2010 MRPA ANNUAL CONFERENCE & EXHIBIT
April 13-15, 2010, Ocean City, MD

* Download a Pre-Conference Brochure
* Download a Conference Registration Form
* Download a Hotel Registration Form
* Download a 2-page summary of conference education sessions

Scholarships Available for Conference!
Once again this year, the MRPA Scholarship Committee, will be offering scholarship opportunities for MRPA members to attend the MRPA Annual Conference.

Because of state, recreation and parks budget cuts and the resulting decrease in department and municipality training and conference support, the MRPA Scholarship committee will be awarding 40 full scholarships to the annual conference in Ocean City.

Criteria for Eligibility:
* Must be an MRPA member
* Must complete and postmark application form between March 1 - March 12
* Lottery pick with two categories: Member LESS than 5 years, Member MORE than 5 years
* Not applicable if: 1st Timer to conference, student or retiree (already receive a reduce rate)
* Reviewing Applicants and Drawing will be made by Scholarship Committee on March 19th
* Announcement of Awardees will be sent via email and phone call on Mar. 20th
* Awardees after notified of scholarship, must except scholarship within a week
* Awardees may NOT except reimbursement from any other source i.e. Dept. MUST be paying on own
* Awardees MUST complete a Professional Development Report after conference and submit within a week

To download a conference scholarship application, click here.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER - JOE EHRMANN
Joe Ehrmann is a former defensive lineman for the Baltimore Colts. He was the 10th pick in the 1973 NFL Draft. An All-American Football player at Syracuse, Joe was named in Syracuse University's All-Century Football team. Joe was the NFL's first Ed Block Courage Award Winner. He has also won the National Fatherhood Initiative's Man of the Year Award and the Frederick Douglas National Man of the Year award, both for empowering youth and improving their well-being. An inspirational and dynamic speaker, Joe seeks to redefine and reframe the social responsibility of sports, coaches, parents and players. Joe and his wife, Paula, have four children and reside in Baltimore.

Exhibit Opportunities Available
Incredible opportunity to showcase your company's products and/or services to Maryland's recreation and park professionals, students, citizen volunteers and board members by participating in MRPA's 2009 Exhibit Hall.

Booth Space is $450 (non-members) for an 8' x 8' booth.

If interested, please contact Adrienne Varieur, MRPA staff, at adrienne@mrpanet.org.

2010 MRPA Conference Co-Chairs
Kris Mervine, Baltimore County Recreation & Parks, (410) 887-7684, kmervine@baltimorecountymd.gov

Maria Bieneman, Baltimore County Recreation & Parks, (410) 887-5187, mbieneman@baltimorecountymd.gov

2009 Conference Session Hand-Outs Now Available.
Wednesday, April 15
* The Ant Principle, Check Herring (Keynote Speaker)

Wednesday, April 15
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
* Recreation and Parks/Health Partnerships/The State of the Art, Geoffrey Godby

* Ecological Based Planting Strategies for Parks, Jeffrey L. Bruce, Jeffrey L. Bruce & Company

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
* The Weakest Link: Constructing Green Roofs in the Real World, Jeffrey L. Bruce, Jeffrey L. Bruce & Company

3:45 PM - 5:15 PM
* Background Checks - The Industry Standard, Randy Rodebaugh and Byron Palmer, SSCI

* Triangular Collaborations, Parknerships for Success, Mike Naugle, Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks

* Budgeting 101, Joe O'Neil, M-NCPPC, Prince George's County

Thursday, April 16
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
* Improving the Effectiveness of GIS through Data Consistency, Meredith Bridges, NRPA

* E-Newsletters and More: Using Technology to Reach Your Audience, Eric Legg, Arlington County Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources

* Ouch! I Hurt, Understanding Pain and Pain Management, Ann Berger, NIH; Karen Lee Baker, NIH

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
* Tree Baltimore - Branching Out, Anne Draddy, Baltimore City Recreation and Parks

* New Technologies in Customer Data Collection, Ananda Mitra, Management Learning Laboratories

* Green Matters, Ellen Bennett, M-NCPPC - Montgomery County, Brookside Gardens

* Risk Assessment of Infilled Artificial Turf Fields and Alternative Solutions, George Cowan, TargaPro

2:15 PM - 3:15 PM
* Collecting Citizen Information, Ananda Mitra, Management Learning Laboratories

* Poetry and Performance - Reaching Teens Through the Arts, Stewart Seal, M-NCPPC - Prince George's County

MRPA Conference and Exhibit
The MRPA Annual Conference is a gathering of professionals, volunteers, board members and vendors from across the state and region. It is an opportunity to attend a great variety of educational sessions on areas of interest to the parks and recreation profession, a chance to network with your peers and a time to acknowledge outstanding accomplishments of both departments and individuals as we recognize our annual award recipients.

Exhibit Opportunities Available
Incredible opportunity to showcase your company's products and/or services to Maryland's recreation and park professionals, students, citizen volunteers and board members by participating in MRPA's 2009 Exhibit Hall.

Booth Space is $450 (non-members) for an 8' x 8' booth.

If interested, please contact Adrienne Varieur, MRPA staff, at adrienne@mrpanet.org.

2010 MRPA Conference Co-Chairs
Kris Mervine, Baltimore County Recreation & Parks, (410) 887-7684, kmervine@baltimorecountymd.gov

Maria Bieneman, Baltimore County Recreation & Parks, (410) 887-5187, mbieneman@baltimorecountymd.gov