Board 100 Award

Board 100 Award banner

Each year, the CPRS State Board acknowledges outstanding work by Regions, Districts, and Sections. The “CPRS State Board 100 Award” will honor one District, Section or Region to acknowledge the creative and outstanding work done to serve the CPRS membership. 

The focus is the CPRS ENDS (Education, Networking, Distinctive Connection with Members, and Storytelling through Social Media Campaigns, Video Production and Newsletters, to name a few).  To learn more about the CPRS Board ENDS, visit CPRS Governance.

The winner(s) will be announced at CPRS Connections, April 3-6, 2023 in San Diego. Winners will also be recognized in the CPRS magazine and through social media posts. 

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CPRS Board 100 Award Seal

Help us congratulate these Board 100 Award winners from 2022!

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SECTION Winner:
CPRS Development & Operations
SORE (AB 1346) Outreach and Engagement Programs

The Development and Operations Section (D&O) prides itself on providing best practices to staff involved with the planning, development, maintenance and operations of park facilities. Late in 2021, members of the D&O Board began tracking the progress of Assembly Bill 1346 which aimed to ban the sale of new small off-road engines (SORE) under 25 gross horsepower by 2024.This includes pivotal landscaping equipment utilized to maintain parks on a daily basis including, but not limited to leaf blowers, lawnmowers, chainsaws, and pressure washers. After the adoption of AB 1346 on October 9, 2021, the D&O Board immediately began planning outreach and engagement opportunities for all interested parties.

The D&O Section successfully informed agencies of the impacts of AB 1346 via web announcements, social media posts and programs. This included one dedicated program to SORE legislation held on January 13, 2022. The D&O section sought to develop partnerships with equipment manufacturers and batter-powered advocates and succeeded in doing so by forming a strong partnership with the American Green Zone Alliance (AGZA) and B&M Landscaping and Mean Green Mowers. Additional programs in 2022 featuring SORE content were held during the annual Park Symposium in March and the Park Planning and Development Institute in October.  Program content included grant opportunities for battery-powered equipment purchases, hands-on training on battery-operated landscape equipment and networking opportunities with advocacy and partner organizations. Last, park specific feasibility studies were presented on equipment conversions with pertinent information regarding charge times, equipment lifespans, performance and pricing (courtesy of the cities of Glendale and Redwood City).

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DISTRICT Winner:
CPRS District 10
Triple Threat Trifecta

CPRS District 10 historically holds numerous successful educational and networking events each year. The start of the 2022 board year was no exception. To accommodate our membership work schedule and minimize the number of trips to the various events, the Fall General Membership Meeting and Vendor Expo, Mentoring Program, and Fall Social was all held on the same day, resulting in a “Triple Threat Trifecta” on October 12, 2022.

The Fall General Membership Meeting and Vendor Expo provided a variety of educational sessions to CPRS District 10 members. This event also showcased and connected members to various vendors and sponsors to cultivate professional relationships and CPRS District 10 trainings, events, and activities were promoted. The Mentoring Program introduced the mentors and mentees to each other in order to facilitate successful mentorships. Discussions were had about the mentee's desired goals for participating in the program and examined the mentee's career plan in order to enhance it. The Fall Social had the CPRS District 10 members networking in a fun, relaxed environment. The Triple Threat Trifecta was a very successful event that had the Fall General Membership meeting attended by more than 100 parks and recreation professionals which is a record number of attendees. Two free CPRS 2023 Conference passes were raffled off to members in attendance. Attendance at all three events consisted of many cities that do not typically participate in CPRS District 10 activities.

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REGION Winner:
CPRS Region 2
Region 2 Mini Conference: Plug in and Power Up

This year the Region 2 had specific goals in mind when hosting the Mini Conference Plug in and Power Up. Region 2 hoped to connect with their communities and plug in to networking and educational opportunities in order to return to individual agencies with batteries charged and ready to perform. 

After a 2 year hiatus due to COVID-19, attendees were thrilled to have this local educational opportunity return which was evident through the high volume of registrants. Over 175 attendees had the opportunity to connect with parks and recreation professionals, both members and non-members of CPRS across Region 2: Districts 4, 5 and 6. Region 2 consists of San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Calaveras, Mariposa, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties. In addition, the Region 2 Mini Conference had attendees who came from other districts as far south as El Cajon.

Attendees had the opportunity to network with one another during the morning check-in over coffee and pastries, lunch, time in between sessions and at the social which was held post-conference. Attendees participated in educational sessions and were encouraged to connect individually with session speakers throughout the day. Informative and engaging sessions covered a variety of topics and provided attendees with opportunities to learn, challenge their thought process to think differently, develop new skills, ask questions, brainstorm, and share. 

Attendees left the conference feeling rejuvenated with their batteries charged and with new skills and knowledge that could then be shared and implemented in their own agencies. "The Los Altos team really enjoyed the conference and will be sharing its highlights with the entire department today during our quarterly staff meeting." The mini conference reminded professionals of the importance of building connections and peer relationships.  The mission of CPRS is to “advance the park and recreation profession through education, networking, resources and advocacy.” The Region 2 Mini Conference encapsulated and exemplifies exactly that.

