N E W S L E T T E R O F

6372 Mechanicsville Tnpk, Suite 109, Mechanicsville, VA 23111 www.vrps.com 1

n

VRPS

From the Virginia Recreation and Park Society, whose purpose is to unite all professionals, students,

and interested lay persons engaged in the field of recreation, parks and other leisure services in the

Commonwealth of Virginia, into one body.

Management Conference

Highlights

It’s time to register for the 2013 Management Conference. Early registration deadline is January 28th.

Pages 1-2

VRPS goes to Maine!

Help us with this society fundraiser and invite your community to join us! Page 4

Call for Educational

Sessions and Exhibitors

Who can you recommend that should be on the program or in the Exhibit Hall in September sharing their expertise with our members? Page 3

Making Playgrounds Safe

Take the NPSI exam in Leesburg March 13-15.

Register on line today!

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President’s Newsletter Issue No. 3 Holidays 2012

Survey Says…

Check out a brief preview of the survey posted last month. A detailed synopsis coming soon!

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P R E S I D E N T ’ S N E W S L E T T E R

2 www.vrps.com

Michelle Trindade

Underwriting Assistant Vice President GEICO

Trindade joined GEICO in 1997 as a sales agent in the Florida office and held positions of increasing responsibility

within the sales and customer service departments. She became a director in 2004 and moved to the corporate office

located in Chevy Chase, Maryland in 2007 as a sales process coordinator within the competitive advantage

leadership group. While in this role, there were many improvements made in sales processes, both on the phone and

over the Internet. She then entered the executive assistant program in 2008 where she gained additional experience

in claims operations, real estate and facilities management and with the agency side of the operation. In 2010,

Trindade moved to the Fredericksburg, VA location where she currently serves as assistant vice president.

Topic: More Than the Mascot: Climbing to New Heights Through Core Principles

Competition is all around us, and this can be a difficult problem during times of economic uncertainty. This session

will identify and assist in creating ideas to differentiate your agency and stand out in a competitive marketplace just

by holding true to your agency’s core principles, and exploring new ways to market and advertise your strengths.

Sponsor:

GEICO, founded in 1936 as Government Employees Insurance Company, began insuring the general public in 1974

and recently have been at the forefront of effective and successful advertising campaigns. The GEICO Gecko, the

Cavemen, or more recently, Maxwell the pig –starring as the catchy main characters of advertising campaigns have

helped GEICO stand out from their competition, while maintaining their core company values of offering affordable,

quality vehicle, property, and life insurance options direct to consumers. GEICO, with their commitment to quality

and excellence, has generously partnered with us to sponsor the events on Tuesday, February 26th

at the VRPS

Management Conference 2013: Unique Management Practices & Principles.

Make your decision now to attend the Management Conference in February. We are so looking forward to this

session! One of the challenges we all seem to be facing is an increase in the private recreation providers. How

do we maintain our enrollment numbers and dollars when so many options exist? Well, we thought about it and

GEICO stood out. Ten years ago there seemed to be a fixed number of insurance companies. Then, suddenly,

they seemed to be coming out of the woodwork. With some really smart planning and some very creative

marketing, GEICO maintained its strengths, embraced new marketing opportunities, and rode out the wave.

They are stronger than ever and we owe it to ourselves to look closely at how they did it.

Sincerely, The Management Conference committee

S E Q U O I A C L U B

2013 Annual Conference-Williamsburg 3

VRPS is hosting its statewide annual conference in Williamsburg, September 7-10, 2013

We invite you to assist in the continued professional development

of our members, associates, and other related professionals by

presenting an educational session during the conference. Our

educational program offering will represent the diversity of our

profession by ensuring we offer programs for students to seasoned

professionals. If presenting a session is not for you, perhaps you

have recently attended a training or listened to a speaker you feel

would benefit the members of our society.

Please contact Nancy Ellis at 757-259-5412 or Beth Wood-

Whitley at 757-385-0443.

Deadline for proposals is February 18, 2013.

