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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
CONGRATULATING CARRIE FULLERTON ON RECIEVING THE 2024 ILLINOIS PARK AND RECREATION ASSOCIATION ROBERT ARTZ LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
WHEREAS, Carrie Fullerton is the Executive Director of the Arlington Heights Park District and the 2024 recipient of the Robert Artz Lifetime Achievement Award from the Illinois Park & Recreation Association; and
WHEREAS, this Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes that a recipient’s efforts will have had lasting impact and created awareness of the importance of parks and recreation among peers and in the community they serve; and
WHEREAS, Carrie Fullerton is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, earning a Master’s Degree in Recreation, Sport & Tourism Administration, as well as an Associate of Science degree in Cardiac Technology from Harper College; and
WHEREAS, Carrie Fullerton has served as Arlington Heights Park District Executive Director since 2020, deftly managing the park district through the challenges of COVID-19 and ensuring the continuity of park services that were crucial to people’s emotional and physical health during this crisis; and
WHEREAS, Carrie Fullerton has made a career as a Park District leader. Prior to Carrie Fullerton’s tenure at the Arlington Heights Park District, she served as Executive Director of the Bloomingdale Park District for more than eleven years, in addition to roles as Director of Parks & Recreation of Village of Hinsdale, Superintendent of Special Facilities for the Wheeling Park District, and as Division Manager of Facilities for the Schaumburg Park District; and
WHEREAS, Carrie Fullerton was the past recipient of the 2018 Illinois Association of Park Districts (IAPD) Honored Professional Award in recognition of her work to pass a $9.9 million ballot initiative for sports fields and other projects while leading the Bloomingdale Park District in 2016; and
WHEREAS, Carrie Fullerton led the collaborative effort to receive a 2023 Open Space Land Acquisition and Development State grant of $600,000 to help fund the improvements to Recreation Park including a fully accessible playground for people of all abilities; and
WHEREAS, Carrie Fullerton is recognized by her peers, her community, and her colleagues to be a results-oriented leader with expertise in all aspects of leisure service management; and
WHEREAS, as a career professional committed to her industry, Carrie Fullerton is a firm believer that parks and recreation services are essential, and critical to the quality of life in every community; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners does hereby congratulate and commend Carrie Fullerton on this impressive and well-deserved award bestowed by the Illinois Parks and Recreations Association; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this text be spread upon the official proceedings of this Honorable Body, and a suitable copy of the same be tendered to Carrie Fullerton as a means of conveying our thanks and congratulations for her service to the residents of Cook County.
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