Oct. 1 - Cory Neal, BBCP Park Worker I

Oct. 1 - Ryan Schuler, Park Police Officer I

Oct. 2 - Bill Maasen, Superintendent of Parks & Golf Courses

Oct. 4 - Stephanie White, OST Director - Northview

Oct. 6 - Tim Dummermuth, Park Police Officer I

Oct. 7 - Carrie Daly, Pre-K Director - Brookwood

Oct. 7 - Jim Wilson, Project Manager III

Oct. 10 - Michelle Davis, OST Director - Walnut Grove

Oct. 10 - Kassey Lucas, OST Director - Riverview

Oct. 13 - Cora Ezell, Corporate and Community Wellness Admin. Assistant Oct. 15 - Jennifer Assmann, Administration Manager

Oct. 15 - Lory Rodak, Graphic Design Coordinator

Oct. 15 - Anne Jones, Curator of Collections

Oct. 15 - Kristina Keehn-Schneider, MBP Park Worker II

Oct. 16 - Molly Erwin, OST Director-Merriam Park

Oct. 16 - Jill Montgomery, Golf Pro Shop Administrative Assistant

Oct. 17 - Maureen O'Grady, Children's Services Specialist

Oct. 18 - Shaunacee Wilkinson, OST Director - Forest View

Oct. 18 - Kelly Loomis, HP Sr Park Worker

Oct. 19 - Leon Gordon, EMP Park Supervisor

Oct. 20 - Chris Rogers, Park Police Officer I

Oct. 21 - Claire Beeler, Park Police Officer I

Oct. 21 - Tonya Edelman, Concession Coordinator

Oct. 22 - Anthony Riley, OST Director-Brookwood

Oct. 22 - Graham Dawald, HP Park Worker I

Oct. 23 - Mallory Ozier, OP 50 Plus Coordinator

Oct. 23 - Katy Renner, Special Events Coordinator

Oct. 25 - Uldis Tazans, Blazers Head Blue Valley Age Group Coach

Oct. 25 - Shandra Liebmann, Registration Clerk

Oct. 26 - Coltin Ridenour, KCP Sr Park Worker

Oct. 27 - Eddie Coffey, SE Region Park Manager

Oct. 28 - Lisa Lane, 50 Plus Centers Assistant

Oct. 28 - Marissa O'Dell, OST Director - Rushton

Oct. 29 - Amy Isenburg, EMNC Receptionist/Administrative Assistant

1 year - Derek Buckridge, Construction Supervisor

2 years - Hannah Green, OST Director - Rushton

5 years - Lanae Rench-Vopat, Park Police Officer I

9 years -  Martin Ramirez, LAN/WAN Analyst

9 years -  Nicole DeHaven, Human Resources Coordinator

10 years -  Scott Helm, SMP Sr Park Worker  

15 years (combined service) -  Susan Mong, Superintendent of Culture

24 years -  Becky Burnside, Marketing & Communications Specialis

Matthew Gaborie went from Seasonal Golf Course Worker to Heritage Park Golf Course Worker I effective Sept. 4.

Shannon Sonnier went from Assistant Superintendent of Recreation to Superintendent of Recreation effective Sept. 11. 

• Betsy Morel, OST Director - Fairview, left JCPRD effective Sept 8.

• Austin Suddarth, System Administrator, left JCPRD effective Sept. 9.



• Ned Godsey, Park Police Officer II, left JCPRD effective Sept. 26.

• Jen Thomas
• Madeline Dasch
• Melissa Oropeza
• Becky Burnside
• Trinity Sharp
• Elizabeth Malkames
• Tina Kenney
• Tori Lafferty
• Jessica Doyle

• Liz Lumpkin
• Andrew Gustafson
• Anne Jones
• Madeline Thompson
• Bradley Debrick
• Georgia Hopwood
• Aaliyah Lee
• Lily Mares
• Ann Luhr

Join us for Parktoberfest! 

All currently active JCPRD employees are welcome

Guest - $5, Kids - $3 (Children 2 & under are free)

Click to RSVP by Thursday, Oct. 6

Contact your supervisor if you are unable to access the RSVP sheet

To Mark Golding, Heritage Park Senior Park Worker, on the birth of his granddaughter on Sept. 1. Olivia Dawn Smith weighed 5 lbs. 5 oz. and was 18.5" long.

• Oct. 7 - Gary L. Haller Memorial Golf Tournament (Ages 18 & Older)

• Oct. 14 - Geocaching: Trick-or-Cache (All Ages) 

• Oct. 15 - Halloween: Whimsical Woods (Ages 11 & Under)

• Oct. 19 - Kansas City Symphony Concert in the Park (All Ages) 

• Oct. 22 - Art: Family Art (Ages 6 & Older)

• Oct. 22 - Cars in the Park (All Ages)

• Oct. 28 - Special Event: JCPRD JamBOOree (Ages 14 & Under)

• Oct. 28 - Movies in the Park: “Monsters Inc.” (Rated G) 

• Oct. 29 - Mildale Farm Fall Fest (All Ages)

• Oct. 29 - Lanesfield School Fall Open House (All Ages)



Kansas City Corporate Challenge

The Fall KCCC season went as fast as it came! Seven events for team JCPRD and many memories made. Twilight Trek 5K, Cornhole, Adventure Race, Sand Volleyball, Pickleball, Bowling and Horseshoes. JCPRD had Gold Medals in the Adventure Race and Pickleball, Silver at the 5K, Bronze in Pickleball and Horseshoes. Team JCPRD will start taking signups in February 2023 for the 44th Annual Spring KCCC games! Participants of all skill levels are encouraged to participate and get to know their fellow co-workers and be inspired to try something new.

