More than 500 delegates from around the state gathered last week at the 64th Annual Conference of the Virginia Recreation and Park Society held in Tysons Corner, Virginia.
Judged by a jury of its peers, the society presented Christiansburg Parks and Recreation department with the Best New Program Award for populations 25,000 and under for the Christiansburg Teen Fire Academy.
“Christiansburg’s Teen Fire Academy is a two-day program that allows local high school students to shadow the Fire Department and learn about fire service through hands-on training activities,” said Amy Southall, Public Relations Specialist for the Town of Christiansburg. “Some of these include crawling through an obstacle course, leveraging open a locked door, simulating a rope rescue, racing to put on gear, and more. The teens are exposed to a small portion of the training our firefighters practice to keep Christiansburg safe.”
The conference is a learning exchange and provides an opportunity for recreation and park professionals to discuss areas of common interest.
The presentation of awards is a highlight of each year’s conference. The state-wide program honors individuals, departments and organizations throughout Virginia who have demonstrated excellence in any of several areas during the previous year. This year, 115 applications were received vying for awards in 14 different categories.
