By By Dylan Thompson,Stephanie Zollshan — The Berkshire Eagle,The Berkshire Eagle

Copyright berkshireeagle

DALTON — The camaraderie with staff members at the Community Recreation Association made it easy for Alison Peters to go to work every day. It’s also going to be the hardest thing to say goodbye to.

“You’re working with people that you really enjoy [being with], you have fun and it’s rewarding,” Peters said on Wednesday morning at the CRA. “You know the impact that you’re having on your community … It makes it hard to retire.”

After 16 years, Peters, executive director of the CRA, will retire at the end of 2025. The CRA announced the news in a press release on Sept. 23.

“It’s exciting and at the same time it’s bittersweet because I’ve worked here for 16 years and it means a lot to me,” Peters said.

The CRA Board of Trustees has established a search committee that will conduct an internal and external search for Peters’ successor. It will be looking for strong leadership, collaboration skills, fundraising and development experience and the ability to shape a clear vision for the future.

The CRA hopes to name a new executive director by the end of December. Peters will continue in a consulting role to help with the transition.

“I want to see them succeed,” Peters said. “I know we’ll find a good candidate … I am looking forward to being able to share my knowledge, introduce them to the community, and introduce them to the staff and make sure that they [all] feel comfortable before I leave.”

The CRA, established in 1923, is a nonprofit charitable organization. Located at 400 Main St., the organization offers residents a place to exercise, meet new friends and provides the community with much-needed child care and after-school care.

Peters expects the CRA to evolve and wants to see the staff continue to work hard to provide quality programs to the community.

Peters received numerous calls from people when the news broke of her retirement and appreciated the feedback from residents. She said it was “heartwarming” and that she didn’t expect it.

“It made me feel good about all the accomplishments we’ve done together,” she said. “I think it is also kind of indicative of how the community is so engaged with the CRA.”

Peters started as a volunteer before joining the Board of Trustees. She became the interim executive director in November 2009 before taking over on a full-time basis.

With Peters at the helm, the CRA expanded its before- and after-school programs, growing from serving 20 to roughly 100 kids across all the elementary schools in the Central Berkshire Regional School District. Fifteen years ago, there was just a program at Craneville Elementary School, and then over time, there became more of a need, she said.

From a financial standpoint, the CRA has come a “long way in 16 years,” Peters said, adding that it was tough at first, but through hard work, they started diversifying to expand. They now receive 25 to 30 grants each year.

“Some of them are small, some of them are larger, but if you lose one, it’s not the end of the world,” she said. “We diversified there and it’s much more self-sustaining.”

Peters said they also increased fundraising during her tenure, which included launching the FAN Club, a letter campaign. The CRA had never sent letters to the community asking for donations, Peters said, adding that it’s one of their biggest fundraisers now.

Building relationships with local organizations and businesses has been important, Peters added. Collaborations include the Central Berkshire Regional School District, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation and Berkshire United Way.

“We’re more than 100 years old and that’s been the key to our success,” Peters said. “I still can’t believe how much the community gives to us.”

Peters is also proud of the recreation programs for youth and adults, and how, for the youth, it teaches them about “being a good team player.” Every year, 1,500 kids play sports through CRA-sponsored programs, she said.

And it’s not just kids helped by the CRA, she pointed out. Adult recreation is an opportunity to provide senior citizens with a place to socialize, Peters said, highlighting a retired teacher who was looking for a new community activity and started taking a yoga class.

Peters said the woman loves the class and tells her how the CRA has become her community now and how much it means to her.

“They meet [people] and they make friends and it goes on outside the door as well,” Peters said.

Peters is most proud of the staff and how much they have grown.

“It’s a diverse group of people,” she said, adding that they are passionate, team players, and believe in what the CRA is doing.

“We’re open seven days a week and we only close six days out of the year,” she said. “There’s a lot of sacrifice that the staff makes.”

Peters, who will turn 65 this month, is looking forward to relaxing. She has ideas for things the CRA can do, which makes it hard to leave the position.

“At some point, you realize there’s always going to be things that you want to do,” she said. “At some point, you have to say this is the right time. That’s the way it felt for me.”

She plans on spending more time with family and friends and is looking to do some traveling with her husband.

“A number of my friends have retired, and they’ve been hounding me for a couple years,” she joked. “[They’re saying] ‘We’re going hiking today and we’re kayaking.’ I want to be able to enjoy those things.”

Peters will be taking a “little breather,” but plans to stay involved with the community.

“I definitely want to continue giving back to the community,” she said. “I want to find ways that I can volunteer.”