On behalf of the Illinois Association of Park Districts and the Illinois Parks & Recreation Association, The Vernon Hills Park District presented Community Service Awards to the Vernon Hills Police Department and the Countryside Fire District at their March 24 Park Board meeting. Both agencies were recognized for their support and service for the safety and enjoyment of Vernon Hills residents while in our parks and attending Park District events.

Vernon Hills Police Department has been a very active supporter of the Vernon Hills Park District since the beginning.  The intra municipal cooperation and collaboration has been an integral part for keeping our parks and facilities as safe as possible.  Includes assisting with facility and park safety processes, being a presence at our Safety Town program, collaborating on Police events such as Veterans Fishing Derby and National Night Out and lending us police officers and participants in the Cadet Program as support for our programs and special events.  We appreciate the support on calls regarding issues in our parks that officers have responded to and the cooperation to get them resolved.

Countryside Fire District has been a collaborator and partner with the Vernon Hills Park District on so many different levels.  Countryside has been a welcome tool that VHPD has utilized for fire safety trainings, educating child participants in Safety Town, assisting with CPR/First Aid/AED training for staff, and as a sounding board for special event and facility safety processes.  We welcome their continued efforts in keeping our community safe by offering Park District facilities and parks as a real world training locations for Countryside Fire District and as a local host for the Lake & McHenry County Specialized Response Team.