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MCPRD Friday Letter
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In The News: Park and Recreation All-Staff Picnic
We’ll see you Wednesday,
September 26th and the All‐
Staff Meeting and Picnic
Hornets Nest Park
Shelter/Pavilion 1
11am
Don’t forget to visit the
Dunking Booth!
Human Resources will also
be on site with important
Open Enrollment/benefit
information to share.
Please arrive timely.
Parks and Volunteers — National Day of Service, September 11, 2012
The tragic day known to the world as 9/11 is no easier to
comprehend today than it was the day after the event.
September 11th is the Day that Changed the World. Today
it ranks among America’s days of high commemorative
volunteerism, charitable service and good deeds. The 2009
Serve America Act officially designated September 11th as
the National Day of Service. All over the Nation Americans
have dedicated themselves to giving back to their Commu‐
nities and helping others.
At Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation we know about dedicated Volunteers; we had
over 20,000 occurrences when volunteers supported the Department and their Community
this past year. Volunteers helped us maintain parks, coach Youth Sport Teams, answer phones
at our Recreation Centers, assist at one of our many Special Events and work in our Accounts
Payable Department.
THANK YOU to all of our Wonderful Volunteers who
Change the World every Day of the Year by helping us make our
Community a Safer more Enjoyable place to live and play.
this issue Park News P.1
Nature Preserves & Natural Resources P.2
Enterprise Services, Park Ops and TR P.4
Community & Recreation Center Services P6
I S S U E
S e p t e m b e r 1 4 - 2 1 2 0 1 2
53 WEEKLY
NEWSLETTER OF THE
PARK AND RECREATION
DEPARTMENT FridayFridayLetterLetter THE
Volunteer Ops The weather this week had some great days to work out‐side. Robert Laumann and his group worked at McMullen Creek Greenway beautifying the parking lot. West Charlotte High School volunteered and Volunteer Services benefitted from vol‐unteers at Reedy Creek!
Thank‐you so much every‐
one. By your enthusiasm and
comments, you enjoyed vol‐
unteering with us. We hope
to see you again soon!
Check out their great work
below.
Mountain Island Lake Marine Commission Partnership BBQ Latta Plantation Nature Preserve hosted a gathering of the Mountain Island Lake Marine Com‐mission and its partner organizations. Representatives from the commission, Charlotte Mecklen‐burg Police Department and Park and Recreation shared food and discussed issues affecting Mountain Island Lake.
Volunteer Services News Early Fall volunteer projects are getting under way in our parks! We had a group from Bank of America at Methodist Home Recreation Center. They are pictured below during their clearing project. One could almost hear them “whistling while they worked”. A second group organized by Frank Spittle with Bank of America worked at Ramsey Park. Thanks so much everyone.
Adult Weekday Programs Are Off to a Great Start! The fall season is here, and popular day‐time classes for adults with disabilities began this week. We’ve had a good turnout for Crea‐tive Arts, Gifted Gardeners and Dance & Fitness! Creative Arts will include painting tech‐niques, pottery, mosaic, collage and more; Gifted Gardeners will learn all about planting and maintaining a fall garden, and what the changing seasons bring; and Dance & Fitness will in‐clude sport skills, active games, movements to music and dance instruction. All of these classes will continue through October. For more information, contact Karen Howard or Shannon Maxwell with the Therapeutic Recreation Section 704‐432‐0237. Spill Your Beans: Spill Your Beans is a support group for young women with disabilities ages 16 and up. The group met Monday, September 17th and discussed the importance of setting goals and how to develop personal goals. The next Spill Your Beans is October 15th. If you would like more information, are interested in being a guest speaker, or would like to reg‐ister for the program please contact [email protected].
It’s All About INVOLVEMENT.
The Therapeutic Recreation
vision is ...
To provide therapeutic recrea‐
tion services for individuals
who have disabilities that fo‐
cus on abilities, rather than
disabilities and encourage
people to attain their highest
level of independent leisure
functioning by increasing lei‐
sure skills, improving social
and communication skills,
increasing independent living
skills and increasing their
awareness of and involvement
in community recreational
activities; to advocate for and
ensure inclusive opportunities
in all program services; to act
as advocates for individuals
with disabilities by promoting
accessibility at all Department
parks, facilities, programs,
special events and classes.
