COLUMBUS, GEORGIA Parks and Recreation Department MEMORANDUM TO:

Mayor Teresa Tomlinson City Councilors City Manager Isaiah Hugley Deputy City Manager Lisa Goodwin Deputy City Manager David Arrington Parks and Recreation Employees Recreation Advisory Council Members

FROM:

James D. Worsley, Director

DATE:

August 24, 2012

SUBJECT: Friday Newsletter

ADMINISTRATION A new Awning has been installed at the Lake Oliver Marina.

This new amenity will add value to the overall experience that visitors will have while recreating at the Marina.

RECREATION CENTER SERVICES EDGEWOOD SENIOR CENTER Edgewood Senior Center Bingo Bonus

Recently our Thursday busy bingo was challenged when the bingo caller had an unexpected emergency and the backup caller started a new job. One of our members, Linda Berklite stood up to the plate without hesitation. Knowing that we still service people who care and will gladly go above and beyond the expected is an incentive that keeps Edgewood being a good place to be. We were very glad to see our two newest members; Mrs. Zobida and Mrs. Kathy come and enjoy the game also. Thank you Mrs. Berklite for being a bonus for Edgewood!

GALLOPS SENIOR CENTER The Friday Night Dancers enjoyed a 1950’s style dance with the Fonz and Ladies with their poodle skirts and bobbie socks on. Every Friday Night there is a dance at Gallops that starts at 7pm.

Join the Monday Menders they make bed pads for those that are in the nursing homes. They are always looking for new members to help out with production.

Everyday you can use our Exercise Room, Billiard Room, Computer Room, Ceramic Room, Library and Wii game. Please come and take advantage of what we have to offer.

FOX COMMUNITY CENTER Fox Community Center is gearing up for our last “Refill” Bingo Party on Thursday, August 23rd. Time is from 1:00 until 3:00 p.m. There is no cost to play, however we do require a reservation. Don’t forget to bring your cup to be filled and refilled with lemonade or iced tea! Prizes will be awarded on August 30th, so remember to make a reservation to join us for the celebration!

Linus Project continues each Monday from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. RSVP would like to challenge our volunteers once again! This year, we would like to reach a goal of 150 completed baby blankets for the Ronald McDonald House and the Columbus Regional Neo Intensive Care Unit. With the love and dedication of our volunteers and through the diligence of their tender loving hands, we are confident in achieving this goal! Join us in making this possible!

Wednesday, August 29th will be our monthly birthday luncheon. Serenity Hospice (who sponsored our recent Wellness Walk) will be our guest speaker for this month. Fox Community Center will provide turkey franks and potato chips for our “The Heat is Off at Fox” theme. Don’t forget to make a reservation and bring a covered dish to share. Birthday cake will be donated by Terri Baker from Regional HomeCare.

School supply collection for Fox Elementary School continues throughout the month of August. Response has been tremendous, and we appreciate your generosity and support for this worthy cause!

FRANK CHESTER SENIOR CENTER This week we wanted to highlight some of our very talented ladies that sit in the back and do crafts. Ms. Roxie Brown was spotted working on early Christmas gifts. Ms. Roxie is making britches out of dishcloths that can really be used to do dishes. You take 2 dishcloths and ribbon and thread to make a pair of britches that are hung on a hanger. They can be done in a variety of colors and cost practically nothing to make. Roxie has promised to give us a class soon. Ms. Roxie has also been crocheting Red & Purple headbands for our Red Hatter’s. These headbands our really nice looking and are great for our more casual outings. Hats off to this very crafty lady!

We have recruited another Needle Pointer for our group. Vivian Stewart recently joined our group and is ready to make her second project. Vivian has chosen to make a clutch purse. While a little difficult for a beginner, Vivian is up to the challenges it will bring. Our Needle pointers meet in the back every Mon. Wed. and Fri. after exercise. Feel free to join us; we have a start up kit here at the center for anyone wishing to try this fun and easy craft. We’d love to share patterns and helpful ideas with others.

PSALMOND ROAD RECREATION CENTER The patrons here at Psalmond Road Recreation Center are taking full advantage of the WI-FI access, and this is especially helpful to students after school.

EMPTY BOWL ARTS & CRAFTS ACTIVITY!! We are elated to invite you to our Empty Bowl Arts & Crafts Activity! This activity will allow you to express your inner artistic skills! DATE: August 30, 2012 TIME: 4pm-7pm PLACE: Psalmond Road Recreation Center 6550 Psalmond Rd Midland, GA 31820 We would love for you to come out and participate with us! If you plan to attend, please RSVP via phone at (706) 565-6060 or email Gary Freeman at [email protected].

