Parks and recreation are all about enjoying the good parts of life, getting outside, and learning to play for fun. Those who choose a career in community services care deeply about providing services that allow our community to do the things they love the most.

July 21 is Park and Recreation Professionals Day, and we couldn’t let it go by without celebrating the world-class individuals who live out the work-hard, play-hard mentality every day. Throughout the month, we’ve been highlighting the different divisions that make up the Community Services Department, and today we are diving into the public service motivation that keeps our team at the top of their game daily.

When you work in the largest department in the city, it can be hard to stop and reflect on the incredible work your colleagues do, and we occasionally get siloed in our individual responsibilities. However, we know each team member is vital to fulfilling our mission of creating world-class experiences for our residents. On this Park and Recreation Professionals Day, we paused to ask one of our teammates what he loves most about his job.

Here's what our Athletics Coordinator had to say:

“What I like about working in Parks and Rec is watching the kids I used to interact with as a counselor/attendant level grow up, develop their skills, and see them thrive in our programs and leagues. It’s even better when they remember me and they talk to me about how school is going or how much fun they are having in their sport. Seeing them enjoy themselves in our programs and leagues lets me know that we are doing the best job that we can for them and our community!” Luis Marquez, Athletics Coordinator

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves! Thank you to everyone in the Community Services Department. We’re lucky to be surrounded by world-class parks and recreation professionals who help our community grow every day!

Parks and recreation are all about enjoying the good parts of life, getting outside, and learning to play for fun. Those who choose a career in community services care deeply about providing services that allow our community to do the things they love the most.

July 21 is Park and Recreation Professionals Day, and we couldn’t let it go by without celebrating the world-class individuals who live out the work-hard, play-hard mentality every day. Throughout the month, we’ve been highlighting the different divisions that make up the Community Services Department, and today we are diving into the public service motivation that keeps our team at the top of their game daily.

When you work in the largest department in the city, it can be hard to stop and reflect on the incredible work your colleagues do, and we occasionally get siloed in our individual responsibilities. However, we know each team member is vital to fulfilling our mission of creating world-class experiences for our residents. On this Park and Recreation Professionals Day, we paused to ask one of our teammates what he loves most about his job.

Here's what our Athletics Coordinator had to say:

“What I like about working in Parks and Rec is watching the kids I used to interact with as a counselor/attendant level grow up, develop their skills, and see them thrive in our programs and leagues. It’s even better when they remember me and they talk to me about how school is going or how much fun they are having in their sport. Seeing them enjoy themselves in our programs and leagues lets me know that we are doing the best job that we can for them and our community!” Luis Marquez, Athletics Coordinator

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves! Thank you to everyone in the Community Services Department. We’re lucky to be surrounded by world-class parks and recreation professionals who help our community grow every day!