Message from the Chair of the 75th Anniversary Committee

March 30 2022

Dear Colleagues, members and friends of the ORFA,

“Celebrate” seems like such a foreign word these days as we have all spent the last two plus years addressing the challenges of COVID 19 and are only now seeing light at the end of the tunnel and moving from a pandemic to an endemic.

75 years is a historical milestone for ORFA and a true diamond jubilee and something important to celebrate!
Many that have come before us saw this day, maybe not exactly in every aspect, but our predecessors set a footing in place and with the dedication and perseverance of each Board of Director of the day, along with staff that supported the mission and vision of the organization, created and maintained what I like to think is the finest recreation organization in the world!

The ORFA was created in 1947 and incorporated in 1951 as a provincially recognized, not-for-profit, volunteer-driven recreation organization. Today, the ORFA has over 7,500 card-bearing members who operate and manage recreation facilities in municipalities, educational institutions, government agencies, First Nations communities and in the private recreation sector. Members also include businesses and industries that support the recreation sector. As a member-based organization, the ORFA is dedicated to providing leadership in training and development, and in products and services for the benefit of the recreation facility profession.

I encourage you to join us in the 75th anniversary celebration that will be ongoing throughout 2022 and can be viewed in more detail from our orfa75.com web site, in our Facility Forum magazine and via various communications throughout the year that will draw attention to the rich history of our organization and the 75th anniversary milestone.  

I personally wish each and every one a year of celebration befitting the evolution of the ORFA.

Warmest regards,

Mark Reinert, CRFP, CIT, CPT
Chair of the 75th Anniversary Committee
ORFA President-Elect and Director-at-Large