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The Illinois Park and Recreation Association (IPRA) is a professional organization that is committed to providing the people of Illinois with quality park and recreation opportunities by providing continuing education and seminars for professionals in the field of recreation. IPRA also awards parks and professionals for outstanding contribution to recreation opportunities in Illinois.

History
According to Kay Forest, the first attempt to start a state-wide recreation association was in 1935. A few meetings were held until 1937 when the Works Project Administration (WPA) was established by President Theodore Roosevelt. The WPA built many of Illinois' first swimming pools. The next documented event of a recreation association in Illinois was in 1944 when a conference of Illinois recreation workers was held at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Thirty-five people attended this conference and most of the education was focused on post- World War 2 planning and training people in the field of recreation. Attendees of the conference decided that it was time to organize an official state-wide organization called the Illinois Recreation Association (IRA). Its main purpose at the time was to continue having a conference for Illinois recreation workers, address legal issues regarding recreation as well as to conduct postwar recreation planning. The conference was the highlight of the year for its members. Russel Perry, recreation director of Aurora, Illinois, was selected to create the constitution which was completed in 1945. By the bylaws of this constitution, it was to be updated every five years. Early on, research was a high priority among IRA members. They studied salaries, youth programming, recreational use of schools, and legislation.

In 1947, the first newsletter of the IRA was published with Howard Copp, superintendent of recreation in Wilmette,Illinois, as the editor. This newsletter was renamed to the Illinois Park and Recreation Quarterly in 1965. The IRA became affiliated with the American Recreation Society in 1948. By the 1950s, the IRA branched into new areas of concern: youth, day camps, and athletics for women and divided the state into four regions: Metropolitan, North, Central and Southern. The IPRA still uses these regions today. More formal committees were established to deal with legislation, publications, membership, girls/women's issues, awards, and research. 30 total committees were formed.

The IRA held a joint meeting with the Illinois Association of Park Districts, IAPD in 1960 in Joliet, Illinois. This joint meeting provided collaboration between the organizations and helped combine recreation departments into park districts. The IAPD continued to communicate with the IRA as the IAPD became part of the annual recreation conference held by the IRA since 1966. In 1964, the name of the Illinois Recreation Association changed to the Illinois Park and Recreation Society (IPRS) to include parks. A part-time executive director was employed, and the IPRS office was located in Cicero, Illinois until 1970. By the end of the 1960s, IPRS had a membership of 612.

In 1970, the first formal agreements between the IPRS and IAPD were made as they created a joint committee that proposed a resolution that each organization retain its separate identity, yet join together for particular efforts, including a statewide bi-weekly Illinois Parks and Recreation magazine as well as sponsorship of an annual conference. The IPRS office was moved to Springfield, Illinois to be housed with IAPD.

In 1976, a group of recreation leaders of Illinois gathered in Joliet for three days to plan for the future of IPRS. During these series of meetings, they changed the name to what it is referred to today. The IPRA officially became the Illinois Park and Recreation Association (IPRA) with six special interest sections. Professional membership requirements were established, the executive secretary's title was changed to director, and one full-time secretary was added to the staff.

Awards
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