The Theresa S. Brungardt Award is the highest honor bestowed by the Vermont Recreation and Parks Association. This award was established in 1975 to recognize recreation pioneer, Theresa S. Brungardt. Mrs. Brungardt was Vermont's first state Director of Recreation and she traveled tirelessly throughout Vermont to help communities with their recreation programs. Mrs. Brungardt was nationally recognized for her expertise and in 1952 was elected the first female president of the American Recreation Society. In 1977 was inducted into the NRPA Hall of Fame.
Cindi Wight, with the help of the staff at the Rutland PEG TV Community Access Channel, completed three great videos about recreation pioneer, Theresa Brungardt.
- "Snapshot of Theresa Brungardt" (8 minutes, featured below)
- "A Perspective by Those Who Knew Her" (39 minutes)
- "Historical View" (59 minutes, with VT Historian, Muriel More)
Nominations are accepted each summer for Theresa S. Brungardt Awards in three categories: professional, friend, and organization/agency. Eligibility and criteria vary by category. Nominations are accepted during the summer. Nominations are reviewed by an Awards Committee consisting of the past professional Brungardt Award recipients who are still working in the field full-time. The awards are presented at the Annual Vermont Governor's Conference on Recreation. The deadline for submitting a nomination for this year's Brungardt Awards has been extended until Friday, August 26, 2011.
