DeSoto Parks and Recreation Receive Reaccredited Again In 2022

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City Manager Brandon Wright & Members of the DeSoto Parks & Recreation Leadership at the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) 2022 Annual Conference in Phoenix. Photo courtesy of City of DeSoto.

DeSoto Parks & Rec Honored For Outstanding Achievements

DESOTO – The City of DeSoto continually works hard to ensure its residents are receiving the best experience possible with many city staff coming together to make that happen.

Recently, the DeSoto Parks and Recreation Department received an award that highlighted its contribution to the DeSoto experience when the department was presented with its reaccreditation for yet another year.

The award was presented during the 2022 NRPA Annual Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, in September. The DeSoto Parks and Recreation Department was recognized during the conference’s Best of the Best Ceremony and DeSoto was honored for its outstanding achievements throughout the past year.

Crowd at the CAPRA “Best of the Best” ceremony at the National Recreation and Park
Association (NRPA) 2022 Annual Conference in Phoenix reacts to a loud cheer from
The DeSoto Parks seating area when Parks & Rec’s re-accreditation was announced. Photo courtesy City of DeSoto

“DeSoto Parks and Recreation received the great news that our department has been re-accredited by the National Recreation and Park Association’s Commission for Accreditation of Parks and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA),” said DeSoto Parks Director Chris Glover.

DeSoto City Manager Brandon Wright takes a group selfie (Usie) with the DeSoto Parks & Recreation Leadership Team
during the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) 2022 Annual Conference in Phoenix. Photo courtesy City of DeSoto.

Glover said he couldn’t be prouder of the hard work his team puts in every day to make the Park and Recreation Department an amazing part of the city.

“Operationalizing the CAPRA standards best practices into all aspects of our agency’s genetic make-up will result in enhanced community pride in opportunities related to the quality of life,” Glover added.

CAPRA Accreditation

CAPRA accreditation is the only national accreditation for park and recreation agencies.  Overall, the accreditation is a measure of an agency’s overall quality of operation, management, and service to the community. This mark of distinction indicates that an agency has met rigorous standards related to the management and administration of lands, facilities, resources, programs, safety, and services.

As part of the accreditation process, DeSoto Parks and Recreation had to demonstrate compliance with 154 recognized standards and document all policies and procedures. Often the process helps identify efficiencies and heighten areas of accountability, all of which translate into higher quality service and operation to benefit the community.

Parks Team Photo with CAPRA accreditation logo. Photo courtesy of City of DeSoto.

The NRPA Annual Conference has been the premier annual meeting for over 50 years for the parks and recreation community around the country.  The next NRPA conference will be held in October 2023 in Dallas.