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| ARPA's e-Newsletter |
November 2009
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Highlights from the Annual Conference...
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 ARPA Annual Conference and Energize Workshop a resounding success!
ARPA's flagship event, the Annual Conference and Energize Workshop, took place in Lake Louise, October 29-31. There was a spectacular showing at the Conference this year, with the 2009 event tying last year's attendance record of 460 delegates. The attendees were kept quite busy throughout the weekend with a schedule jam-packed with meetings, networking events, and educational opportunities.
This year's theme "Weaving of Values∞Spirit of Place" was integrated throughout the Conference, and was invoked on many levels. Primarily, the theme was reinforced through the idea that the ability to nurture the spirit and sense of belonging that is core to our communities can be channeled through the values of recreation and parks. Whether applied to personal, family, or community contexts, the Conference theme helped us reaffirm our mission to support strong, vibrant, sustainable communities throughout Alberta.
Key conference learnings included:
- How to use the new Benefits Catalogue to support our work;
- How we can use the five pillars of municipal sustainability to shape our community values;
- The value of leaders and creative leadership;
- How to create a culture of sharing through dialogue about our community successes and challenges; and
- An appreciation for the world around us, invoked by the picturesque setting of the Chateau Lake Louise.
Delegates left the conference with many insights and memories to take back to their workplaces and homes. Opening keynote speaker Jennifer James shared the value of changing our cultural myths and improving the stories with the community reality of today. Closing keynote speaker Paul Huschilt made use of his "low budget spa" and "low
tech paper point presentation" to share his techniques for reversing the
negative affects of stress. The Conference concluded with the "Mask-arade Ball" - one more memory of the learning and fellowship that underscored the weekend.
Many thanks to all of the Conference Sponsors and Trade Show Participants for their contributions toward making this one of ARPA's most successful Conferences to date. Sincere thanks also go out to the Conference Organizing Committee and their communities for supporting their efforts. Of course, we must also thank the Conference delegates who brought the values and helped create the spirit over the weekend.
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| ARPA announces newly elected Board members, welcomes re-elected members
Several positions on the ARPA Board of Directors came up for renewal in 2009, and the results of the election were announced at the ARPA AGM. In total, eight Board positions were filled, which include:
Judi Frank (Secretary)
Dan Pagely (Treasurer)
Susan Laurin (Region 1 Member - Greater Calgary Area) *incumbent*
John Mulhall (Region 3 Member - Northern Alberta) *incumbent*
Brian Wright (Region 5 Member - Southern Alberta) *incumbent*
Glenn Jensen & Russel Tanner (Directors At Large)
Dorota Wolski (Student Representative) *incumbent*
All Board positions are for two-year terms with the exception of the Student Representative position, which is elected on an annual basis. Board Members who will continue serving their terms throughout 2010 include:
Dr. Tim Burton (President)
Terry Welsh (Vice-President)
Elaine Betchinski (Region 2 Member - Greater Edmonton)
Barb McKee (Region 4 Member - Central Alberta)
Mike Roma (Director At Large)
Bobbi-Jo Grover (Director At Large)
To contact a member of ARPA's Board of Directors, please visit www.arpaonline.ca/contact.html.
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| ARPA celebrates excellence in the recreation and parks field
ARPA acknowledged seven award and scholarship recipients at an awards dinner hosted in conjunction with the 2009 ARPA Conference and Energize Workshop on October 31st, 2009. The awards were presented to the recipients by the Honourable Cindy Ady, Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation, and ARPA President Dr. Tim Burton. The award winners included community volunteers, practitioners, and post-secondary students who have made outstanding contributions to the recreation and parks sector.
This year's award recipients include:
AABRD Undergraduate Scholarship: Leah Moroz (University of Alberta)
AABRD Graduate Scholarship: Kyoung June Yi (University of Alberta)
Halladay Memorial Scholarship: Joshua Koehli (University of Alberta)
Excellence in Youth Development Award: SOGO Calgary
ARPA Merit Award: Diane Dunn (City of Edmonton)
A.V. Pettigrew Award: Town of Blackfalds
President's Award of Distinction: Southern Alberta Recreation Association
Diane Dunn: ARPA Merit Award Recipient
Specifically, this year's ARPA Merit Award winner, Diane Dunn, was honoured for her years of active participation in ARPA. Diane served ARPA as a board member, secretary to the executive, and chair of the Education Committee. As program chair for several ARPA Annual Conferences, Diane continually raised the bar, ensuring her colleagues from across the province, Canada, and diverse disciplines benefited from a rich, balanced, and inspiring educational experience. She always strived for the "wow-factor" keynote, for which our Association has come to be recognized.
SARA: President's Award of Distinction Recipient
Additionally, the Southern Alberta Recreation Association (SARA) received the President's Award of Distinction this year. In July, SARA hosted its annual Southern Alberta Summer Games, as they have done the past 40 years. The original concept of SARA was to provide a venue for recreation practitioners and volunteers to come together on an informal basis to discuss common concerns and problems and to assist each other in finding solutions. From those modest beginnings, the Association has evolved and matured, nurturing leaders who have helped build this amazing southern Alberta event over the past four decades.
For more information on ARPA's awards and scholarship initiatives, please visit www.awards.arpaonline.ca.
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 Outstanding community volunteers recognized through the annual Energize Awards
On October 31, 2009, the Alberta Sport, Recreation, Parks and Wildlife Foundation (ASRPWF) joined forces with ARPA to recognize four dedicated volunteers who have made exemplary contributions to the recreation and parks field. The awards were presented to the recipients by the Honourable Cindy Ady and ARPA President Dr. Tim Burton. Also in attendance was Bill Persley, Chair of ASRPWF.
