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2021 SCRPA Awards
The South Carolina Recreation and Parks Association (SCRPA) recognizes people, parks, and programs for outstanding contributions to the park and recreation profession in South Carolina. These awards are judged by our SCRPA Awards and Citations Committee. Throughout the year SCRPA Branches and Districts also present other awards. Thank you to all winners for helping families Celebrate Community through People, Parks and Programs!
2021 COMMUNITY CHAMPION
The Community Champion Award recognizes individuals and organizations from each of the SCRPA districts. These awards are given to individuals who support our membership’s vision of creating Community through people, parks, and programs.
Keep North Charleston Beautiful
The first Community Champion Award winner has served the City of North Charleston for over 20 years. Keep North Charleston Beautiful (KNCB) is a non-profit organization and an award-winning affiliate of Keep America Beautiful. KNCB has been an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful since May of 2000. Since this time, KNCB’s impact on the North Charleston community has been significant. Over the past 20 years, an estimated 274,817 KNCB volunteers have participated in more than 2,700 events for a value of service of more than $15 million. These volunteers have installed more than 47,000 plants and trees, picked up more than 67,670 bags of litter and debris, and collected 124,000 pounds of recycling. In addition, KNCB’s educational programs have reached 240,280 children and young adults, and KNCB has distributed more than 800 litter cleanup supply kits to community members.
SC ETV/RCRC
South Carolina Educational Television (SCETV) is crucial sponsor and partner for the Richland County Recreation Commission (RCRC). South Carolina ETV is the state’s public educational broadcasting network. Using television, radio, and the web, SCETV’s mission is to enrich lives by educating children, informing and connecting citizens, celebrating our culture and environment, and instilling the joy of learning. SCETV provides national and local content to classrooms via internet services Knowitall.org and PBS Learning Media. SCETV also provides teacher training and re-certification in face-to-face and online settings. SCETV began in 1958 in the library of Dreher High School in Columbia, SC teaching French and Plane Geometry classes to multiple schools via closed-circuit. Today the network comprises 11 TV stations, eight radio stations, and a statewide tower network that serves schools, hospitals, and emergency management teams.
Keep North Charleston Beautiful award
2021 Parks Excellence under 30,000 - City of Hardeeville
2021 Parks Excellence over 30,000 - City of Rock Hill
2021 SCRPA AGENCY AWARDS
Agency awards for Parks Excellence are awarded in two categories, for population under 30,000 and population over 30,000. The awards are given to the agencies whose new, renovated or revitalized park has shown through as being the best in the state for this population category.
Building the Hardeeville Recreation Center has long been a community dream and goal for City Council. Planning for the facility took on several different designs over the years and saw a few setbacks including administration changes, funding for the land and project and COVID-19 related issues. The project was carefully planned over the course of ten years with support and involvement from the community, partners, city staff and Council. Accommodations tax revenue provided $6.5 million of the facility’s funding and the remaining $2 million was from borrowed funds. The project consists of a 38,000 square foot facility that includes a collegiate-sized basketball court with seating for 1,000 spectators, two racquetball courts, a 4,000 square foot state of the art fitness center, a 2,200 square foot community room used for rentals and events, a mezzanine indoor walking track and multi-use classrooms and concession stand. The Center opened to the public on Saturday, July 31, 2021.
The Rock Hill Sports & Event Center is a 172,000 sq. ft. indoor facility serving residents and visitors with recreation opportunities, athletic programs, conference and meeting space, and special events and tournaments. The Championship Court can be configured as 1 center court or 2 side courts and has 1,200 stadium seats; the Main Court has 700 courtside permanent seats and can be configured as 8 basketball courts or 16 volleyball courts. A walking track, concession stands, locker rooms, and state-of-the-art flooring, lighting and equipment complete the facility along with an 8,000 sq. ft. event space.
SCRPA INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
2021 State Merit Award: Paul McCulloch
SCRPA Branches and Districts grant their own professional awards throughout the year. Those winners are then submitted to the SCRPA Awards Citations Committee to select a single SCRPA State Merit Award winner. Paul McCulloch has been the the director of Horry County Parks and Recreation since 2016. Prior to coming to Horry County, he served as the Athletics/Special Events Director with the City of North Myrtle Beach from 2012 through 2016. He has also worked with Georgetown County, the City of Myrtle Beach and the Town of Surfside Beach. Paul has been an active member of SCRPA throughout his career.
The SCRPA Young Professional of the Year nominee must be in the parks and recreation profession for at least 3 years and no more than 15 years and a member in good standing of SCRPA and professionally certified. This award considers service, leadership, and character. Octavia Morgan has been employed with the Richland County Recreation Commission since March of 2019. As fitness and wellness coordinator she has developed three new youth programs, offered exercise programs to older adults, active adults and the youth of the community. Her emphasis is on family and friends exercising together in order to help bring about a better work life balance.
2021 State Merit Award: Paul McCulloch 2021 Young Professional of the Year: Octavia Morgan
2021 Professional of the Year: Jon Woodsby
The SCRPA Professional of the Year nominee must be in the parks and recreation profession at least 15 years and a member of SCRPA for at least five years and professionally certified. This award considers service, leadership, and character. Jon Woodsby is the Interim Director of Parks and Recreation of Spartanburg County Parks Department. He has not only served SCRPA in multiple capacities, he also serves on a national level. He is on the National Association of County Parks and Recreation Officials Board of Directors and was recently appointed to the NRPA CAPRA Commission Review Team.
2021 Awards & Citations Committee
LaQuan Priest, Chair Samantha Radford – Central District Laurie Yarbrough – Southern District Kristie Oliver – Western District
Congratulations to all 2021 SCRPA Award Recipients!
The SCRPA Robert L. Reid Lifetime Achievement and Hall of Fame Award recognizes an individual’s achievement in the parks and recreation community. It can be awarded to a professional or citizen. The individual should have at least twenty years of overall commitment to the parks and recreation community and have made a lasting impression on our great profession. Angie Prosser is the Parks, Recreation & Tourism Director at the City of Greenville. With more than 30 years of experience in City government, Angie Prosser is the go-to-person when a community member or business person needs help navigating City Hall. She is open to change and is often the first to ask, “Why can’t we make this happen?” or “How can we make this happen?” Angie’s peers from other cities regularly seek her advice through presentation requests and one-on-one encounters on how to replicate Greenville’s success in their own communities. She has become more than a department director, but a valued policy advisor to both the City Manager, Mayor and Council. Angie is a true visionary with an unparalleled enthusiasm for her job and its impact on the community.
