There's a sign that graces the walls of many locker rooms, "There is no I in Team."

Jason Boris, who worked as executive director of the Eastern Schuylkill Recreation Commission for 14 years, will leave that post at the end of the week to take a position with the Blue Mountain Recreation Commission. The ESRC board will be seeking candidates for the position.Although as executive director he ran sports programs and recreation in seven municipalities, Boris is quick to point out that he didn't do it alone."I was the full-time director, but ESRC is communities working together," Boris said. "There are so many people who play vital roles in ESRC; it was never just me.""I hope that I can take what I've learned and done here and help Blue Mountain be a great program," he said. "Although I'm excited for the new challenge that lies ahead, I've loved working with ESRC, and the toughest part is leaving good friends and great memories behind."West Penn Township Supervisor's Chairman Jim Akins, who is on the ESRC board, said that Boris has done a great job as director and is "irreplaceable.""I remember how prepared he was when he came to interview for the position, and that's how he handled the job when he got it," Akins said. "Always well-prepared, and he also had the ability to establish partnerships between people and organizations and help maintain that spirit of cooperation that ESRC needs."Boris is leaving behind quite a legacy. ESRC launched in 1997 as a venture of the Tamaqua Community Partnership after a study done by the partnership showed the area had a need for more recreational opportunities. The first member communities were Tamaqua, and West Penn, Schuylkill and Walker Townships.Keith Hoppes was the first ESRC director, and Boris was its summer program director in 1998 and 1999 while he attended Allentown College of St. Francis de Sales (now DeSales University). He graduated in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science in sports management and a minor in business, and he was hired as ESRC director when Hoppes retired. A native of Hometown, he's also a graduate of Tamaqua Area High School.Boris, who had no prior experience in grant writing, began to apply for grants."Grant writing is not an easy thing, but I had the writing background," he said. "Just do it, and you pick it up and learn."By "picking up" the skill of grant writing, ESRC has landed $1,658,110 in recreational funding from 1997-2013 (see sidebar for a breakdown by municipality)."I think that ESRC has definitely been instrumental in increasing the offerings of places for recreation, with more fields and grounds," Boris said. "I'll never forget how much the ESRC has given me and how much the ESRC has given back to the community."Over the years, ESRC has added Rush Township, Coaldale and Middleport. Asked to name his favorite project, Boris names the Mary D Fire Company ball fields."We had secured a grant for $20,000 to rehabilitate the old Mary D baseball field," he said. "Then the Schuylkill Headwaters Association wanted to do a project in the area, but they needed to use that site.""We worked together and were able to secure a different site for the ball fields," he said. "With the cooperation of a lot of great people, we were able to leverage that original $20,000 grant into a $450,000 project. It is a crown jewel."Boris is also a sports writer for the Times News and a PIAA football official. He's coached Catholic Youth Organization girls' volleyball and also helped coach volleyball for Marian High School."For the past 14 years, I have considered the ESRC and the Tamaqua area my home and priority, and I've loved every minute of our journey together," Boris stated in his resignation letter. "I will always be grateful to the places I've gone, the people I've met and the things we've helped to accomplish together."