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16 RECRE8-NC •
Summer 2016
ASSOCIATION NEWS
Thanks Colleen!
from NCRPA Staff
Navigating the Currents of TR!
For 2 ½ days in February, 70 professionals and students gathered in
Wrightsville Beach for the annual NCRPA TR Conference where
the theme “Navigating the Currents of Therapeutic Recreation”
was the focus of the event. With 20 educational sessions focusing
on topics like the Use of STEM Activities with Behavioral Health
Patients, Crossfit: All Abilities Can Fit Inside a Box, Get Outside!
– A Look at Natural Play and Collaborating with Program Partners,
attendees had a variety of sessions from which to select. With the
conference held in Wrightsville Beach, we were most fortunate
to have John Pike and Leyton Hartman from Surfers Healing as
keynote speakers. They shared how over the past 10 years, this
program has impacted the community and beyond. The second
keynote was Amanda Grieshaber, from Hinds’ Feet Farm with the
session Unmasking Brain Injury. Unmasking brain injury is an
initiative started only one year ago by Hinds’ Feet Farm to spread
awareness nationwide about brain injuries.
Individuals with brain injuries have created masks representing
their injury, accomplishments, and feelings. These masks are then
mounted and have been displayed across the country educating
others of what it is like to live with a brain injury. What started as
20 local day program members has now spread to 10 states and
200 individuals! A display of masks were brought and displayed for
the attendees to view.
During the Awards Luncheon, Abigail Robertson, a student at
UNC-Greensboro was honored as the Best TR Student Intern and
Judy Kinney, PhD, LRT/CTRS, CCLS from UNC-Greensboro was
awarded a TR Research Grant. The opportunity to connect with
fellow and future professionals and attend exciting educational
sessions makes this a great event.
Abigail Robertson (left), Best TR Intern and Renita Ritchie (right),Awards Chair
Over the past 4 years, a partnership with the Blue Cross Blue
Shield of North Carolina Foundation and NC State Parks
Recreation Tourism Management, has afforded the North
Carolina Recreation Park Association the opportunity to have
a graduate assistant. In 2014 our second graduate assistant
Colleen Dougherty joined our team. Colleen has been vital to
the continued growth and success of our Wellness Initiative.
Her weekly wellness blog and monthly webinars have provided
insightful information to members and her “can do attitude” is
inspiring to everyone. Colleen also excelled in her role with the
inaugural Recre8 5k. Upon graduation, she will be returning to her
home state of Michigan to a full time job. We wish Colleen all the
best in her new endeavors and thank her for continuing to set the
bar high for future graduate assistants. Thanks Collen!