After taking home five awards in the Johnson County Post’s 2023 Best of Johnson County Awards, the agency recently brought home nine awards in the 2024 contest.
“JCPRD is thrilled that the members of the community have recognized and expressed their appreciation of so many JCPRD services,” said Executive Director Jeff Stewart. “The JCPRD Board and our team of employees and volunteers work hard to deliver park and recreation services that have been deemed most important to them. Being recognized in nine categories is reassuring that we have our compass pointed in the right direction. I would just like to congratulate all the incredible organizations and businesses nominated and the award recipients. We all benefit from and enjoy the diverse and special services that make our community such a great place to live, play, work, and grow.”
As was the case in 2023, this year’s awards again recognized JCPRD as Best Large Employer, the Johnson County Museum as Best Museum, Shawnee Mission Park Dog Off-Leash Area as Best Dog Park, and Shawnee Mission Park Disc Golf Course as Best Disc Golf Course. Other categories in which JCPRD picked up awards in 2024 recognized “Gateway” in Meadowbrook Park as Best Piece of Public Art, Theatre in the Park as Best Performing Arts Venue, Shawnee Mission Park as Best Public Park, JCPRD’s Out of School Time programs as best After-School Care, and JCPRD summer camps as Best Summer Camp.
Best Large Employer
JCPRD officials are especially appreciative the agency was again recognized as Best Large Employer for agencies with more than 100 employees.
“The year has been filled with much success because of our employees and the support of the Johnson County community,” Stewart said. “The industry best practices they display every day have achieved Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) reaccreditation. The excellence in service they provide is second to none, which is reflected in JCPRD being named a National Gold Medal for Excellence Finalist in 2024. These accolades are only made possible because of their incredible expertise, dedication, teamwork, creativity, commitment, and outreach.”
For more than 65 years, JCPRD has been enhancing the lives of citizens through its parks, quality programs, professionalism, and response to developing trends. The district’s contributions to the personal lives of Johnson County’s citizens have earned local appreciation and national acclaim including receiving the National Gold Medal Award in 1995 and 2017, being accredited four times since 1999 through the CAPRA, and a long and continuing list of accolades.
Each year, JCPRD offers more than 4,000 programs and events, and cares for over 10,200 acres of park property which attract and serve over 7 million visitors and participations annually. JCPRD’s wide range of services are provided through the organization’s five divisions which currently employ a diverse team of approximately 330 full-time employees, as well as more than 1,500 part-time and seasonal employees each year.
To learn about current job opportunities, visit JCPRD.com/1969/Careers-with-Johnson-County-Park-and-Rec.
