Burlington Community Leader: Emma Jones, Therapeutic Rec Specialist

BURLINGTON, MA — Without community leaders, Burlington wouldn’t hum along nearly as smoothly as it does. We’d miss their contributions in big and small ways.

Patch has partnered with T-Mobile to recognize these often unsung community leaders and celebrate their contributions.

This submission comes from Kelly Lehman, a Burlington reader who nominated Emma Jones.

How do you know this community leader?

Direct Supervisor

What does this community leader do?

Therapeutic Recreation Specialist

Why do you believe the community leader should be recognized or honored?

As a recreation professional in the Northeast, it is very rare to find a community recreation department with a Therapeutic Recreation division. However, when you look into the Burlington (MA) Parks & Recreation Department, you will find a well-established Therapeutic Recreation Division administered by Emma Jones, CTRS. Emma leads the TR division by developing mutual respect with family members, participants and her colleagues. Most especially, Emma strives to build specialized programming that provides meaningful recreation opportunities to members of Burlington and surrounding communities with diverse abilities. She has expanded specialized programming for participants of all ages by increasing program offerings for those under 13 by 93%.

Post pandemic, like most communities, Burlington has seen a rise in their inclusion requests. Once the in-take assessment is complete, Emma works with their instructors and staff to ensure that the participants have the tools to ensure they are successful in their program. She is responsible for the oversight of 25 staff members as well as numerous direct support professionals, meeting with each of them to provide specific goal information for each participant. One parent noted, "Emma knows and understands my child well. She was so supportive in helping set up a successful summer for my son. Without the therapeutic recreation support my son would not have been able to attend camp. The program allowed him access to his peers in the community. I am so thankful!"

What's one thing you want everyone to know about the community hero?

In addition to her dedicated work in both specialized and inclusive programming, Emma is helping to spread the word about Therapeutic Recreation throughout New England. Most recently, she was recognized by the National Recreation and Park Association as a top 30 under 30 professional. In addition to this esteemed honor, she was named one of New England’s first Inclusive Recreation Specialists by the National Inclusion Project. This past March, she presented at the Massachusetts Parks & Recreation Conference about how to establish a therapeutic recreation division in a community recreation setting. Through these efforts, Emma continues to change the landscape of community recreation in Massachusetts and throughout New England.

This content is brought to our community in partnership with T-Mobile.

Know a community leader who deserves a shout-out?

Nominate them here.