatur Active Living for recently being recognized for State GRPA awards won at their City Commission Zoom meeting. Mike Daniel Programming Award- Sara Holmes Marketing and Visibility On Line Media Award- "Staying Active During the COVID pandemic" Volunteer of the Year Award- Lee Goldsmith

Another great Fall Lifeguard Games was help this past weekend in Cherokee County. Congratulation to first place winners "Cherokee Head Guards" and all the teams that came to participate! Thanks to Kim Whatley and the Cherokee County TEAM for offering a GREAT event (again)!

GRPA Members- 2021 GRPA membership drive is under way! President White's theme is "We Are Essential" and truly each of you are! Be sure to check out the GRPA website for the *NEW* 2021 membership structure information! You can renew ANYTIME for 2021. If you have any questions please contact the GRPA office. https://cdn.ymaws.com//Final_Fillable_2021_Agency_Membersh

GRPA Members- Our counterparts in NC are hosting a virtual conference on December 7-9 and have invited any GRPA members who would like to attend to join them. Live sessions will occur during the event dates (12/7-12/9). A portion of the registration fee from all GA attendees will be shared with GRPA. Current Sessions are listed on their event page. All details and registration information can be found at https://www.ncrpa.net/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1301453

Congratulations to Douglas Coffee County Parks & Recreation Department on the ground breaking of their Premier Sports Complex! This is the first phase of a 2016 SPLOST project that will total $6 million. This $3 million facility will be home to 4 baseball/softball fields, 3 multipurpose fields, and parking along with other great amenities.

Thank you to all of the amazing Veterans and their families today and everyday!

Congratulations to the Douglasville TEAM!! Douglasville, Ga, Oct. 19, 2020 Today, Douglasville Parks and Recreation joins the ranks of elite park and recreation agencies across the country by earning accreditation through the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). This distinguished accomplishment was awarded virtually during the 2020 NRPA Annual Conference.

Congratulations to Effingham County on the Ribbon Cutting of their new Effingham County Gym! This $4.5 million dollar SPLOST facility has 2 gyms, meeting rooms, office space, concessions and restrooms to name a few of the amenities. This is part of the larger $13.5 million dollar SPLOST project for the Clarence E. Morgan Complex. Great job to Clarence and the entire Effingham County Team for a job well done!

Upcoming Virtual Conference/education opportunities: Aspen Institute Summit (Starting Oct. 13) https://www.aspenprojectplay.org/summit... NRPA Conference (Starting October 27) https://www.nrpa.org/conference/

Thank you to all the amazing attendees, vendors, speakers, and volunteers who helped make the 2020 GRPA Conference GREAT! Special thanks to Ms. Thera (Carrollton P&R) for all the wonderful pictures!! Be sure to check out the 2020 GRPA Conference photo album

Conference committee volunteers getting everything ready to kick off the 2020 GRPA Conference!

GRPA members- Join Gainesville in celebrating the 30 year career of Brenda Martin and wishing her health and happiness as she starts this exciting new chapter!

GRPA family- See the information regarding the untimely passing of Sammy Long.

Certified Youth Sports Administrator Online Opportunity Get certified and join 5,000 youth sports professionals who have earned CYSA designation. https://cdn.ymaws.com//cy/grpa_cysa_webinar_plus_onlin.pdf

Last day to submit Award nominations, BOT nominations, and Athletic Rule changes! Visit www.grpa.org for more information.

GRPA Members- LOTS of up coming opportunities and deadlines! Registration for Conference is OPEN with housing availability- https://grpa.org/page/AnnualConference State Award Nominations are due August 7- https://grpa.org/page/awards... BOT Nominations are due August 7- https://grpa.org/news/514821/Call-for-Nominations.htm GRPA Athletic Rule Change(s) are due August 7- https://cdn.ymaws.com//at/21_athletic_rule_change_form.pdf Certified Playground Safety Inspector Course- On-line for 2020- September 14-15- https://cdn.ymaws.com//ne/registration_certified_playg.pdf Certified Youth Sports Administrator Course- On-line for 2020-September 15- https://www.nays-onlineacademy.org/signup/ PLUS other online educational opportunities!- https://grpa.org//Upcoming-on-line-educational-opportuniti

Congress has passed the Great American Outdoors Act, which FULLY funds LWCF! This will allow local Georgia Communities access to an important source of federal funding to create and develop local parks, trails, boat launches, sports fields and other recreation areas and park infrastructure that enrich our communities. See more from NRPA: https://www.nrpa.org//nrpa-applauds-congressional-passage/

GRPA Members, July is Park and Recreation Month, we want show the field as an essential, vital necessity by sharing how park and recreation professionals full of passion for their communities represent a diverse group of professionals who are confronting our most pressing health, environmental and social challenges to your local communities. Download the NRPA Toolkit- https://www.nrpa.org/events/july/toolkit/

GRPA Members- We hope this finds you well as you continue your various re-opening plans. We want to keep you updated on a few items: GRPA State Award Nominations are now OPEN! Click https://grpa.org/page/awards to view all the awards. They can also be found on the GRPA Website under the Annual Conference tab at the top. Please follow the directions carefully. If you have questions you can contact Awards Chair Dottee Morton ([email protected]) or any Awards Comm...ittee members. Nominations are open for 2021 GRPA Officers- The GRPA Nominating Committee is now accepting nominations for the 2021 slate of officers for the Board of Trustees. Any GRPA member may submit these nominations. Nomination information can be found at: https://grpa.org/news/514821/Call-for-Nominations.htm or on the GRPA Website under Latest News. Atlanta United Mini Soccer Fields Grant Program- JUNE 30- Last day to turn in Request For Proposals- for more information can be found at: https://grpa.org/news/514819/Grant-Opportunities.htm. Outdoor Stewardship Program- Applications now be accepted. For more information https://grpa.org/news/514819/Grant-Opportunities.htm. Certified Youth Sports Administrator on-line opportunity- Get Certified and join 5,000 Youth Sports Professionals that have earned CYSA designation! On-Line Class to begin in September. Click https://grpa.org//Upcoming-on-line-educational-opportuniti for more information or on the GRPA website under Upcoming On-Line Educational Opportunities. Look for more information in the upcoming GRPA News4U newsletter.