OOFD Wins Circle of Excellence Award

Out Our Front Door was nominated and won the Circle of Excellence Award from the Illinois Park and Recreation Association's (IPRA )Therapeutic Recreation Section for the work we did with our Youth Unbound Program in the summer of 2022.

The Youth Unbound Program was a partnership with Emily Oaks Nature Center and funded by the Skokie Community Foundation. We also received support in recruitment from Maine-Niles Association of Special Recreation (M-NASR). Both Emily Oaks are members of the Illinois Parks and Recreation Association (IPRA). Each year they host an annual conference at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Chicago with thousands of attendees from their network in attendance. 

At this conference the Therapeutic Recreation Section of IPRA holds a meeting with an awards presentation. This year's Circle of Excellence Award was awarded to Out Our Front Door’s Youth Unbound Camp!

M-NASR submitted a nomination outlining the amazing efforts that Out Our Front Door has put forth to provide opportunities to individuals within the M-NASR community. The other professionals in the committee voted that Out Our Front Door was the ideal recipient for this award, based on its mission, the success of the Youth Unbound Camp and the above and beyond recruitment and volunteer efforts put forth by Mr. Fisher.  

OOFD board members Glenn Schneider and Bradley Fisher attended the conference along with Randall Roberts from the Skokie Community Foundation and receive the award on behalf of the Out Our Front Door and the organizations we partnered with in making the summer camp happen!

Check out the lovely speech given by Nicole Derrig of M-NASR about the program and OOFD's partnership here.