Summer days are not "lazy days" for everybody. ... Active individuals looking for something different to do with the change of seasons can look to the Parks and Recreation Department for a variety of places to volunteer.
Summer days are not "lazy days" for everybody. ... Active individuals looking for something different to do with the change of seasons can look to the Parks and Recreation Department for a variety of places to volunteer.
Let us start with the popular Summer Youth Programs at our neighborhood community recreation centers.
Under the direction of the city staff at your site of choice, you can help plan activities, teach crafts, provide entertainment (games, music, singing), decorate the center, or help provide regular general assistance to the weekday programs.
Programming for the very young, Toddler Time, is available on select days at both Piedmont and Woodland Community Recreation Centers, with specialized activities for preschoolers. If you have a heart for our youngest of citizens, consider helping out sometime. Call 730-4300 for the location of a volunteer site near you.
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On the other end of the spectrum is the programming offered to senior citizens.
The Senior Dining Program at our nine meal sites would be impossible to host without volunteer help. Whether you are administrative, social, or creative in the kitchen, you can participate by staffing the reservation desk, greeting
customers, counting donations, doing reports, or assisting the dining coordinator in preparing and serving delicious meals to grateful seniors. For those unable to drive to a dining site to eat, Meals on Wheels are available to qualified individuals, and volunteer drivers are always needed. The rewards of delivering a meal while providing a visit to a senior in their home or apartment goes straight to the heart when one realizes how much this service is needed for those unable to get out on their own.
Senior Recreation Programs need able helpers, as well, whether during weekday activities at select sites, or larger, city-wide special events. Help the staff plan and implement senior activities at one of the neighborhood community recreation centers offering programming for those age 55 and above, or join the Senior Programs Advisory Board for involvement on a city-wide level. For more information on these opportunities, call 730-4310.
So you would like to spend more time outdoors this summer instead?
Check into the "Adopt A Park" program, where community organizations can commit to a three-year period to pick up litter at their "adopted" park at least three times a year.
Under staff supervision, organizations can also assist in special projects like planting trees or flowers, contributing toward park benches, picnic tables, or other park improvements, and assisting with small maintenance projects.
Or consider the "Adopt A Trail" program, where your group can help the city with maintaining the 12 recreational trails. For more information, call 730-4312.
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Danny Thomas once said, "Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It's what you do for others." And, if you think volunteering is no big deal, remember that Noah's Ark was built by volunteers, the Titanic by professionals.
So, you see, ... we need you and welcome you to come alongside us in accomplishing our goals. Call the Parks and Recreation Department at 730-4300 and let's get started!
Carl Seehus is the Director of the Parks and Recreation Department and can be reached at 730-4300. His column appears monthly in the Budgeteer.