Photos from the Fall Season.

Fitness Day Program

JCPRD is in the business of health and wellness. We offer 120+ miles of trails, vast green spaces, programs and more. As employees of such a great agency, we need to practice what we preach! We want our community to get out and enjoy our parks and programs, and we as employees should too. The Live Well Be Well program for employee wellness offers the exciting opportunity to reward employees for staying physically active. If you’re job requires you to be physically active, you can log up to 30 minutes of your workday! Learn more here.

Photo from Rosanna Munoz, Natureplay Preschool at Mill Creek Activity Center's Butterfly Garden.

Yard work counts as physical activity and as Fitness Days! If you don’t have a garden or flower beds to tend, come by MCAC, help is needed weeding! Contact Alison Smith for details, alison.smith@jocogov.org

Safety & Wellness Winners - Congratulations!

Safety contest winners for the September game: Cathy Seals, Becky Burnside,

Rosanna Munoz, Libby Scarborough, and Alex Ballman

Participate in our employee monthly

Safety Games and Wellness Programs to be eligible to win!

October Wellness Tip

Healthy Halloween Alternatives

More people are kicking processed sugar and or cutting back drastically for their health and wellbeing. Too much sugar can directly affect/cause the following: headaches, weight gain, sugar crash, increased risk of heart disease, acne/poor skin, increased risk of cancer, depression, increase aging and more. Sugar has been found to be an addictive substance with signs being consumption of large amounts of sugary food/drinks, eat constantly to combat boredom, cravings for sugar after stressful and or irritating life experiences. Ways to combat the sugar addiction is to keep those foods away, don’t tempt yourself by keeping them on hand and or choosing those options at gatherings; transition to less sugary items like unsweetened tea, plain yogurt, unflavored oatmeal; watch for hidden sugars and be sure to read and understand your food labels.

Set yourself up for success this Halloween and avoid the giant bags of candy with some of these low and or zero sugar alternative items, and no I’m not talking about raisins:

• Snack sized bags of chips, Pirates Booty, Veggie Straws, Cheez-its, popcorn, juice boxes, other baked snack bags.

• Trinkets or toys, bouncy balls, fake mustaches, stickers, stamps, glow sticks. Some big party packs end up being the same price as candy, with the bonus of any leftover items not expiring and can be used for other holidays too for stuffing plastics eggs, or stocking stuffers!

Photos from Jill Leech, 2019 Halloween staff picture, and Susan Mong, 2021 Superhero Day for Halloween at JCAHC. 

Employment Opportunity Highlights

The Facility Rental Department has a guest services representative position available at the Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center. We have various spaces with in the building which include the Event Space, Dance Studio, Rehearsal Studios, The Black Box Theatre, and more! This position assists with the setup, tear down, and cleanup of rental rooms and oversees rental guests to confirm policies and procedures are adhered to. Here are a few bullet points regarding the position:

1. Minimum age of 18 required
2. Must be available to work evenings and/or weekends
3. Must be self-motivated
4. Must be able to do some heavy lifting
5. Starting wage is $14-$15 per hour
6. Flexible scheduling

The Children’s Services Department is looking for Pre-K lead teachers, lead and assistant teachers for the current school year! We are also looking for hayride drivers, concession workers, and sports officials.

Employee Referral Bonus Program

JCPRD is always looking for great people, and you can help. Research has shown, and our own experience supports, that new hires who come into organizations through employee referrals are excellent contributors, stay with us longer, and are more cost effective to recruit. If you know someone who you think would be a great addition to our organization in a seasonal or full time capacity, and he/she meets the minimum qualifications for an existing open requisition, it will be worth $50 to you if you refer the person for employment as a Seasonal employee and $150 for a Full-Time employee and the person is hired.

Refer candidates who meet the qualifications for any position through the normal application process for jobs open to the public. If your candidate is hired, you could be awarded $50 for a seasonal referral and $150 gift card for a full-time referral. A seasonal employee must complete 30 days of employment and a full-time employee has to complete 90 days of employment with JCPPRD. You will need to complete the referral form to receive the bonus. For more information about the referral program go to the x-drive, forms, human resources or contact Human Resources for questions.



Harassment Awareness Training (HAT) is required for all employees at least every 2 years. All new regular full-time, part-time partial plus and part-time partial employees need to take the Inside JoCo link HAT training-see link below:

https://training.ad.jocoks.com/course/view.php?id=70



Please make sure all seasonal and PT no benefits employees are completing the online HAT course on the X drive and submitting their forms to HR.

More News? Do you have a news item you’d like to share? If so, please email it to one of us in Human Resources and we will include it in the November edition. The deadline is Oct. 23.