Johnson City Parks and Recreation Special points of interest: ~Senior Services Programs Shine ~ Administration Highlights ~ Athletic Division Highlights ~ Park Services Division Highlights ~ Recreation Services Highlights ~ Golf Division Highlights ~ Calendar of Events
A Walk in the Park Your Parks and Recreation Connection I s s u e :
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Senior Services Programs Shine! Johnson City Senior Services’ innovative programming and committed staff continue to excel under the Parks and Recreation Department banner, pacing regional and state senior centers with its popular, high-quality and public service-oriented offerings. Senior Services Manager Deb Fogle recently accepted three Positive Image Awards at the Southeastern Association of Area Agencies on Aging Conference in Nashville for Wacky Mini Golf, Plogging for Fitness Challenge and Keep It Moving programs. This is the third straight year the Senior Center has been recognized for outstanding programs. Program Coordinator J.R. Harrell also represented the center this summer in Washington, D.C., where he accepted the National Institute of Senior Centers Program of Excellence Award for the Effects of Play Therapy on Balance and Quality of Life in Older Adults program. Harrell accepted the award at the National Council on Aging Conference. “Receiving these recognitions highlights the quality of the staff putting the programs together,” Fogle said. “It also shows people in general the quality of offerings here. It’s all about the center staff and what they do.” Memorial Park Community Center was transformed into an 18-hole indoor golf course for Wacky Mini Golf where all ages were presented with challenges at each putting green. The Plogging for Fitness Challenge was a friendly eight-week test to members of the public to improve their health by jogging while beautifying Johnson City parks. The term Plogging was derived from the Swedish word “Plocka upp,” meaning pick up. Keep it Moving is designed by professionals for those with cardiac and other conditions and helps them maintain advances made during rehabilitation and recovery. Effects of Play Therapy on Balance and Quality of Life in Older Adults was a study done at the Senior Center by Milligan College occupational therapy students. The study focused on balance, with students providing preliminary and post-testing. “All of these programs can potentially be intergenerational,” Fogle said. “It attests to the diverse assortment of our offerings.”