OAK BROOK PARK DISTRICT NAMED FINALIST FOR 2023 NATIONAL GOLD MEDAL AWARD IN PARKS AND RECREATION

Oak Brook IL - The American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA), in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), is pleased to announce Oak Brook Park District as a finalist for the 2023 National Gold Medal Awards for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management. 

Founded in 1965, the Gold Medal Awards program honors communities in the U.S. that demonstrate excellence in parks and recreation through long-range planning, resource management, volunteerism, environmental stewardship, program development, professional development and agency recognition.  Applications are separated into seven classes, with five classes based on population, one class for armed forces recreation and one class, awarded on odd numbered years, for state park systems.

A panel of five park and recreation professionals reviews and judges all application materials. Judges are chosen for their considerable experience and knowledge in parks and recreation both locally and nationally. Oak Brook Park District is a finalist in the Class V Category (population less than 30,000). The Finalist and Grand Plaque Awards will be presented at the NRPA Annual Conference in Dallas, Texas in October 2023. 

“We are absolutely honored and humbled by this recognition,” said Laure Kosey, Oak Brook Park District Executive Director. “This has truly been an ongoing team effort and I could not be prouder of our staff. They deliver excellence in everything they do.”

The Oak Brook Park District was named a National Recreation and Park Association Gold Medal Award Winning Agency in 2015, and was named a finalist in 2013 and 2014.

For more information on the Gold Medal Awards, visit www.nrpa.org/goldmedal or www.aapra.org

Questions? Please contact Marketing & Communications Manager Haley Colucci, at (630) 740-7936.