Expanding

THERAPEUTIC RECREATION IN ILLINOIS

By
David Jewell

FOR THE YEAR 1972-73 the Executive Council and the Board of Directors of ITRS are planning a year which will expand the Society's services to its membership. The firm foundation for the year's programs was set by the fine leadership the first two years of ITRS by presidents Stan Labanowich and Stu Switzer. The directions of ITRS this year are the results of two years of hard work and dedicated service by the elected officers, board members, and by the appointed chairmen. The next year will not see a discarding of past efforts. Rather, a concerted effort will be made to perpetuate the advances made in membership, regional workshops, voluntary registration, awards, the Newsletter, and program evaluation and research.

The membership saw an increase of 20% in 1972 and next year we hope to continue the upward trend with at least a 40% increase in 1973. The Membership Committee is under the capable leadership of Eldon Sewell, who was also elected to the Board this year.

Last year the therapeutic recreator in Illinois benefited from some high quality workshops sponsored by ITRS. Also benefiting were the facilities and the special populations throughout the state. This next year the Society will endeavor to continue this educational effort by providing more workshops in each of the five administrative regions. Directing the effort this year is Vera Hesse of Belleville.

From the beginning of ITRS the officers have been concerned with the formulation of a workable, acceptable plan for voluntary registration. The task of designing such a program was given to Jane Schaefer, chairwoman of the standing committee on Standards and Accreditation. Jane has designed a plan and it will be presented to the membership in the near future.

Another program which was successfully initiated last year was the Awards Program. The Awards Committee, under the able leadership of past-president Stan Labanowich, presented two awards at this year's Annual Meeting. The awards were for individual contribution to TR and for the TR program considered to be the most innovative and demonstrative of the principles of our Society. This program will continue under Labanowich's leadership.

Great strides were made by the ITRS Newsletter. It has become more informative and literary with each issue. Ann McCall, the new Newsletter editor, has pledged herself to continue the improvements of the Newsletter and to making it the finest publication of its type in our profession.

One of the determinants of the level of recognition a service receives is the quality and quantity of research conducted. The more traditional services have substantiated many of their claims by research, and have consequently, met one of the criterion for professionalism. There is a dearth of research in the literature of Therapeutic Recreation. The past two years ITRS has had as one of its standing committees Evaluation and Research. The past two chairmen attempted to motivate the therapeutic recreator to do more research and to document that research. An attempt has also been made to encourage workers to report on innovative and successful programs they are conducting. Some success in their attempts was realized, but not to the extent desired. Realizing that some results were obtained and the importance of evaluation and research to our profession, the Committee, under the leadership of Dan Kennedy, will continue in its efforts to extract and promote program evaluation and research.

Other committees from last year which will continue to function, but under new leadership, are Election, chaired by Stu Switzer; Nominating, chaired by Cecil Rabourn; and Conference, chaired by Frank Waide. ITRS will continue in its efforts to make its constitution stronger and more meaningful to the Society.

The new programs which will be implemented the 1972-73 year are in keeping with the original purposes of ITRS as stated in the Charter. In order to expand the programs, your new president has asked many members to assume leadership by serving as chairmen of the new special committees created to meet the new priorities. All of the chairmen selected have demonstrated their dedication to our profession through service to special populations or through training those providing the services.

High on the new list of priorities is a program which will lead to greater personnel benefits for the therapeutic recreator in Illinois. However, to use a trite expression, "we must first know where we are before we determine where we are going." In order to accomplish this initial

David Jewell is the new President of the Illinois Therapeutic Recreation. Society, a branch of IPRS.

Illinois Parks and Recreation 12 January/February, 1973

step a Personnel Benefits Committee has been established with Dr. Thomas McConahey acting as chairman. It will be the responsibility of this committee to survey and compare salaries and other benefits of therapeutic recreators throughout Illinois and the nation and to report its findings to the membership.

In keeping with ITRS's aim of having as informed membership another committee has been established to review national and state legislation affecting the therapeutic recreator. The Legislative Review Committee will be chaired by Jim Hohm, who is also serving as president-elect. In the past we, as most professionals, become aware of relevant legislation after the fact. Jim's committee, by working closely with its IPRS counterpart, will strive to correct this by keeping the membership informed, in order that it may influence legislative action.

For the past two years the leadership of ITRS has been concerned about the programs and the benefits of student membership. Also of concern has been the lack of student involvement and the lack of career information available to students. This year a Student Affiliation and Careers Committee has been established. This committee, chaired by Kevin Kendrigan, is charged with the task of investigating these problems and offering solutions.

Much time and energy has been expended in debating the causes for the lack of professional consideration by our brethren of the other professional services. In all the lamenting over the situation one common factor seems to arise from the ashes: no one really understands what ITRS is doing and why. It is the responsibility of ITRS to initiate understanding by educating, not only the other professionals, but also, the laity. The responsibility for educating those who need educating has been given to another special committee, the Professional Liaison Committee. The committee, chaired by a new Board member, Frank Benedict, will be establishing lines of communication with other professional societies in Illinois, in other states, and with national organizations. He and his committee will also contact lay organizations to make them aware of what ITRS is and why special populations need Therapeutic Recreation.

Finally, ITRS has some admirable and challenging goals to reach this next year. It has dedicated, well qualified individuals to aid the Executive Council and Board in attaining these goals. Yet, it will all be meaningless and thankless unless the membership offers its help—its advice, support, and labors. To paraphrase Albert Sweitzer, the success of our Society will be determined by its individual members, not just the elected and appointed officials.

Illinois Parks and Recreation 13 January/February, 1973