August 2020 - Parks & Recreation - 14

W E A R E P A R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N

Cullman Achieves CAPRA Accreditation
By Ashley Locke

park is never just a park - it's a place to relax, to get active,
and to celebrate birthdays and family reunions. Memories are
made at parks. Communities come together at parks.
The team at Cullman Parks, Recreation, and Sports Tourism (CPRST) recognized the important role their parks served in their Alabama community, so three years ago they set forth on the journey to become
CAPRA accredited. This year they succeeded, becoming the first park and
recreation agency in the state of Alabama to reach accreditation.
member, who helped guide the Cullman team through the process. " Because there was not another accredited agency in the state, our recreational
development director, Christy Turner,
worked with Nathan to reach out to
agencies throughout the nation for
advice and examples. " She adds that
they were fortunate that there were a
few experienced agencies with other
types of accreditation that could help
guide the process.
The National Recreation and Park
Association (NRPA) provided valuable guidance to the team. " We attended multiple training sessions at
the NRPA Annual Conference and
received great support from NRPA's
CAPRA Team, " says Anderson.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CPRST MARKETING TEAM

" CPRST has always aspired to be
a leader and a trendsetter, not only
for the state but for the industry as
a whole, " says Nathan Anderson,
prior director of the department,
who led the Cullman team through
the entire process of accreditation.
" Even though we already felt that
we excelled in so many ways as an
organization, we knew there were
many ways to improve. "
There were many challenges on
the journey to accreditation, and organization and teamwork were key.
" Dr. Johnny McMoy, college dean at
Wallace State Community College,
started us off by helping develop our
strategic plan and goals, " says Beth
Bownes-Johnson, CPRST board

This year, CPRST became the ﬁrst Alabama agency to be CAPRA accredited.

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Cullman Mayor Woody Jacobs
lent his full support as well. " We
recognized this undertaking would
not happen overnight and supported the team financially in the
budgeting process to allow them to
have the resources to achieve accreditation, " he says.
The process took a little more than
two years of hard work to complete.
During that time, the team addressed
144 standards in a two-part process,
off-site and with a visiting team. " I
would gladly do it again; it was my
privilege to participate with such a
fantastic group who cares deeply for
our programs, employees, community members and the city of Cullman, " says Bownes-Johnson.
" Being the first to achieve accreditation in the state of Alabama is a significant and historical
achievement for Cullman, " says
Anderson. " Others will look to
CPRST and the city of Cullman
as a model for their agencies. After
completing the process, the organization has a roadmap, both strategically and systematically, to advance
the quality of life for all within the
community for decades to come. "
Achieving accreditation proves
just how dedicated the CPRST
team is to their community. With
CAPRA accreditation, the diligent
team put Cullman on the map.
" Cullman is blessed to be a community that is forward thinking
and willing to try new things to
encourage people to live, work and
visit here, " says Mayor Jacobs.
Ashley Locke is a Freelance Writer for
Cullman Parks, Recreation, and Sports
Tourism.

August 2020 - Parks & Recreation

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