Taken in sum, the contributions of each of these outstanding volunteers total over 115 years of service to the field! This year's award recipients include:
Don Kroetch (Strome)
Vaughn McGrath (Fort Saskatchewan)
Laverne Wilson (Elk Point)
Faith Zachar (Pincher Creek)
The Recreation Volunteer Recognition Awards are presented at the Energize Workshop to Albertans who have, through their involvement and dedication, advanced the development of recreation and parks in Alberta. The awards are sponsored by Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation and the selection recommendations are made to the Minister of Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation by the volunteer Energize Advisory Committee from the nominations that are received.
For more information on the Energize Awards, please visit the ASRPWF portion of the Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation website at tpr.alberta.ca/asrpwf/awards/energize/index.asp.
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| AGM Resolutions focus on provincial lottery fund review and Alberta's land-use framework
Resolutions for the ARPA AGM were solicited throughout the fall, with a final submission deadline of October 30th for emergent resolutions. Two resolutions were put forth at this year's AGM.
The first, related to provincial lottery revenue disbursements, resolved that:
"The Alberta Government be requested to undertake a review of the Alberta Lottery Fund for purposes of reassuring Alberta communities and not for profit organizations that lottery revenue disbursements will be refocused and reinvested towards more community enrichment and quality of life enhancements and related wellness innovations."
The second, related to Alberta's land-use framework and regional planning, resolved that:
"ARPA,
within available human resource and financial limits, be purposeful
and proactive with the land-use framework and regional planning process by: (1) developing general RPOS policy and planning guidelines for community(s) reference and use throughout the regional plan(s) consultations; and, (2) developing other communicative and educative devices and toolkits for community awareness and use to ensure that regional plans are developed with proper consideration of recreation, parks and open space elements."
To obtain a copy of these resolutions in full, please contact ARPA at 780-415-1745 or arpa@arpaonline.ca.
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 ACE Communities previews updated Benefits Catalogue at ARPA Conference
ARPA's ACE Communities initiative previewed the new online Benefits Catalogue during the ARPA Conference. This living resource summarizes evidence that recreation, parks, sports, fitness, active living, arts and culture services really do make a difference. Over 700 studies organized around eight marketing messages and 49 benefit/outcome statements can be found at The Benefits Portal.
The intent of this initiative has been to provide users with an invaluable resource for policy development, planning, marketing, program/service development, and/or evaluation. The ACE Communities initiative is currently in the process of adding facts and trends for each benefit statement to help communities and organizations make a case for expanding related programs and/or services.
Please visit the Benefits Catalogue online at benefits.acecommunities.ca.
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| Conference presentations now available online
Couldn't make it to the ARPA Annual Conference? Or maybe you missed downloading the presentations on the handy bamboo USB drive that was given to all delegates during the event? Not to worry! PDF copies of slides from many of the conference sessions are available for you to download at the following links:
Lifestyle Information Network
lin.ca/arpa-2009-papers
ARPA's SlideShare Page:
www.slideshare.net/arpaonline
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| Conference attendees get into the Halloween spirit at the "Mask-arade Ball"""
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Judi Frank & Annette Driessen
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Bill Werry
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Dorota Wolski
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Darrell Melvie
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Terry and Shelley Gagnon
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In other Association news...
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 Reminder to submit nominations for Recreation Industry Awards of Excellence
The inaugural Recreation Industry Awards of Excellence (RIAE) gala, scheduled to take place April 15th, 2010, is presently seeking nominations in all awards categories. The intent of this program is to honour achievement, excellence, creativity, and innovation by Alberta's corporate sector in enhancing personal health, community well-being, and quality of life that is directly linked to recreation and parks development.
The nomination deadline for the first edition of the awards program is February 26th, 2010. Nominating an individual or organization can be completed in three simple steps: (1) Complete the nomination form; (2) Provide three letters of support; and (3) Provide an overview of the nominee including reference to the project, work, or services that support the nomination (max. 500 words).
Gala Keynote Speaker Just Announced!
The Recreation for Life Foundation is extremely pleased to announce that the keynote speaker for the inaugural RIAE gala will be the Honourable Roy J. Romonow, P.C., O.C., S.O.M., Q.C., who is the Chair of the Institute of Wellbeing Advisory Board, and an Atkinson Fellow.
For more information on this initiative, or to download a nomination form or sponsorship package, please visit www.awards.recreationforlife.org.
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| Mark your calendar for the Sobeys Recreation for Life Charity Golf Tournament
 The Sobeys Recreation for Life Charity Golf Tournament has officially been scheduled for Monday, June 14th, 2010, and will take place at the Derrick Golf and Winter Club. The Foundation is pleased to announce that Sobeys has already signed on as the tournament's title sponsor for another year, and we are looking forward to yet another successful sold-out event.
The Texas Scramble-style tournament will kick-off at 11:30 a.m. for brunch and registration, followed by a shotgun start 1:30 p.m., and dinner at 6:30 p.m. The registration fee is $250 per golfer, or $50 to attend the dinner only.
Stay tuned to www.recreationforlife.org for upcoming information on additional sponsorship opportunities and registration information.
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Upcoming ARPA Events
Youth Development Through Recreation Services (YDRS) Symposium
Date: March 15-17, 2010
Location: The Banff Centre, Banff, AB
Recreation Industry Awards of Excellence
Date: April 15, 2010
Time: 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Location: The Citadel Theatre, Edmonton, AB
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REConnect is a monthly e-newsletter produced by the Alberta Recreation and Parks Association. For more information on this publication or ARPA, please contact Mandi Wise, Communications Coordinator, at mwise@arpaonline.ca.
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