I do believe it is all of us, and I think winning an award or a prize  started  at a very early age.  There were contests to be entered on the back of cereal boxes, and how about digging deep into a  cracker jack box, to get that  prize.     Then our awards got more difficult;   spelling Bs and essay contests, Eagle Scout and Gold Award Girl Scout,  Athletic accomplishments and Scholarly Awards as we got older.  There is the coveted  Olympic Gold Medal, the Super Bowl ring and the  Oscar, to name just a few.   The  JD Powers Award is  a  most prestigious award given to companies with superior services.    I would have to venture that 80% of all households in America have some type of trophy on a shelf, or a ribbon to be displayed for family and visitors to admire.     Did you ever wonder why you never see a trophy at a garage sale, or of all the things you had to get rid of when you moved, did you relinquish your trophies or did you bring  them with you.    Maybe they are not on a shelf but  in the garage in a box, but I bet many of you still  have them.  I know where my Blue and Gold R , that was sewn on my cheerleading sweater is  and I admit, when I see it, I still  feel the pride of earning that letter.  I want to talk for a moment about a very special accreditation that The Villages has been awarded.  I call it the Gold Medal of Recreational Awards.  The Villages’ Recreation Department has been recognized for having fulfilled and completed the requirements to receive the National Recreation and Parks Accreditation status from the Commission for Accreditation of Parks and Recreations Agencies.  CAPRA. The Villages is now part of an elite group of only 104 recreation agencies out of more than 3000 in our country.  This achievement provides the framework for our department and the profession in establishing the highest standards for the delivery of recreation services.  It is another component for the sustainable and perpetual plan for recreation in our community.  Moving forward the Recreation Department will continue to expand and improve upon the 144 standards they were required to meet and now maintain.  Congratulations to everyone involved in making our community one of the best.