Oswald awarded fellowship to NRPA Conference

     Monticello Parks and Recreation Director Jacob Oswald was recently selected for the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA) Conference Fellowship in Dallas, Texas. The honor was announced by the Iowa Foundation for Parks and Recreation (IPRA).

   “This is the next step with my job here and in my educational journey,” he said of his interest in pursuing the fellowship opportunity.

   Oswald is in his seventh year working for the City of Monticello P&R Department.

   This fellowship reimburses Oswald $2,000 to attend the NRPA conference, travel, and lodging Oct. 10-12.

   Oswald, P&R Superintendent Kegan Arduser, and Aquatics Coordinator Jill Flynn are all members of IPRA. Oswald is also a supporter of the Friends of IPRA organization, which is a non-profit that supports the group’s efforts.

   “I hope to get more involved with that group,” he said. “There are a lot of different avenues with that.”

   Oswald said he likes the fact being a part of IPRA brings with it opportunities to learn more about his craft and bring new ideas to the table in Monticello.

   “They help to support Parks and Rec in small communities,” he said.

   The IRPA offers workshops across Iowa for P&R staff to take part in.

   “They open up a lot of different doors,” added Oswald of the benefits.

   Since he started working for Monticello, Oswald has applied for and secured several mini grants through the IPRA Foundation to benefit P&R and the community.

   Oswald is also a member of NRPA, which played a role in being awarded the conference fellowship.

   “NRPA open up different grants and educational opportunities,” he said.

   Every year, one of the many NRPA fellowship applicants is selected and awarded the conference fellowship. This is Oswald’s year.

   While he built the national conference into his budget for this fiscal year, the fellowship will greatly help to offset the expenses.

   “The NRPA conference is like the IRPA conference on steroids,” equated Oswald of the magnitude of the national event. “You get to hear about different practices and ideas from different places all over the country.”

   Oswald will be kept quite busy at the conference in just three days. There is a vendor show, training sessions, guest speakers, and workshops on a wide variety of topics: healthy cities, underutilized city spaces, culture and arts, budgeting, mental health, special media and websites, and sports tourism, just to name a few.

   Oswald said Monticello P&R is already attracting people to town. The pickleball tournaments at the end of August saw 18 teams, 10 of which were from outside of Monticello.

   “You just never know what you’ll fully latch on to by going (to the NRPA conference),” Oswald said of the many educational opportunities.

   He said when he first entered the P&R arena, he, and many others, just looked at it as recreation and sports.

   “It is way more than that,” stressed Oswald.

   That’s why the national conference is such a unique opportunity to hear from others in Oswald’s same position and bring back ideas for expanding P&R in ways people didn’t think possible.

   “It’s bigger than some people perceive it to be.”

   Oswald doesn’t just want to see Monticello succeed, but hopes to help other communities as well.

   “Neighboring communities have reached out to us for ideas.”

   Monticello City Administrator Russ Farnum wrote a letter for support for Oswald in going after the fellowship.

   “I don’t do this for the recognition,” admitted Oswald. “It’s nice to be appreciated by my peers and others for what I’m doing.”