Thanks for the memories.

As we approach the 1998 NRPA Congress and Exposition in Miami Beach, it is natural to pause and reflect on the progress made over the past year in striving to achieve the work plan set forth in Vision 2000, the Association's strategic plan. The Congress offers the opportunity to both celebrate this progress and set new targets for the next year as our working committees meet and deliberate.

I am pleased to report that the Association accomplished a great deal over the past year that will result in direct benefit to the membership. A few of the highlights follow:

A Membership Needs Assessment was completed to assess the quality and importance of member services. This can be compared with the results of the 1991 survey to determine our progress. It will also be used next year to update the Association's strategic plan.

The first Annual Fund Campaign, which raised $232,000, $57,000 of which came from individual donors, was completed. Developed on the success of the NRPA Ahrens Institute fundraiser, this campaign was developed to accomplish work not otherwise achievable by the Association.

A consultant was hired to determine the feasibility of and provide recommendations for creating an endowment fund. This fund would be built on the support of foundations and corporations across America with the purpose of funding broad-based public visibility programs around the topics of fitness/ wellness, environmental stewardship, and youth and economic development as they relate to parks and recreation.

A study of NRPA is being done to assess whether or not our current form of governance is suitable in today's environment. The study will address how we can achieve our goals more effectively through streamlining our process of governing.

The Benefits movement is coming of age. Our recent membership survey determined that the Benefits program has become one of the five most important programs to our members over the past several years. As it matures, we are developing better publications concerning the program's use, creating better training opportunities, and researching and publicizing its practical applications across the nation.

Communication has been greatly enhanced throughout the Association by the development and refinement of the NRPA homepage and NRPAnet. Further recommendations are expected at the upcoming Congress with regard to improvement of these two critical membership communication tools. Additionally, NRPA staff can now be accessed on the Internet, and all state affiliates have been given free access to NRPAnet to better communicate with NRPA. Finally, an inaugural Town Hall meeting was held at the Mid-Year Conference in Washington, D.C., to encourage an open dialogue among NRPA leaders on critical issues.

The Gold Medal Award program is undergoing the first review in its 30-year history to increase the effectiveness of this high-profile award program.

And the Board of Trustees has approved a coalitions and partnerships handbook to provide means for addressing and enhancing the way in which we develop critical partnerships to help achieve our purposes as an association.

The excitement generated by all of this good work is infectious. I want to thank everyone who contributed to the successes that we achieved this year including our hard-working trustee committees and task forces; the Executive Committee; the leadership of our branches, sections, and regions; and our tireless staff. Everyone contributed tremendously.

Thanks for the opportunity to serve you this year. I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible in Miami Beach for what I am confident will be an outstanding 1998 NRPA Congress and Exposition.