Burlington Recreation Director Earns Highest State Honor
Director Brendan Egan adds Humanitarian Award to the department's many recognitions.
Grandview Farm was festively decorated yesterday as town officials and Burlington residents came to celebrate Parks & Recreation Director, Brendan Egan, who has just been awarded the Peter C and Eric W. O'Brien Humanitarian Award.
This award, which Egan said is named for brothers who were pioneers in the recreation field, is the highest honor awarded by the Massachusetts Recreation and Parks Administration (MRPA). Egan was nominated by his peers because of his dedication to recreation and his contributions to the advancement of the industry.
Egan said he was "very caught off guard by the award and also humbled;" he didn't even know he was nominated. But this isn't the first award received by the Burlington's Recreation Department over the years. The department has been honored both at the state level and nationally for their work as trendsetters in the field of recreation.
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"There's been awards for program outreach. The Treehouse won an award. Emma Jones, our Therapeutic Rec Specialist, was a national recipient of ... a top 30 newcomer to Parks and Recreation under 30 years old" two years ago, said Egan. "We really have an awesome staff. And so this really isn't about me, it's really about the work that our team does here at Burlington Parks and Recreation."
After working in Burlington before and taking a break, Egan rejoined the Recreation Department as Director in 2014. Since then, he said, there have been many enhancements to the department's offerings, including additional facilities and maintenance capabilities. He's also overseen the expansion of the therapeutic recreation program and the installation of a professional to oversee operations.
Not only do members of neighboring communities take advantage of Burlington's therapeutic recreation programs, but Burlington's program has served as a model for departments in Massachusetts, the greater New England area, and even as far as North Carolina. Both Egan and Assistant Director Kelly Lehman "had a sense of pride, like, all right, what we're doing is making a difference, and not just in our community, but elsewhere. And we're seeing other cities and towns and Massachusetts adding therapeutic recreation" to their offerings.
Egan is proud to see the work he and his staff have done be recognized and replicated in other places. "In recreation, we like to share successes," he said. "So when other communities call and ask, hey, how did you do that program? What did you do here? It's also like, all right, we were able to help another community. They are now successful in what they're doing."
It's this generosity and excitement for the work that likely tipped the scales in Egan's favor for the award committee.
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