Fon du Lac Park District Staff recently attended the IAPD/IPRA Soaring to New Heights Conference in Chicago. IAPD, the Illinois Association of Park Districts, is a nonprofit service, research and education organization that serves park districts, forest preserves, conservation, municipal park and recreation, and special recreation agencies. The IPRA is the Illinois Parks and Recreation Association, who’s vision is to “Invest in developing park and recreation professionals to achieve their full potential.” Each year the two organizations host a 3-day conference in Chicago to provide a space for districts to collaborate, educate, and connect.

This is the first time Fon du Lac sent employees from across the Park District, including Maintenance, Finance, Youth Sports, Events, Marketing, and Admin. We attended the Exhibit Hall which had over 900 booths showcasing companies that provide districts with solutions for everything from software to sports equipment. A group of us then attended sessions over the few days to learn new ideas, collaborate with those in similar roles, and absorb all the education that we could. Our Administrative Assistant, Alison, said, “The conference was so much fun and thought-provoking. It was an amazing opportunity to learn from others about a vast variety of topics that will help with our everyday tasks, along with sparking new ideas.   I came back energized, reconnected, focused, and excited to share what I learned to help better serve our community.”

The Park District’s mission is to provide accessible and affordable parks, facilities, and recreational opportunities that inspire community engagement, enrichment, and healthy lifestyles. We have grown exponentially over the past several years, and we are dedicated to continuing that in 2025. There are lots of new, exciting events coming this year including the Easter Egg Hunt in April and the Back to School Bash in August, not to mention the splash pad that will start to be installed at Neumann Park this summer. We are always so thankful for the continued support from our community. Each registration we receive, post you share from our social media, and event you attend makes a difference, and we cannot wait to continue to serve you all in 2025.