FRANK CHESTER RECREATION In support of the 2013 EMPTY BOWL the recreation center staffs are each painting 36 bowls. At Chester, our elementary and middle school students are excited to participate! We have established the "team" concept by school and a judging will take place once the bowls are completed. All participants will be treated to pizza and the winner will also receive free movie passes. Additionally, our plan is to encourage the students and their parents to attend Empty Bowl 2013

NORTHSIDE RECREATION CENTER Northside high school students enjoying arts and crafts after school.

The first back to school fashion show was a hit. The Unique Models took Northside by storm on Tuesday. It was an evening of high heels and struts for the girls, muscules and cologne for the guys. The G-Sliders from Shirley Winston Recreation Center performed for the audience during the intermission.

THERAPEUTIC RECREATION On Friday August 17th, the TR staff traveled to Morrow, Georgia to train and bring back the new TR vehicle. This van will give Therapeutics more room to carry participants in wheel chairs. We met a certified Mobility Consultant from Mobility Works named Scott Coots. He instructed the staff on proper usage and maintenance of the vehicle and used himself as a training tool as the staff learned to securely strap in a participant in a wheel chair. The van is brand new, but is similar to our older van so the staff caught on quick to the upgraded features. Later that evening our social club and support group met at Pop Austin. The social club learned about photography and practiced using nature as their subject. Parents and Caregivers discussed setting goals for participants and other issues with our volunteer Marcia Austin.

On Monday August 20th, TR’s life skills lesson covered the importance of knowing the value of money. We discussed money by using cut outs of each denomination. Each participant identified the different coins and bills that we use daily. We also did scenarios that had some participants going to the store, movies, etc. This allowed them to understand how to pay for items as well as how to figure out how much their change. After lunch we gathered in the game room and listened to each participant read several books we have related to gardening. Later Monday night we enjoyed a cook out before our quarterly Parent and Caregiver meeting.

CULTURAL ARTS Summer seems to leaving and Fall is right around the corner. Cultural Arts’ classes are finishing in August, and starting registration for our next session.

This week the adult wheel throwing at Northside, Psalmond Road, and Britt David are coming to an end. Several of the participants are planning to join as independent pottery members at Britt David.

Kathy Frost, our pottery instructor at Northside Pottery Studio, will be leaving Cultural Arts at the end of the month. She will be greatly missed, and we are losing a very talented teacher.

For more information about this program or any of the art classes or programs contact Lisa Castile at (706)653-4196, [email protected], or stop by Britt David Studio, Psalmond Road Pottery Studio, or Northside Pottery Studio.

29TH STREET GYM Water Coloring Painting

This week the participants at 29th Street Gym (North Columbus Recreation Center) participated in Water Coloring Painting. We chose to have the children participate in this activity because painting itself stimulates both sides of the brain. Studies shows that 33% of kids are visual learners, and those kids who paints, read better and get better grades in science and mathematics.. The kids learn by using their senses and painting is ideal in this process. Today we also invited the parents to participate so that the kids can share and reflect on the ability to express themselves by thinking creatively and promoting self esteem in the simple art of painting. “Painting nourishes the human soul. One feels good doing it”.

ATHLETICS DIVISION

2012 Adult Fall Softball League: We have kicked off the 2012 Adult League Softball Fall Season. All games are played on Tuesday and Thursday nights at South Commons Softball Complex. Feel free to come out and watch games starting at 7:00pm. 2012 Adult Coed Volleyball League: This league is scheduled to start on Tuesday, September 4th. Games will be played on Tuesday and Thursday nights starting at 7:00pm at Psalmond Road Recreation Center or Northside Recreation Center. Schedules for this league will be available soon. Columbus Storm Back to School Softball Tournament: The Columbus Storm Travel Softball Organization will be hosting a back to school softball tournament this Saturday, August 25th at the Northside Softball Complex. The age groups participating in this tournament are 10U and 12U. 2 Tuff Adult Softball Tournament: 2 Tuff Women’s Softball Team is hosting an adult softball tournament at Benning Park Softball Complex on August 25th. There will be local teams as well as teams traveling into Columbus to compete in this tournament.

COMMUNITY SCHOOLS This week our site highlight of the week is our program at Dimon. The staff and children at Dimon are packing each day with all types of fun activities to help promote growth in every child. The children engage in activities that range from the media lab to creating a hand painted banners that shows their school spirit and many more. Dimon is also one the second trio groups of schools to prepare to go through accreditation this upcoming November. We have the upmost confidence in them and their achievement of reaching the goal of accreditation!