COLUMBUS, GEORGIA Parks and Recreation Department MEMORANDUM TO: FROM: Mayor Teresa Tomlinson City Manager Isaiah Hugley Deputy City Manager Lisa Goodwin Deputy City Manager David Arrington City Councilors Parks and Recreation Employees Recreation Advisory Council Members James D. Worsley, Director DATE: February 24, 2012 SUBJECT: Friday Letter FOX SENIOR CENTER RECREATION CENTER SERVICES Fox Community Center held a Fat Tuesday Celebration on February 21 st. We served sparkling cider and authentic Kings Cake. Fat Tuesday traditionally concludes Mardi Gras festivities, however, at Fox the fun will go on for yet another week! Daily throws and tickets are continuing to be handed out, and weekly drawings for grand prizes still march on like the good old saints themselves! Remember to join us for our New Orleans style birthday luncheon this month on February 29th. The lunch begins at 12:00 p.m. and all are welcome to attend! Please sign up in advance, and let us know what type of covered dish you are planning on bringing. Cajun/Creole is our food theme for this month. Fox Community Center will be providing Gumbo with Rice for the luncheon. Laissez les Bon Temps Roulez! 1
FRANK CHESTER SENIOR CENTER This week s highlights were our Mardi Gras Tea Party and our Valentine luncheon. Since Mardi Gras and Valentines Day fall in the same month we split the two events up and celebrated them both. Once a month, we have a tea party and enjoy Karaoke and we presented the Mardi Gras theme for this month s party on the 16 th. We provided an array of party foods for the seniors to enjoy while they listened to our faithful volunteer Ernie sing karaoke. The seniors and staff were encouraged to dress in the loud colors of Mardi Gras and the tables were decorated in the colors each set with a placemat and cut out mask to help set the mood of the occasion. Some of the staff members participated by hiding behind mask and wearing beaded necklaces. Beads were available for everyone to wear, but most of the seniors just chose to enjoy listening to the music, dancing to the music, fellowshipping with friends, eating great food, and having a fun time! Our Valentines luncheon was held Friday the 17 th. Fridays are when we have our largest crowds. The dining room, which had been covered with decorations for the occasion, was literally full of our seniors! The tables were covered and decorated with stuffed animals sitting in red pails. Hearts were sprinkled on the tables to add the finishing touch. The seniors were treated to a Chicken & Dressing meal complete with Strawberry Cake for dessert provided by our cook. Each senior was also treated to a valentine s goody bag full of sweet treats. We had announced that door prizes would be given to the top three seniors in the most red. Our seniors really got in the holiday spirit and we ended up awarding five seniors that came dressed in red! Frank Chester seniors really enjoy a good time! During the Bingo game that followed the luncheon, Needlepoint baskets full of sweets, made by our very own director, who teaches the class in her spare time, and were presented to sweeten the game s prize fund. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed the activities scheduled for this week. 2
CULTURAL ARTS Highlighted class this week is our SLR Digital Photography Class. Since it was started in 2009, by Mike Haskey of the Ledger Enquirer, it has been filled to capacity and more. This semester s class is no different. He had 12 students (2 over his max) and a waiting list with interest for the next quarter. So engaging is the class, that students stay talking and asking questions well after the class is finished. Look around you in the weeks to come. Because you might see one of his students taking photos around town. THERAPEUTICS RECREATION On Saturday February 18 th, two of the TR staff traveled to Buford, Georgia to participate in the 2012 Special Olympics Georgia Polar Plunge Fundraiser! The staff dressed up as the two Swan characters from the 2011 film Black Swan. With costume, the team braved it all and plunged into the very chilly waters of Lake Lanier! The plunge is an annual fundraiser for Special Olympics to benefit the 23,650 athletes in the state of Georgia. The team is proud to announce that with the support of friends, family, and fellow City Employees, they reached 74% of their goal for fundraising. Thank you all for your support! 3
On Tuesday February 21 st, TR took an imaginary trip to New Orleans, Louisiana to celebrate Fat Tuesday at Pop Austin. Participants learned a little about the history of Mardi Gras and the City of New Orleans. They created festive masks, passed out and collected beads and even had a small parade through the gymnasium. The group even enjoyed a piece of the traditional King Cake! On Thursday February 23 rd, TR joined the Seniors at South Columbus Senior Center for their Black History Month Program. The group enjoyed learning some African-American history, a guest speaker, and even got to sample some southern cuisine! Special thanks to Ms. Joy Hendrix and all that made the ceremony possible. On Friday February 24 th, TR participants will join the company of other organizations in their end of the month dance at Northside Recreation Center. The dance is open to all Special Needs families to come enjoy an evening of social fun, music, and dancing. The dances usually fall on the last Friday of the month, and are held from 7pm-9pm. All attendees are asked to bring a snack or drinks to share. 4
COMMUNITY SCHOOLS BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM Site Highlight Each week we highlight a different after school site to acknowledge different activities the students are being offered. The site highlight of this week is the Blanchard after school program. Currently Blanchard is one of the second groups of sites to prepare for accreditation through COA. This month this program has been doing various activities that are centered on Black History month. Courtney Mason, the program supervisor, volunteers during the regular school day in the media center. Ms. Mason helped bring this week s activities to life by dressing up as Harriet Tubman during the reading of the book. 5
Instructional Leag PARK OPERATIONS/ATHLETIC SERVICES Columbus Youth Basketball Championship: Saturday, February 18 th marked the last day for Columbus Youth Basketball season with championship games being played at Frank Chester Recreation Center. Big Thanks to all who participated this season. The players all had a great time this season and lessons were learned, friendships acquired and memories made. Instructional League 7-8 Year old Winners Shirley Winston 7-8 Year Old Runner Up Phenix City Longhorns 6
9-10 Year Old Champions Phenix City Longhorns 9-10 Year Old Runner Up 29 th Street 9-13 Year Old Girls Champions Psalmond Road 9-13 Year Old Girls Runner-Up Girls, Inc. 11-12 Year Old Champions Phenix City Longhorns 11-12 Year Old Runner-Up - 29 th Street 7