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2021 Board 100 Award Recipients

SECTION Winner:CPRS Board 100 Award D&O Section
CPRS Development & Operations Section 
2021 Virtual Park Symposium
Originally planned as an in-person program in San Diego, the 2021 Virtual Park Symposium was changed to a virtual format 12 weeks before the event date. Hence, a new park facility needed to be secured that could not only support all means of digital media, but parks specific maintenance demonstrations as well. In addition, program content had to be shifted away from in-person opportunities to digital session slides, video panel discussions and live streaming platforms. Unchartered territory for the program included coordinating speakers, vendors and participants located throughout the state; staffing for program moderators and reporters "in the field"; locating resources for live streaming demonstrations; and mailing large program "swag bags". Interestingly enough, the unexpected benefit of shifting the Park Symposium to a virtual platform was reaching audiences far and wide who may not have had the opportunity to join in in-person. Hence, future Development & Operations Park Symposiums will consider including virtual elements to capture those members restricted by travel.

DISTRICT Winner:CPRS Board 100 Award D8
CPRS District 8
2021 Fall Forum Conference, Live and In Person
District 8 has held a successful Fall Forum as long as anyone on the board can remember, and some of us have been attending for going on 15 years. That is, until 2020 blew up everyone's plans for maintaining the status quo. But there's nothing like a disruption of epic proportions to assist in the reimagining of a long-standing event. 
Initially discussed at our Board Retreat in April, it was apparent by late Spring of 2021 that our area was in a position to be able to host some version of an in person Fall Forum so we set about planning for a single day conference type event. Hosted at the Hotel Corque in historic downtown Solvang on Friday, October 8th, 2021, we were excited to bring people together for a fun, professional development opportunity for the first time in more than a year.
The board and planning committee focused on 3 primary goals:
1. Networking/Gathering in Person
2. Professional Development
3. Promoting Leadership within CPRS District 8

2020 Board 100 Award Recipients

REGION Winner:         
Region 1 Fall Forum - reconfigured into the virtual
2020 CARE Conference
because Corona Ain't Ruining Everything!

As the name (CARE = Corona Ain’t Running Everything) indicates, the impact of Covid-19 was significant in every aspect of the planning and delivery of this event.  The traditional Region 1 Fall Forum had to be transitioned from an in-person 1-day event into a virtual 5-day conference.  Everything was done virtually, from the 8 months of team planning meetings, to the event itself. Speakers had to adjust their presentation to an on-line format. Room hosts had to become proficient at Zoom and its many features. Organizers had to develop on-line activities for networking. Technical support and teamwork became paramount to pivot and adapt as the entire Park and Recreation industry responded to Covid-19. While Covid-19 presented numerous challenges in the planning and delivery of this event, the planning team’s innovative response created unexpected positives. Most notably, the 2020 format saw an unexpected increase in member participation, totaling 330 attendees. The virtual structure included more out-of-area speakers than previous Fall Forums.  Also, the on-line sessions were recorded, and are now a resource that can reach even more Park and Recreation professionals.


DISTRICT Winner:      
CPRS D4 Swag Store

Early into the pandemic, the CPRS District 4 Board recognized that countless agencies and professionals throughout the state and in our district were being adversely impacted by COVID-19. The District 4 Exec Board established the CPRS D4 Swag Store as a fundraiser to sell branded park and recreation swag.

As a result of the D4 Swag Store, the District 4 Board team successfully:

  1. Curated a website, designed custom artwork, and established processes for invoicing, purchasing and shipping. 
  2. Worked tirelessly for a nationwide launch of the D4 Swag Shop via social media (CPRS District 4 Facebook/Instagram and the Women in Parks and Recreation Facebook group) and CPRS member emails that resulted in selling 390 masks and 1,264 stickers to people from 14 out of 15 CPRS districts as well as from 27 states as far as Texas, Florida and Maryland purchasing swag to support our efforts.
  3. In just 2.5 months, the Swag Shop has generated over $5,200 in net revenue for the District that will go toward continuing to advocate for our profession by supporting new and returning CPRS District 4 members.

SECTION Winner:       
Recreation Section School of Rec Virtual Conference

The Recreation Section was fully prepared to bring back Super Cal rebranded as the School of Rec, in-person in Lake Arrowhead, California. When COVID hit, the board had to make a big decision. Cancel School of Rec or go virtual. With no format to copy, the Rec Section Board pulled all of their resources and creativity to put on the first virtual conference within CPRS. With budgets in mind, the conference was offered at a small flat rate for members and non-members. School of Rec T-shirts were also created for participants to purchase. The goal was to offer support for the recreation profession as a whole. It was important that we had a mix of educational sessions including a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion panel. We all know how important conference is to refueling our passion for recreation and connection. 6 months after the first COVID shutdown, the School of Rec Conference brought in some of the State's best speakers to present and provide education and inspiration to over 150 professionals. The theme of the conference was "Return of the Rec", in recognition of the resiliency of the incredible people we saw transforming the world of recreation in order to continue serving their communities in the time of COVID.