Ohio Parks and Recreation Association (OPRA) has announced its 2025 Annual Awards of Excellence winners, and a number of local agencies have been recognized.

Locally, MetroParks of Butler County won a 1^st place award in the Marketing Innovation category for the MetroParks and Butler County Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Services Board (MHARS) Suicide Prevention Campaign project. This inter-agency collaboration highlights MetroParks’ commitment to ensuring that parks are safe, welcoming and supportive spaces for all. The Suicide Prevention Sign Campaign is a vital public health initiative that uses the power of place to reach people when they may need it most. Receiving a 1^st place OPRA award for this effort, the first in agency history, highlights the significance of this work and the impact it has already had across Butler County.

“MetroParks is honored to be recognized for this important project,” said Executive Director Jackie O’Connell. “Our partnership with MHARS demonstrates how parks can play a meaningful role in promoting mental health and offering hope. We are grateful for this acknowledgement and remain committed to serving our community with compassion, innovation, and purpose.”

The OPRA Annual Awards of Excellence will be presented at a banquet hosted by the association on February 3, 2026 at the Kalahari Convention Center in Sandusky, Ohio.  One first-place award winner will be presented with the 2025 Governor’s Award for Parks and Recreation, a “best-in-show” award which includes a $500 contribution to the parks and recreation foundation of the agency winner.

“Parks and recreation professionals throughout Ohio work every day to improve the quality of life of the people they serve,” said OPRA Executive Director Woody Woodward.  “This effort is a shining example of that kind of work, and we are pleased to be able to present this award.”

The awards are judged by a panel of parks and recreation professionals from around Ohio.

Incorporated in 1963, OPRA is a non-profit, public interest organization representing over 2,600 professionals and citizen board members striving to provide quality parks and recreation facilities and opportunities for all Ohioans while protecting and preserving Ohio's natural resources, positively impacting local economies and health and wellness of its citizens.