Don’t Forget to… MAKE CHILDREN SMILE.
Go the extra mile, with a smile!
Therapeutic Recreation
Therapeutic Recreation Adult Weekday Participants— Creative Arts and Gifted Gardeners
Adult Athletics News
On September 13th the adult athletics section started the Fall Men’s B Basketball League at the Grady Cole Center. Regular season basketball play continues in the Men’s 40+ and Women’s League. On Sunday, September 16th the Men’s 30+ basketball league will conclude with the last round of playoff games. The championship game will be played at 5:00pm at the Better Rae Thomas Center. Weekly volleyball leagues are currently being played at the Tom Sykes, Wallace Pruitt, and West Charlotte Recreation Centers. September 28th will start the Co‐Rec AA League which is the most competitive volleyball league at the Better Rae Thomas Center. In addition to the volleyball, flag football and basketball leagues, fall softball games are being played at Renaissance Park and Nevin Park each Monday through Thursday. On September 29th a 7v7 and 11v11 Men’s Soccer League will start play at Elon Park. Memorial Stadium hosted another High School matchup on Friday September 14th. The But‐ler bulldogs who are ranked #15 in the country by USA today took on Myers Park. Myers Park took an early lead but could not bounce back losing to Butler 49‐6. The game drew close to 2000 fans. The next game is scheduled to be Friday September 28th which will place Ardrey Kell vs. Myers Park. The game will kick off at 7pm.
Scenes from CMS Fri‐day Night Lights:
Park Operations — Horticulture News TreesCharlotte is a recently established collaborative dedicated to increasing our tree can‐opy, thereby reducing our heat index and storm runoff and, in general, helping Charlotte become a cooler place to live! Park and Recreation will be a major partner in this venture, along with the City of Charlotte and others. This planting on park property adjacent to the Stewart Creek Greenway is one early example. Through the leadership of Dave Cable (TreesCharlotte) and the sponsorship of CSX, volun‐teers from the nearby Boys & Girls Club planted 13 ‘Nuttall’ Oaks on Saturday morning, Sep‐tember 15th. These trees will one day be majestic additions to this stretch of park land. Want to join in on future projects? Contact Tim Turton. [email protected].
Trees Charlotte VolunteersTrees Charlotte Volunteers
Therapeutic Recreation Therapeutic Recreation
Spirit Squad News: Spirit Squad News: The TR Spirit Squad is a cheerleading group for individuals 8‐25 with dis‐abilities that is partnered with Pop Warner and the Carolina Panthers. On Saturday, September8th the squad started their season cheering for the Challenger Flag Football league. Games are held at the Marion Diehl Adaptive Field. The squad provides an opportunity for youth, teens, and young adults to participate in cheerleading and be a
IN THE NEWS Stay Safe, Stay In‐formed: Domestic Vio‐lence Awareness Day at Southview Recrea‐tion Center Set for Sept 19, 2012
Park and Recreation in partnership with To Serve with Love Ministries and the Domestic Violence Advocacy Council will host Domestic Violence Aware‐ness Day at Southview Recreation Center, 1720 Vilma Street, on Wednes‐day, Sept. 19 at 6 p.m. The free event serves to empower and educate people about the effec‐tive tools and necessary contact information when involved in or aware of a domestic violence situa‐tion. Residents are invited to hear testimonials from guest speakers and par‐ticipate in a mini self‐defense class.
Recreational News from Mecklenburg Communities Tom Sykes held their first Fort Building Friday on September 14th. Twenty kids used their engi‐neering and teamwork skills as they made blueprints of the forts that they would soon con‐struct with a variety of building materials. All three programs for the quarter are currently full, but interested parents can register beginning on November 1st for the Winter Season. For more information on Tom Sykes programs, please contact TomSykesRecreationCen‐[email protected] or 704.432.4803.
Tom Sykes Recreation Center For more information about programs at Tom Sykes Recreation Center, contact TomSykesRec‐[email protected] or 704.432.4803
Arbor Glen Nature Club On Tuesday, October 18, 2012, Arbor Glen Outreach Center partnered with Anthony Shaheen from McDowell Nature Center to offer a NEW nature program to youth ages 6‐12. Youth learned about the environment, animals, insects, and participated in activities that correlated to the lesson of the week.
