The Friday Letter | December 13, 2013

Volume 2 ISSUE

44

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER OF THE PARK AND RECREATION

December 13 2013

DEPARTMENT

FridayLetter THE

this issue In The News:

Park News P.1 Enterprise Services P.2

Recreation Employment Corp Class of 2013 Graduates (Featured Story 12/6/13) “We are proud to offer this wonderful program which gives students the chance to develop positive working skills and habits which will serve them throughout life,” said Park and Recreation Director Jim Garges.

“It is a great example of Park and Rec’s commitment to providing an atmosphere that stresses both education and personal growth."

For more wonderful pictures from the event, click here

Nature Preserves and Natural Resources P.5 Community & Recreation Center Services P.6

Park and Recreation— Park News Competitive Swimming Takes Center Stage Two hundred sixty-eight (268) swimmers took part in the NSS 13-14/Senior Winter Invitational at the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center. The Swim Meet started Friday afternoon at 3:30 pm and ran through Sunday evening. The meet featured prelim sessions in the morning and finals at night. The meet also featured Senior Circuit swimmers, generally the fastest kids in the state, requiring AA times in 2 or more strokes in order to participate.

In The News:

Adult Athletics

Women’s Basketball kicked Men’s B Basketball Fall Championship game was held Wednesday December 11 at off the Winter season on Grady Cole Center. The winning team was Team Marlon. There were a total of 6 teams December 8. Games will be that participated during the Fall Season. played at Tuckaseegee Recreation Center on Sunday afternoons. There are a total of 9 teams participating.

Citizens Looking For Things To Do? There is no shortage of things to do in Mecklenburg County! Throughout the year Park and Rec hosts many popular athletic events, activities, and programs that offer great things to do on idle weekends. You can even find and register for them online at eParks.

Men’s 40 and Over Basketball kicked off the Winter season on December 9. Games will be played at Grady Cole Center on Monday and Wednesday nights.

There are a total of 9 teams participating.

Geocaching with Carolina's Rehabilitation Outdoor Recreation Staff at Latta Plantation Nature Center have expanded our outdoor adaptive programming with our partners from the Adaptive Sports and Adventure Program at Carolina’s Rehabilitation. On two occasions in the past few weeks, ASAP participants have had the opportunity to try their skills at Geocaching (the high tech treasure hunt). Caches were set up throughout Freedom Park, in wheelchair accessible areas near the tennis courts, lake, and greenway. Participants had a great time hunting for the hidden containers.

Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity, in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", anywhere in the world.

Pictured at left a citizen holding a found container via the geocaching For the traditional geoexercise. cache, a geocacher will place a waterproof conBelow a citizen pauses for to have tainer then record the his picture taken after having a cache's coordinates. wonderful time at Latta.

Other geocachers obtain the coordinates and seek out the cache using their GPS handheld receivers.

The finding geocachers record their exploits but then must return the cache to the same coordinates so that other geocachers may find it.

Geocaching activities can be coordinated at/through most of our Nature Preserves. Call for more info today!

Recreational News from Mecklenburg Communities Ivory/Baker Wins 1st Place Ivory/Baker Recreation Center won first place in the CRCS Holiday Battle of the Holiday Centerpieces. This new event was designed for the Recreation Centers to get creative and make holiday displays out of all recycled materials. There were several great entries and Ivory/Baker took home the trophy for their gingerbread house made out of recycled materials and showing pictures of Ivory/Baker staff along the house.

Ivory/Baker Recreation Center For information on programs happening at Ivory/Baker call 704.432.4580 or email IvoryBakerRecreationCenter@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov.

Recreational News from Mecklenburg Communities Sugaw Creek’s 5th Annual Basketball Pep Rally Sugaw Creek’s 5th Annual Pep Rally / Coaches vs Parents Basketball Game was held on Friday, Dec. 6th. Everyone had a blast! The event featured a mini basketball clinic, basketball relays, refreshments, giveaways, performances by the Dollz in Pink Cheerleaders and Arrow Sign Spinning Company. A “big shout out” to Johnson C. Smith University Women’s Basketball Team. These wonderful student-athletes conducted a fun- filled basketball clinic and signed autographs. Once again the parents vs coaches basketball game lived up the hype! The parents are the 2013 Champions! Good job everybody!

Sugaw Creek Recreation Center For more information, contact Cynthia.Smith-Perkins@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov or 704 -336-7655

Recreational News from Mecklenburg Communities "Young at Heart� Senior Club The Sugaw Creek Recreation Center club members attended the North Carolina Association of Senior Citizens Annual Conference in Winston-Salem on November 6-8. They certainly lived up to their name by placing 1st Place in the Helping Hands Community Service award and 3rd place in the Scrapbook Contest. The club proudly sponsored the 2013 Marines -Toys for Tots program and The Mazette Lewis Christmas Shoe Box Programs. Mazette Lewis served as a long time community leader and club president.

The Christmas Shoe Boxes are care packages provided to men recently released from prison and associated with FAVAR Ministries located the Hidden Valley Community. For more information, contact Cynthia.Smith-Perkins@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov or 704336-7655.

Ivory/Baker's Out-of-School PLAY Days- Veteran's Day Edition November 11th was a day out of school for CMS students, but that didn't stop the 11 kids (ages 6-9) from enjoying most of their day off at Reedy Creek Nature Preserve. Students learned about "Popcorn," the resident corn snake, and what to do if they were to find a snake out in nature. Students finished the day, by reflecting about Veteran's Day and made special "Thank you" cards to family members they know who served in the military and cards that were later given to veterans in the community.

For more information on programs happening at Ivory/Baker Recreation Center, call 704.432.4580 or email IvoryBakerRecreationCenter@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov.

Recreational News from Mecklenburg Communities Community Thanksgiving Luncheon The Sugaw Creek “Young at Heart” Senior Club and the youth Girls for Change Leadership Club worked together to sponsor the luncheon on Wednesday, November 23. The program provided less fortunate families with a Thanksgiving Dinner, clothing, fellowship and recreational activities (musical games and basketball relays) while the music was conducted by Pastor Billy Beatty and company. Mallard Creek High School student-athletes from the Girls Basketball, Boys Baseball and Football Teams served the guests. Recreation Specialist, Clarence “CJ” Johnson, encouraged the youth to give back to the community.

For more information, contact Cynthia.Smith-Perkins@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov or 704-336-7655.

From the staff at Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation, have a safe and wonderful Holiday Season!

Park and Recreation News: 5841 Brookshire Blvd.

Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 336-8840

Submissions for the Newsletter

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Subscribe to the Park and Recreation E-Newsletter to learn of new and exciting way sto continue recreating during the spring and summer months. Subscribe to the Park and Recreation E-Newsletter to stay up to date on activities that may be available to you.

www.parkandrec.com

Please submit all news for the Friday Letter to your Division Director for review and routing.

Park Partners may contact Kesha Meads at Kesha.Meads@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov

for publication assistance.

The Friday Letter Volume 2 • Issue 44• December 13, 2013

Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Senior Leadership Team Jim Garges, Director Michael Kirschman, Deputy Director James Alsop, Enterprise Services Renea Barber, Human Resources Mario Chang, Budget Administration Lee Jones, Capital Planning Lola Massad, Community and Recreation Center Services Jeff Robinson, Park Operations