Message From The Director
Author:
Summary:
Despite reduced budget and staff, Parks and Recreation remains dedicated to our mission of "Creating Community" through a high caliber Parks and Recreation system.
Last Updated:
5/21/2010Yuma Parks and Recreation: Creating Community through People, Parks, and Programs
Despite reduced budget and staff, Parks and Recreation remains dedicated to our mission of "Creating Community" through a high caliber Parks and Recreation system. Our top notch team of professionals continues to work hard to provide the quality programs, activities, and facilities that we are known for and that the public enjoys. We hope that every member of the community will find something of interest in our latest Guide and will feel encouraged to participate.
On behalf of Parks and Recreation, I'd like to thank the community for the opportunity to serve you, and share with you a number of positive recognitions we have received over the past year due to your support:
- The citizens of Yuma voted 2-1 to approve the continuation of the Hospitality Tax which contributes to the development of additional facilities and keeps the Ray Kroc Baseball Complex and Civic Center operating to serve the community.
- Yuma Parks and Recreation has received international, national, and statewide recognition for the creation of the Valley Aquatic Center that was constructed through a unique partnership between the City of Yuma Parks and Recreation Department and the Yuma Union High School District. This project has been featured in several magazines and was the subject of a presentation at the Arizona Parks and Recreation Conference last August
- The Parks and Recreation Department was deemed a "Great Place To Work" and received the Workplace Excellence Award for 2009, an award that attests to our inclusive workplace culture and collaborative relationship with the community
- Yuma Parks and Recreation was voted "Yuma's Best" by the community, and took First Place in six categories, Second Place in six categories, and received Honorable Mentions in six categories, for a total of 18!
- Yuma Parks and Recreation was named a "Playful City, USA" (a national designation) for the third year in a row and received notice that we will receive one of five $10,000 national grants for an "Imagination Playground in a Box" for the children of Yuma to enjoy
- Yuma Art Center received a grant in the amount of $5,880 for salary support
- Yuma Civic Center received a grant in the amount of $1,500 for the Dia de los Muertos special event from Arizona Commission on the Arts
- On the national level, Yuma Parks and Recreation was named a "Tree City, USA" for the third year in a row
- Yuma Parks and Recreation is developing a new program to focus on health and fitness for children this summer. The "Grow Smart Summer Camp" which has received grants/funding support from the Yuma Regional Medical Foundation, Yuma Community Foundation, and Arizona Blue Cross/Blue Shield, will likely be recognized as a model recreational program for other communities to replicate
Thanks Yuma for your continued support! If you have comments or suggestions for ways we can better meet your recreational needs, please feel free to contact us.
Sincerely,
Becky Chavez
Director, Yuma Parks and Recreation
About Becky Chavez
Becky Chavez was appointed Director of the Parks and Recreation Department on May 9, 2007. A graduate of Northern Arizona University, Becky began her career at Yuma Parks and Recreation as a part-time Recreation Instructor in 1991. She promoted to Recreation Supervisor and later to the Arts and Culture Division Director before being asked to accept the position of Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation which she held for six years. She is very interested in every area within the Department and welcomes the important projects facing Yuma Parks and Recreation in the near future including the implementation of the 2006/2007 parks facility master plan, the construction of a joint-use community pool planned by the City of Yuma and Cibola High School, and the adaptive re-use of the Deyo Complex. Becky was a highly visible, integral part of the recent Stewart Vincent Wolfe Creative Playground project and was involved in planning as well as construction. Becky is a certified public manager and a graduate of the Arizona State University Institute for Public Executives.
