Dear NJ/EPA TR Members and Friends,

Many view the New Year as a time to wipe the slate clean and start over. I view the 2012 year as a chance to continue moving forward with the progress that past NJ/EPA TRA board members and volunteers have made. This is a membership-driven organization that continuously strives toward goals that will not only meet, but exceed the members’ expectations.  This year we plan on finalizing some projects and loose ends such as tax issues and becoming incorporated in the state of New Jersey.  We also hope to address some of the members’ concerns and recommendations such as revamping the membership process, adding additional resources to the website, and offering spring workshops in NJ and PA.  We are happy to announce that the spring workshop this year is scheduled for March 30, 2012 at Essex County Hospital in Cedar Grove NJ. Please check the website (http://www.njepa-tra.com/continuingeducation.htm) for details.

The 2011 conference in Princeton was a fantastic success. This was my first time assisting with the NJ/EPA TRA conference and I saw how hard everyone worked to put this educational opportunity together. I would personally like to thank Heather Burket for chairing the conference committee and keeping everyone on task! I’d also like to thank exiting board members Heather Burket, Rachael Moore and Evan Barker for their dedication to this organization over the years. Your work is highly recognized and appreciated more so than what words convey and I wish you all much success in your future endeavors.

I am honored to be serving as President of NJ/EPA TRA this year and I look forward to working with our current board of directors:

Anne Richard, Past-President

Marilyn Radatz, President-Elect

Jennifer Honeyford, Treasurer

Kaylee McGuire, Secretary

Aimee Montgomery, NJ Member at Large

Aurora Crew , PA Member at Large

The NJ/EPA TRA board of directors is constantly working toward improving the organization and the services we offer but we need the members to take part. There are many ways in which you can do so but it starts with your “voice”. We welcome your ideas, suggestions, and thoughts but please remember to share positive thoughts as well.  Volunteers to assist with various committees and small projects are also always needed. Please get involved and be active. One of the areas that members felt needed improvement is the NJ/EPA TRA website. Members stated that we needed to add more resources, regulatory information, internships, jobs, etc. Well I would personally like to ask you, the members, to help us create a website full of resources and information. Please send us your favorite links or information that you think other members would benefit from. We really need help in building our resources, especially in all genres of our profession. So this is a great way to get involved and serve NJ/EPA TRA.  Please send website resource information to Kaylee McGuire at kem3058@yahoo.com

Lastly, ATRA recently announced that February is Therapeutic Recreation Month. Please take the time to not only celebrate what you do but to also advocate, promote and educate others about what you do and why! You can find some wonderful ideas in this issue of the NJ/EPA TRA newsletter.

Happy New Year and Happy Therapeutic Recreation Month!

Best Wishes,

Kim Grandal, CTRS, ACC/EDU
2012 NJ/EPA TRA President
kimgrandal@aol.com