S E Q U O I A C L U B

4 Trip to Maine

"Maine's Coast in Autumn": September 15-21, 2013

Leaf-Peeping & Lobsters: Maine’s Coast in Autumn

A Fabulous 7 Day / 6 Night Vacation Join VRPS as we head to Maine’s rocky shore for a fabulous autumn tour of coastal towns. Your first stop will be Portland including a guided tour of this historic seacoast town along with a visit to the Portland Head Lighthouse and the Old Port Exchange. We’ll visit Kennebunkport including a drive along Ocean Avenue and a visit to the Olmstead-designed grounds of the Franciscan Monastery. We’ll stop at Ellsworth for the Great Maine Lumberjack Show, stop in Scarborough for a visit with “Lenny” the Chocolate Moose at Len Libby’s, and then venture to Bar Harbor for a visit to Acadia National Park which encompasses more than 35,000 acres on the Schoodic Peninsula. Within the park, you’ll have a guided tour, a “Hearty Hiker’s” boxed lunch, and time on your own for hiking, photos, bird-watching, etc. During the tour, other stops/admissions include the Maine Maritime Museum and the Bar Harbor Oceanarium. Visit our website for all the details.

From all of us on the Board, we extend our best wishes to each of you in the coming year. Our hope for you includes professional success, familial harmony and above all personal joy each and every day. Revel in the true pleasure and beauty you bring to your community from all the good things you do.

Happy Holidays!

Cindy, Katey, Art, Ed, Lisa, Cindy, Pam, Keith, Kathy, Lakita and Jim

S E Q U O I A C L U B

2013 Board, Survey Says 5

Welcome to our incoming President Katey Legg and o new board members.

Please extend your thanks and well wishes to former President Lakita Frazier, Treasurer Keith Rotzoll, and Pam Sheets who have all completed their three year terms on the VRPS Board All committed valuable time to our society and contributed substantially as leaders of our organization.

Beginning at the stroke of midnight, January 1, 2013 we welcome to the helm Katey Legg of Gloucester as our incoming President. Katey begins the third of her three year term. Freshmen members Marcy Durrer, Mandi Smith and Mike McCarty join the 2013 team which also includes veteran Lisa Cooke, Art Thatcher, Cindys Messinger and Roeder, Ed Hamilton and Jim Stutts. The Board will elect its other executive officers as the first order of business at their January Board meeting.

Survey says….

251 members and non-members responded to a survey the Board posted last month providing valuable insight to perceptions, concerns and expectations of professionals in parks and recreation. The Board clearly has some work to do in clarifying who and what this organization is all about, but there was also strong support demonstrated by the number of members and non-members who would recommend our Society to others. 197 of the 251 respondents said they probably or definitely would recommend membership to a colleague or friend. This includes 46 non-members and 34 who consider themselves inactive. Full results of the survey will be posted after the first of the year on the VRPS website, but here are a couple snapshots of responses.

Congratulations to Cheri Danaher, Patti Mills, Gail Ham and Amy Maltese who were randomly selected to receive the $25 Amazon gift cards.

P R E S I D E N T ’ S N E W S L E T T E R

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National Playground Safety Institute March 13-15, 2013

Registration is OPEN ONLINE.*

NPSI is designed to educate and train individuals to identify and reduce risks. Advanced reading and fifteen hours of training from nationally known playground safety experts will prepare participants to sit for the Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) examination offered at the culmination of the certification course; it is also approved for CEUs. Topics include:

identifying hazards on playgrounds

developing risk management tools

importance of comprehensive playground safety program from a legal perspective

test methods for entrapments, protrusions, and entanglement

national standards and guidelines.

The NPSI is a must for:

municipalities

schools

child care facilities

health departments

playground manufacturers and installers

insurance firms

food chain franchises

park and recreation agencies

maintenance facilities, and

others responsible for playgrounds.

Board of Trustees Cindy S. Roeder — President Katie Legg — Vice President Art Thatcher — Treasurer Ed Hamilton – Lay Trustee Jim Stutts - CEO email: exec@vrps.com

Board Members: Lisa Cooke, Lakita Frazier, Cindy Messinger, Keith Rotzoll, Pam Sheets, Kathy Williams email: board@vrps.com

Central Office Contacts Jim Stutts- Executive Director - jim@vrps.com Marlene Bresee-Administrative Assistant - marlene@vrps.com Karen Flory –Office Assistant karen@vrps.com Nancy Turnage - Office Assistant nancy@vrps.com

Virginia Recreation and Park Society 6372 Mechanicsville Turnpike, Suite 109 Mechanicsville, VA 23111

Phone: 804-730-9447

Fax: 804-730-9455

Email: vrps@vrps.com

*Please plan your registration and payment

accordingly. A minimum of three weeks of

study time is recommended; NRPA does

not advise sitting for the exam if materials

have not been read thoroughly.