Cabarrus Parks Director Awarded for Meritorious Service

December 8, 2009 – The woman largely responsible for bringing Cabarrus County residents back to nature while also encouraging active lifestyles recently received a state honor for her commitment to parks and recreation. Londa Strong, director of Cabarrus County Parks department, received the Meritorious Service Award from the North Carolina Recreation and Parks Association. The award honors long–term tenure of faithful and accomplished service to the field of recreation and parks in a local setting. She was commended for her consistent support and advancement of the profession through proven dedication and leadership.

During the past 27 years, Strong has provided leadership to Cabarrus County’s recreational programming, parks design, parks construction, and contract administration. She joined the Cabarrus County Parks Department in 1981 as assistant athletic director and was promoted to athletic director in 1982. Strong was named director of the Cabarrus County Parks department in 2007.

As Cabarrus County Parks director, Strong has added nature education programming that welcomes children and adults into the outdoors while offering hands–on learning about our natural environment. She also has made many contributions to recreational sports in Cabarrus County. Strong is the chairperson for the Cabarrus Sports Council, an active sub–committee of the Cabarrus County Convention and Tourism Board. She also has been very involved over the years serving on various committees of both the National Recreation and Parks Association and the North Carolina Recreation and Parks Association, where she currently is the membership committee chairperson.

In the community, Strong serves in a professional capacity or as a volunteer with numerous organizations focused on wellness and quality of life. Strong holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in recreation and park administration from Eastern Kentucky University.