Q&A: Recreation Department Director

From 1970 to 1980 Dennis Duffy worked as the assistant to the Director of Recreation, overseeing all sports camps, day camps, after school programs, and other programs held at the recreation department. Since 1980 he has served the Village of Evergreen Park as the Commissioner and Director of Recreational Services. With 41 years of experience in the field of recreation, and through the Illinois Parks and Recreation Association, Duffy is recognized as a Certified Leisure Professional (CLP) and a Certified Parks and Recreation Professional (CPRP).

Duffy received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Lewis University and has taken graduate courses at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and De Paul University. In addition to the above experience, he has worked as an educator for 37 years, 35 of which were spent at Brother Rice High School teaching social studies. Duffy has also coached football for many years on both grade school and high school levels.

Duffy has lived in Evergreen Park both as a child and as an adult for a total of 46 years. Raising their two children in the village, he and his wife were involved in many sports and community groups. Duffy was a member of the Holy Redeemer Athletic Association for 10 years, serving as head football coach for the 7th and 8th grade team. Duffy is currently in his sixth year of being a member of the Northwest School PTA.

Evergreen Park Patch: What is the current state of the Evergreen Park Recreation Department and its interaction with the community?

Dennis Duffy: The Recreation Department interacts with the community by means of a summer and fall booklet that informs the residents of all of the programs that we offer throughout the year. In addition, we communicate through e-mail blasts as well as flyers that are sent to all of the grade schools in Evergreen Park. All of our offerings can also be found on Evergreen Park’s web site.

Patch: What are your main goals for the EP Recreation Department in 2011?

Duffy: The main goals for 2011 are to increase attendance in all of our classes and to create more activities for the residents. As always, we constantly evaluate the current programs and adapt or change them to meet the evolving needs of the community.

Patch: How do you think the department can improve?

Duffy: The Recreation Department can improve by keeping up with the new trends in the field of recreation and by making sure that the programs we now offer are interesting and stimulating.

Patch: What new ideas or initiatives are you hoping to introduce this year?

Duffy: One new program we will be introducing this year is Lacrosse for third through ninth grade girls. Since our outdoor hockey games have been so successful, we plan to offer additional outdoor hockey games for grade school and high school teams.

Patch: What are your top longer-term priorities?

Duffy: Our top long-term priorities are to have a tarp installed on the outdoor ice rink  and to utilize all of our fields to their maximum capacity.