Arbor Glen Recreation Center For more information on programs and events at Arbor Glen Recreation Center, please email [email protected] or call 704.432.1531.
Methodist Home ~ Art & CarnivalArt & Carnival Methodist Home Recrea‐tion Center – Art & Carnival On Monday, September 17, Methodist Home Rec‐reation Center held a kick off for classes: Art by De‐sign. Twenty participants partici‐pated in creating “cool” arts and crafts. It’s great to see how art brings out the “kid” in all of us.
On Friday, September 14,
Methodist Home Recrea‐
tion Center participated in
Shamrock Gardens Elemen‐
tary School’s Carnival. The
kids had fun bobbing for
apples from trees, dunking
their principal in the dunk
booth, making crafts with
Methodist Home’s staff
and having their hair
sprayed with colorful paint.
Scenes from events: Methodist Home Rec‐reation Center Youth and Shamrock Gar‐dens School Carnival
Game Time! at Naomi Drenan: On Friday, Septem‐ber 14th, seniors gathered at Naomi Drenan Recreation Center to participate in a “Senior Bingo Extrava‐ganza”! The competiveness of the seniors was evident as they eagerly sought prizes to take home as trophies! Refreshments were served while they played; they also danced and enjoyed a small lunch.
Naomi Drenan Recreation Center For more information about this or other programs at Naomi Drenan, contact NaomiDrenanRecreationCen‐[email protected] or call 704.432.5231.
Albemarle Road Recreation Center’s ARTS FOR TOTS: On September 14th, Albemarle Road
Recreation Center had several bright and excited participants that engaged in a morning of painting and learning numbers. The children painted color‐ful fish to brighten the room as well as enhancing their motor skills by catching balls. The morning was full of excitement, the children had a blast. The “Arts for Tots” is tailored for 3‐5 year olds, no skills needed and meets each Friday, 10:00‐11:00am, fee is $2.00 per child.
Albemarle Road Recreation Center For more information about this program or other activities at Albemarle Road Recreation Cen‐ter, please contact [email protected] or call 704.567.1941.
Bette Rae Thomas Recreation offers Jump Rope X‐treme
Participants get it jumping with Jump X‐treme!!!! Jump X‐treme offers participants the op‐portunity to get fit, learn double dutch & jump rope techniques while having fun. Classes are beginning now!!! Scholarships are available. For more information con‐tact BetteRaeThomasRec‐[email protected] or 705.432.3048.
Fun Facts: The number of calories burned jumping rope amazes everyone, who is trying to become fit with this readily handy item (a jump rope). On average, it burns about 12 calories per minute, but in‐creasing the intensity of the performed jumps, you can increase the calories up to 20 per one minute.
Recreational News from Mecklenburg Communities
Recreate All Year!
Recreational News from Mecklenburg Communities Marion Diehl 4‐H Homeschool/ P.E. The school year is upon us and on Friday September 7th, the 4‐H/Homeschool P.E began with a huge bang!! 15 students ages 6‐15 took part in their first class and learned expectations of a 4‐H club member, which include: The importance of community involvement through volun‐teerism, learning how to vote for club officials, and the significance of good decision mak‐ing . The kids participated fun lead‐up games that introduced them to the sport of Badminton. For more information please contact [email protected] or call 704.432.4335.
Did You Know ~ Homeschool PEHomeschool PE A solid homeschool physical education program should focus on helping children de‐velop strong muscles, cardio‐vascular endurance and flexi‐bility. Most experts recommend at least 1 to 3 hours of moder‐ate to vigorous activity per day for school age children. This activity can be com‐pleted in one or two large chunks or broken up into small increments throughout the day. Using your local recreation center to help you design , carryout and create physical activity can be an inexpensive ways to homeschool P.E. No matter what type of ex‐periences we had when we were in school, we can make P.E. an enjoyable part of our children's education. Homeschool physical educa‐tion encourages children to live active lifestyles, and helps them build healthy hab‐its that they will carry with them into adulthood. Physical activity is also a great way to help children burn off their seemingly endless sup‐ply of energy. This is espe‐cially important for kines‐thetic learners who need to move in order to learn.
