2 minute read
Meet Booster the Rooster
By: Danielle Moore, Marketing Specialist, City of Wheat Ridge Parks & Recreation
In February 2021, the Wheat Ridge Parks & Recreation team debuted an official mascot: Booster the Rooster! Booster was inspired by a strong desire to boost morale, both for team members and the community. You might be wondering, “why a rooster?!” Wheat Ridge has a strong agricultural history and is home to the Farmers (Wheat Ridge High School’s official mascott). Even the Wheat Ridge Recreation Center was designed to resemble the historical red barn that remains on site featuring a chanticleer (rooster) perched on top. The Booster Club, comprised of six team members, is the driving force behind the morale-boosting. Booster Club members meet monthly to ideate ways to provide little pick-me-ups for team members. These pick-me-ups include team member highlights, Booster visits, monthly events or “boosts” including treats delivered to facilities, virtual (and hopefully soon in-person) socials and more! All team members, including variable employees are invited to take part in Booster Club’s events. Booster Club was formed just before the pandemic hit, with the first Booster Club
event being “Let’s Play Games” in January of 2020. The team set up pickleball, cornhole, spike ball and GaGa ball for all team members to take a break and play together. Booster didn’t get to make his first appearance until January 2021 during the month-long ‘Park It!’ campaign. People were so excited to meet Booster at the Greenbelt and Anderson Park! They took photos with him and loved the encouragement and praise of getting outside and enjoying our parks. Booster loves to take laps around the Rec Center, visit youth camps, and even attend council meetings to spread his joy! The Wheat Ridge Parks & Recreation Booster Club was able to provide brighter moments for team members and the community during trying times. They look forward to being able to continue on with their work in 2022!
