Bend Parks and Rec gains national accreditation

The Bend Park and Recreation District became nationally accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Parks and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) at a hearing in Las Vegas on Monday.

The commission recognizes park and recreation agencies for excellence in operation and service. Park and recreation agencies across the United States turn to CAPRA Accreditation as a credible and efficient means of achieving excellence.

There have been just 147 accredited park and recreation agencies across the country. Bend’s accreditation marks the third in Oregon to earn the distinguished recognition; Hillsboro and Medford are also accredited.

“The value in becoming accredited is in the process more than it is in receiving the recognition” stated Don Horton, BPRD Executive Director. “The process gave us a framework to scrutinize all facets of our organization’s performance.”

The accreditation process requires agencies to evaluate their operations based upon 151 standards of excellence. Examples of standards include evidence of cooperative planning with other governments, a comprehensive plan to prioritize work based upon community need, policies and practices to assure financial sustainability, a recreation services plan and effective communications both internally and externally, among others.

The 50,000+ word submittal for accreditation was initially evaluated by two members of the CAPRA Commission. The next step was an on-site visitation by three peer professionals from agencies across the country that came to Bend to review evidence of compliance. Lastly, a hearing was held before the CAPRA Commission today in Las Vegas, Nevada at the National Recreation and Park Association’s annual congress during which time the District was accredited.

“The BPRD Board of Directors is proud of our staff for taking on this intense and comprehensive self-evaluation process” stated Craig Chenoweth, Board Chair. “It will serve the District and the community well for years to come.”