Bresnan selected as Outstanding Board Member of the Year

Dave Sacco, left, chairman of the Great Lakes Regional Council's Award's Committee, presents Champaign Park District Commissioner Don Bresnan with the National Recreation and Park Association's Great Lakes Region Outstanding Board Member of the Year award for 1990. The Great Lakes Region encompasses eight states. The presentation was made in Cincinnati July 14.

Belles named 1990 Outstanding Teacher of the Year

Gil Belles, professor of recreation, park, and tourism administration (RPTA) at Western Illinois University, Macomb, has been chosen 1990 Outstanding Teacher of the Year in the College of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation. He has also been selected for the WIU 1990 Faculty Excellence Award, along with being granted a 1990 Professional Advancement Award. "It is an honor to be named Outstanding Teacher of the Year by my colleagues in the College of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation. It is as much a reflection of the dynamic and exciting faculty that encourages and supports my constant learning, as it is an individual honor. I sometimes question the effectiveness or impact of teaching, but I always attempt to share the exciting joy of learning," he said upon receiving the award.

Dodd picked to head Joliet Park District

Ronald H. Dodd has been hired as the Director of Parks and Recreation for the Joliet Park District.

He holds a master of science degree in parks and recreation administration from the University of Illinois, Champaign, and completed his undergraduate degree at Luther College, Decorah, Iowa.

With over 25 years of administrative experience, Dodd has worked as director of parks and recreation for the Park Ridge Recreation and Park District, assistant director for the Dallas Park and Recreation Department, Texas, and, most recently, as deputy general superintendent for the Chicago Park District.

He is a certified leisure professional through the Illinois Park and Recreation Association as well as a Certified Personnel Assessor from the State of Illinois.

Dodd is currently completing his elected term as president of the 7,000-member American Park and Recreation Society. He served as president of IPRA in 1980.

In 1986, he was elected to the membership of the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration and serves on the board of directors. He received a private foundation grant in 1987 to tour parks and gardens in England. Last year, he toured China, Korea and Japan and lectured at universities in those countries.

The University of Illinois Awarded him the prestigious Charles K. Brightbill Award in 1989 for outstanding management ability and professional contributions to parks and recreation.

Illinois Bicycling Guide published

The Illinois Department of Conservation has just released a new and improved Illinois Bicycling Guide.

In addition to listing 40 bicycle trails in the state, the guide features eight favorite bicycling trails and includes safety tips and laws, a bicycling maintenance check list and bike touring information.

To get your free copy, write to: Department of Conservation, Public Information, 524 S. Second St., Room 510, Springfield, Ill. 62701.

Cianchetti selected to serve as delegate to Illinois White House Conference on Aging

Ralph Cianchetti has been selected by the Northeastern Illinois Area Agency on Aging to be one of the eight delegates representing Lake County at the Illinois White House Conference on Aging which will be held in Springfield, Ill., Oct. 2-4.

Sponsored by the Illinois Department of Aging in cooperation with the Governor's Office of Senior Involvement, the three-day meeting will give the 450 delegates

the opportunity to hear state and national leaders address the issues, voice their concerns and opinions on the issues and provide possible solutions, and to prioritize these issues and recommendations for a post-conference report.

The document will go to the Illinois General Assembly, the Illinois Congressional Delegation and, when and if President George Bush issues the call, serve as the Illinois platform for the 1991 White House Conference on Aging.

The issues include access to services and decision making to maximize the independence of older Americans, health and social services, housing and shelter, income, senior rights, and ethics.

"This vital conference is the end result of a two-year process of building a statewide consensus on the issues facing Illinois and of developing strategies for moving them to the Illinois and national agenda," said Cianchetti, a commissioner for the Park District of Highland Park.

Earlier White House Conferences have resulted in Medicare and Medicaid, the Older Americans Act and important protections for social security.

In addition, Cianchetti urges agencies that run senior centers and programs for older adults or anyone else with concerns about recreation for older adults to send him those concerns and he will take them to the conference. He can be reached at 548 Hill St., Highland park. Ill. 60035.

Cianchetti served on the conference planning committee. A trustee of the National Recreation and park Association, he chairs that group's committee on aging and leisure. He also sits on the Joint Legislative Committee of the Illinois Association of Park Districts headquartered in Springfield, Ill., and on the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission. He is a past president of the Illinois Association of Park Districts.

Hodgkinson receives Outstanding Alumni award

Jane Hodgkinson received the Outstanding Alumni Award at the Annual Recreation Awards banquet held Mar. 30.

This award is given annually by the Department of Recreation in recognition of alumni who have exhibited continued professional advancement, service to the recreation profession and service to Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, alumni relations. Hodgkinson, who is executive director of the Western DuPage Special Recreation Association, has made many accomplishments in the field of therapeutic recreation. She has also been recognized with numerous awards and, most recently, received the IPRA Professional Recognition Award.

Badasch receives annual National Youth Sports Coaches Association Youth Sports Leader award

Mark Badasch, director of parks and recreation for the Roxana Recreation Department, has been named as one of nine individuals nationally to receive the annual National Youth Sports Coaches Association (NYSCA) Youth Sports Leader award.

Michael Pfhal, NYSCA national executive director, said, "This award is to recognize Mark for his outstanding contribution to youth sports and to honor him for his commitment to make youth sports a fun, positive experience for children."

The award was presented to Badasch at the 1990 NYSCA National Convention held Aug. 2-5 in Oriando, Fla.

The NYSCA program is intended to make volunteer coaches in youth sports leagues more aware of the psychological, emotional and physiological needs of the children on their team. Each coach completing the certification program signs the NYSCA Code of Ethics Pledge indicating their desire to conduct themselves and their team with the best interest of the children in mind. The NYSCA motto is "Making Youth Sports Fun For Kids."