Awards

2023 Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Award

The Oak Brook Park District is honored to have received the Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Award at the 2023 Greater Oak Brook Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony. The Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Award recognizes a Chamber organization that best exemplifies awareness and best practices in creating an inclusive organization.

2022 Distinguished Agency Accreditation

The Oak Brook Park District was named an Illinois Distinguished Accredited Agency by the Illinois Association of Park Districts and the Illinois Park and Recreation Association. The two statewide associations administer the Illinois Distinguished Accreditation program with the goal of  improving the delivery of park and recreation services to residents. The Illinois Distinguished Accreditation program provides an opportunity for agencies to undergo a voluntary, comprehensive evaluation process to demonstrate that they have met state guidelines to provide exceptional park and recreation services to their community. The end result is to improve the quality of life for Illinois residents. The program gives recognition to park and recreation agencies that go above and beyond in dedicating themselves to offering quality programs and services designed to fulfill their community’s needs.

2022 CAPRA Accreditation

The Oak Brook Park District has become the 8th park and recreation agency in Illinois to be accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). The achievement positions the Oak Brook Park District among an elite group of fewer than 200 accredited agencies nationwide.

2022 IPRA Champions for Change Award 

The Champions for Change Award recognizes agencies with unique and exemplary practices of increasing access and fostering diversity and inclusion within their community or organization.

2021 Chicago Tribune Top Workplaces

Energage, formerly Workplace Dynamics, has been ranking workplaces in the Chicago area and the nation through employee surveys, assessing everything from work-life balance to confidence in company leadership. The award is based solely on the feedback receieved through an employee survey. 

2021 GFOA Award

The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) awarded a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting to the District for its annual comprehensive financial report (ACFR). This was the twenty-seventh consecutive year that the District has received this prestigious award.

2019 Publicity Club of Chicago Golden Trumpet Award 

The Publicity Club of Chicago awarded the District with a Golden Trumpet Award in Community Relations for the communications work done during the 2018 Open Space Referendum. This award recognizes exemplary communications programs that understand the audience’s needs, careful planning, strategy, effective implementation, and evaluation.

2019 Public Relations Society of America - Chicago Chapter - Skyline Awad

The Public Relations Society of America awarded the District with a Public Affairs Skyline Award for the Open Space Communications Project. The annual Skyline Award program recognizes projects and programs demonstrating excellence in the field of communications.

2018 Illinois Park & Recreation Association Outstanding Park & Facility Award

The District was recognized for its use of creative design and ingenuity to bring maximum recreational value to Central Park. The project included connectivity and accessibility improvements to the walking paths, the installation of a universal playground, replaced a portion of the water control system at Ginger Creek, stabilized 1,500 ft. of eroded shoreline, improved parking, improved the accessibility and safety of the existing ball fields, replaced old sports lighting with energy efficient LED lights, and improved the Central Park sled hill.

2016 USTA Facility Award Winner

The Oak Brook Tennis Center was one of 12 winners in the 35th annual USTA Facility Awards program, which recognizes excellence in the construction and/or renovation of tennis facilities throughout the country. The Oak Brook Tennis Center was honored at the USTA Semi-annual Meeting at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City on September 1, 2016.

2015 National Gold Medal Award in Parks and Recreation

The 2015 National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management. The American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA), in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), awarded this honor to Oak Brook Park District live during the Opening Session of the NRPA Annual Conference on September 15 in Nevada.

2014 Exceptional Workplace Award

The Oak Brook Park District was among nine Illinois Park District’s to be awarded the 2014 Exceptional Workplace Award from the Illinois Park and Recreation Association’s Health and Wellness Committee. The criteria applicants were scored on included staff wellness programs, continuing education, team building, community involvement, environmental policy, risk management, and professionalism. The award was presented on January 23, 2015 at the 2015 IAPD/IPRA (Illinois Association of Park Districts/ Illinois Park & Recreation Association) Annual Conference in Chicago, Illinois.