Betsy Orselet
Betsy is the Executive Director of the Vermont Recreation and Parks Association...
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Rec Check-In
The Weekly Recreation Check-In is a members-only benefit, emailed to members each Friday. The Rec Check-In includes an assortment of information including details and registration materials for upcoming events, resource materials and links to relevant websites, member requests for information, training opportunities, grant and funding opportunities, employment opportunities, etc. Members say that the Rec Check-In is a valuable member benefit. Below is a sample check-in:
Sample Recreation Check-In (9/16/2011)…
Good afternoon. I hope you have had a good week. Sounds like we have a beautiful weekend coming up.
It has been a busy week with the VRPA Executive Committee holding its annual fall retreat and with getting ready for the Governor’s Conference. We look forward to seeing you at this year’s conference on September 28th and hopefully the day before too for all the great pre-conference activities. If you haven’t registered yet, you can find the conference brochure and registration form on the VRPA website…scroll down to the bottom. If you have never been to this conference before, please take a minute to read through the brochure. In addition to providing the opportunity to learn new things, our annual conference provides a fabulous opportunity to network with people from across the state who struggle with the same issues that you do. You can make some wonderful connections, whether you come from a department of paid staff or a community where recreation is managed entirely by volunteers. We are so confident that it will be a worthwhile experience for you that we’ll provide a money-back guarantee.
If you have been to the conference in the last five or six years, you know all about the great Silent Auction that we have at the Governor’s Conference. Attached you will find a sneak preview of the items that will be available this year. We’ll be emailing out the final list sometime next week…feel free to share the list with your friends, family, and office mates and plan to bid for them. We have an amazing assortment of items and all the proceeds go to educational purposes…trainings, scholarships, etc.
The Fall issue of the VRPA newsletter has just been released…you should have received your copy via email this morning. It is also available on the VRPA website. Thank you very much to everyone who contributed…it becomes a much better publication when people contribute from different parts of the state. Remember, it is your publication so feel free to submit news, articles, etc any time. The submission deadline for the Winter 2012 issue is January 2, 2012.
Don’t forget to mark your calendar for the Vermont Performance Showcase on Thursday, November 17, 2011. The list of showcase artists is coming soon.
The Vermont Health Department and the Get Moving Vermont Program have a new fitness challenge staring October 3rd. You can count your steps with a pedometer or use the step calculator available on the website to turn whatever exercise you do into “steps.” Consider joining the challenge yourself, putting together a team in your office or department, or putting this out to your entire community and setting up several teams to challenge each other. This is definitely a great fitness challenge for individuals or teams, competitive or not. Join the Fall 2011 Get Moving Vermont Challenge: Amazing America - October 3-December 18. From a lobster dive on the east coast, to Yosemite National Park, clear to salmon fishing in the mighty Pacific, this cross nation expedition has it all. Experience some of the splendor the beautiful US has to offer in this virtual challenge. People can form their own teams, create competitions among teams in their areas (school classrooms, grades, worksite divisions, locations, etc), or people can participate as individuals, not on any team. This is a 10 week challenge (based in 10,000 steps a day) called Amazing America. Go tohttp://www.getmoving.vermont.
Funding Opportunities…
Here is a good funding opportunity, especially for the communities recently ravaged by Tropical Storm Irene - BSN Sports Proudly Announces the: $1 Million Victory Grant Program. We're All About Being a Good Sport. BSN SPORTS proudly announces the official launch of our Victory Grant Program, an unprecedented one million dollar commitment to provide free equipment and uniforms to school athletic programs and recreation leagues in need. Programs nationwide are invited to apply for Victory Grant consideration via our website or their local field representative. All of the grants will be allocated on a rolling basis and are open to all organizations. Click here for complete program details.
Have a nice weekend.
Newsletter
The VRPA newsletter, The Advocate, is published three times a year. In addition to VRPA news, the newsletter contains news from several related groups such as the VT Youth Conservation Corp, the VT Trails and Greenways Council, the VT Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, and the National Recreation and Park Association. Each issue includes a Personal Profile and a Facility Feature, and members are welcome to suggest a person or a facility to be considered for this feature. Submission of materials by members is always welcome. The newsletter is published in March, June, and in November, and the submission deadline is 15th of the prior month. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to submit materials. Click here for information about advertising in the VRPA newsletter. The newsletter is emailed to all members and available online.
Strategic Plan
The Vermont Recreation and Parks Association accepts that strategic planning is essential to good governance, and developed its first Strategic Plan in 1999. The purpose of the plan was to delineate the organization's vision, mission, goals, objectives and strategies for achieving the stated goals. A revised plan was adopted in 2004. Each year at an all-day retreat, the Executive Committee reviews the stated goals and timetables in the Strategic Plan, and makes minor updates to the Plan. The Strategic Plan is revised and adopted by the membership every five years.
In 2009, using the California VIP (Vision, Insight, and Planning) Project as a model, the VRPA Executive Committee developed Vision Models for Vermont Recreation and for the Vermont Recreation and Parks Association, VRPA Strategic Priorities and a VRPA Work Plan. Each year, Work Plan accomplishments will be reported at the Annual Meeting and a new Work Plan will be adopted the following September in an Executive Committee retreat. See attachments for these documents.
Executive Committee
The leadership of the Vermont Recreation and Parks Association consists of a ten-member Executive Committee. The Executive Committee includes the four officer positions of President, President-Elect, Secretary, and Treasurer; the Past-President; four at-large members appointed by the President; and the Executive Director as an ex-officio member. The term of office is two years. Effort is made to select at-large members from different parts of the state in order to ensure geographic representation on the Executive Committee.
See the attachment for contact information for the current VRPA Executive Committee members.
What is the Vermont Recreation and Parks Association
The VRPA is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion, development, and improvement of all recreation and park services within the State of Vermont.
Dating back to our small beginnings in 1948, our history has been that of professionalism and pride in our mission: The Vermont Recreation and Parks Association provides support services and programs for the professionals and volunteers who advocate high quality recreation and park experiences for the people and visitors of Vermont.
It does this by providing conferences and workshops, publication of a newsletter called The Advocate, a weekly Recreation Check-In email, advocacy and visibility programs, an awards program, distribution of grant information, technical resource information, consultation, special events, and a variety of other services.Our members consist mostly of people who work full and part-time in parks and recreation, and citizen volunteers who serve on boards and commissions or as leaders of recreation programs and projects. We also have commercial members, college faculty, and student members.
The VRPA is an affiliate of the National Recreation and Park Association and as such takes an active role in the functioning of NRPA. Many VRPA members are also members of NRPA.
In 1997, VRPA hired its first part-time executive director to better serve its membership. The Executive Director works out of his or her home but is generally available to provide assistance during the day or evening. In 1999, VRPA adopted its first Strategic Plan. In 2009, VRPA adopted a Vision Model, Strategic Priorities and a Work Plan using the California VIP (Vision, Insight, and Planning) Project as a model.
As described in the attached two documents, Constitution and By-Laws, the association is led by a ten-member Executive Committee consisting of a president, president-elect, treasurer, secretary, past-president, four at-large members appointed by the president, and the executive director (ex-officio).
721 Main Street, Colchester, VT 05446
Phone: 802-878-2077 Fax: 802-878-2921 Email
Upcoming Events
- Summerama Summer Staff Training
Saturday, June 2 - Hershey State Track Meet
Saturday, July 7 - VRPA St. Johnsbury Academy State Track Meet
Saturday, July 21 - 69th Annual VT Governor's Conference
Wednesday, September 26 - NRPA Congress
Tuesday, October 16