Getting Started: Homeschool PE
When adding P.E. to your home school program, start small and slowly build up to your full routine. Create a lifestyle of fitness by replacing 30 minutes of sedentary activity with a walk or bike ride. Do a few sit ups, pushups or jumping jacks in between academic subjects. In‐stead of lounging around after dinner, go out in the back yard and play catch or a game of tag. Begin with activities that are suited to your child's strengths, then gradually add variety to your routine and increase the level of difficulty. Help your children set goals for distance, en‐durance or skill development that are slightly challenging, but not overwhelming. Reward your children for reaching those goals. When homeschooling P.E., don't be a bystander. Get on your feet and lead by example with an attitude of enthusiasm. Put away your whistle, and create a supportive, encouraging at‐mosphere. Make physical education a subject that every member of your family enjoys.
Youth Sports – 2012 Soccer and Flag Football Season Kickoff: The 2012 youth soccer and flag
football seasons kicked off last Saturday at several parks throughout Mecklenburg County. Par‐
ticipants ages 4 to 12 from 28 flag football teams and 40 soccer teams completed week one of
the regular season league play with sunny skies and lots of smiles. This Saturday marks week two
of an eight week season and the players are ready for action. For more information email Youth‐
[email protected] or call Revolution Park Sports Academy at (704) 432‐
4963.
Revolution Park Sports Academy
Revolution Park Sports Academy is Located at 1225 Remount Road for more information about this program or the Revolution
Park Sports Academy come by and visit or call (704) 432‐4963.
Youth Sports – 17th Annual Ray Bowl: Mecklenburg County Park and Recrea‐tion Department in partnership with the Carolina Panthers and Pop Warner
Football, will host the 17th Annual RAY Bowl at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, September 15th. Four (4) Pop Warner Jr. Pee Wee football teams (9‐10 year olds)
will square off for the right to play in the Sir Purr Bowl at Bank of America Stadium, which will be held at halftime of the Carolina Panthers vs. Dallas Cowboys, which will be on October 21st. The 1st game begins at 11:00am and the 2nd game begins at 2:00pm. Free admission! For more information, contact the Revolution Park Sports Academy at 704‐432‐4963.
Don’t Miss!
17th Annual Ray Bowl~ Did You Know The History of Pop The History of Pop Warner FootballWarner Football Pop Warner football has been around since the inception of the league in 1929 by founder Joseph J. Tomlin as a four‐team conference in Northeast Philadelphia. Since then, participation has steadily increased to today's record numbers. Over 250,000 youths participated in Pop Warner‐sanctioned football programs in 2010, and those numbers are con‐tinuing to grow. Pop Warner exists to use football, cheerleading, dance and a respect for education to develop strong, smart, re‐sponsible, healthy young men and women. We give them experiences that build their appreciation for and under‐standing of leadership, team‐work, and discipline. While individual statistics may be more common, par‐ticularly among older football players, Pop Warner only recognizes the athletic ac‐complishments of the team, not the individual. We ap‐plaud the athletic efforts of the team to reinforce the im‐portance of teamwork, with each member.
Volunteer Pictures— Story on Front Page Local Volunteers Team Up With Park and Recreation
Submissions for the Newsletter
Please submit all news for the
Friday Letter to your Division
Director for review and routing.
Park Partners may contact
Kesha Meads at
for publication assistance.
The Friday Letter Issue 53 September 14-21, 2012
Mecklenburg County
Park and Recreation
Senior Leadership Team
Jim Garges, Director
Michael Kirschman, Deputy Director
James Alsop, Enterprise Services
Renea Barber, Human Resources
Mario Chang, Budget Administration
Lee Jones, Capital Planning
Lola Massad, Community Services and
Recreation Centers
Jeff Robinson, Park Operations
5841 Brookshire Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 336-8840 Volunteers help move
and place mulch. Learn more about Volunteer Ops and Park Events at: www.parkandrec.com
Since 1964, Festival in the Park has been bringing good music, good art and good times to Charlotteans and visitors from around the world. The sounds of "big band music" drift across Freedom Park's lake whose still surface reflects the lights strung from Camelot exhibit tents. See you at Freedom Park this weekend!