The City of Elk River’s long-time Park and Recreation Chairman, Dave Anderson, was recently named the Robert M. Artz Citizen Advocacy Award winner by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). The award will be presented at the 2015 NRPA Annual Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada on Thursday, September 17.
NRPA National Awards are presented to individuals and agencies across the US to honor their efforts—both professional and personal—in the field of parks and recreation. There are 10 award categories in the NRPA’s National Awards program. Recipients are selected from a pool of applicants by NRPA’s National Awards and Scholarship Committee and are chosen for excellence in a variety of topics, including professional and voluntary service, programming, leadership, research and public outreach.
The Robert M. Artz Award recognizes a citizen, an elected or appointed official, or volunteer who has demonstrated outstanding efforts to forward public parks and recreation through education and activating the public in their community, state or at the national level.
Dave is a lifelong Elk River volunteer and has served on the Parks and Recreation Commission since 1987. Dave’s passion, leadership, and advocacy have been instrumental in growing the park system from just a handful of parks to 44 parks with over 1,300 acres of park and conservation land. He selflessly volunteers nearly 1,000 hours a year and leads a large volunteer network of residents that have constructed active playfields and continue to maintain trails and over 700 acres of pristine prairie and woodlands.
Elk River Parks and Recreation Director Michael Hecker said “Dave Anderson’s contributions tremendous and unparalleled, not just within the community, but in the state.” “Dave’s passion for youth activities, his efforts to preserve natural prairie and woodlands, and his vision for Elk River’s comprehensive park system has left a legacy for future generations.”
“NRPA is pleased to honor our nation’s park and recreation heroes—agencies and individuals who work tirelessly and with passion to improve the lives of their citizens and make their communities great,” said Barbara Tulipane, President and CEO of NRPA.
A full list of NRPA National Award winners is available at www.nrpa.org/nationalawards.