The Friday Letter | November 14, 2014

The

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 2.0. Click on the icons below to find out more about the sports, activities, and programs that Park and Rec offers.

Eparks 2.0

Happy Retirement!!

Lola Massad Division Director CRCS

31 years

South Park Region Manager

34 years

Rec Coordinator/Youth Sports

31 years

Patricia Poteat Ken Koonce

Mecklenburg County News

New Website Coming Soon Starting on Dec. 8, when you visit the County's public facing website, MecklenburgCountyNC.gov, you will see a brand new experience. The new design will offer a cleaner, sleeker, updated look and feel matched with improved search capabilities and better organized content.

We're excited to unveil this new website. Look for more information about the new MecklenburgCountyNC.gov soon.

Free Movie Screening: Storied Streets The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Homeless Services Network (HSN) will host a free screening of a new documentary film on homelessness during National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Month. The film, Storied Streets, shows the many faces of homelessness and tells the stories of homeless people in their own words.

Date: Sunday, Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. A live-streaming Q & A will follow the film at 8:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.

Location: Tate Hall, Central Piedmont Community College, 1206 Elizabeth Ave., Overcash, 2nd floor.

Free parking, including disability parking, is available in the Employee/Theater parking lot on 4th St. For more information, contact Sharon Kugelmass at 980-314-2969 or Sharon.Kugelmass@mecklenburgcountync.gov

Aquatics Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center One hundred fifty (150) college swimmers participated in a dual swim meet at the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center last weekend. Wingate University hosted the meet which included Catawba College, Gardner-Webb University, Lenoir Rhyne University, and Limestone University. The swim meet took place from 6:30 – 10pm on Friday, November 7th, and from 12 – 4pm on Saturday, November 8th.

Sports Programming, RPSA, GCC/ALMS Youth Sports Programming Award Winner Carla Hoover, Recreation Coordinator/Supervisor for Youth Sports programming was recently selected as the National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS) Staff’s Choice Award. This is a quarterly recognition program that honors individuals for being exemplary NAYS chapter representatives. Carla has worked with NAYS divide Mecklenburg County’s overall chapter into small sub-chapters for each recreation center. This ensures that volunteer coaches can be easily certified to coach youth sports in Mecklenburg County. Every Head Coach must be NAYS certified to coach in the Department’s Youth Sports program. Since Training began in 2001 under Ken Koonce, Mecklenburg County has trained and certified, over 800 coaches through the National Alliance for Youth Sports Coaches Certification Program. For more Information on Youth Sports in Mecklenburg County please contact, YouthSports@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov or call 704-432-4963.

Adult Basketball The men’s A league will be entering their playoff games for the fall season this Sunday November 16th. Games will be played at Grady Cole Center starting at 5pm. There was a total of 7 teams that participated in the league this season. For more information on adult leagues please visit our website at www.parkandrec.com, or call us at 704-336-7639.

Sports Programming, RPSA, GCC/ALMS Youth Flag Football County-Wide Finals Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department hosted the final youth flag football weekend of the season on Saturday, November 11 at Sugaw Creek Park. The weekend’s highlight was the 8U county -wide final between regular season champion, Tuckaseegee Recreation Center (9-0), and Berewick Recreation Center (6-3). It appeared to be a close first quarter until Tuckaseegee capitalized on multiple turnovers and interceptions to win comfortably. Elon played hard until the end, picking up a late passing touchdown (picture below) and celebrated a great season. For more information about our youth sports programs, please visit our website at www.ParkandRec.com, call 704-432-4963 or email us at YouthSports@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov.

Sports Programming, RPSA, GCC/ALMS Adult Softball The Thursday Night D league and the Co-Rec leagues finished off their season last Thursday November 6th. D league games were played at Renaissance park with a total of 8 teams participating in the league, and Co-Rec games were played at Nevin Park with a total of 8 teams participating in the league this season. The champions for D league was team “Wells Fargo”. The Champions of the Co-Rec league was team Ramsey’s Law. For more information on adult leagues please visit our website at www.parkandrec.com or call us at 704-336-7639.

Adult Softball Monday night D-I and D-II leagues finished off their fall season on Monday November 10th. Games were played at Renaissance Park, the league had a total of 6 teams who played on D-I and 5 teams that participated in D-II. The champions for D-I is team “MisFits” and the champions for D-II is team “St. Matthews”.

For more information on adult leagues please visit our website at www.parkandrec.com<http:// www.parkandrec.com>, or call us at 704-336-7639.

Adult Softball Monday night D-I and D-II leagues finished off their fall season on Monday November 10th. Games were played at Renaissance Park, the league had a total of 6 teams who played on D-I and 5 teams that participated in D-II. The champions for D-I is team “MisFits” and the champions for D-II is team “St. Matthews”. For more information on adult leagues please visit our website at www.parkandrec.com, or call us at 704-336-7639.

Sports Programming, RPSA, GCC/ALMS Youth Soccer County-Wide Finals Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department hosted the youth soccer post-season tournament on Saturday, November 11 at Harrisburg Road Park. In the 10U division, regular season champions PAL (7-1) faced Sugaw Creek (5-3) in the final. It was a tight game throughout with the game tied through the first half. PAL opened the scoring in the second half and Sugaw Creek responded almost immediately. The game stayed even until the final few minutes before Sugaw Creek found the back of the net again, sealing the championship 2-1. The final 8U game equaled the excitement from the 10U game with another close match. It pitted regular season champions Hickory Grove (7-1) against Naomi Drenan (5-3). Play possession and score was split the entire game, with the score 2-2 at the end of full time. With no chances in overtime, the final was decided on a penalty shootout. Hickory Grove was able to put all five shots through the goalkeeper, while their keeper blocked a shot and another missed wide to win the game on penalties 5-3.For more information about our youth sports programs, please visit our website at www.ParkandRec.com, call 704-432-4963 or email us at YouthSports@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov.

Community & Recreation Center Services Southview Recreation Book Club Every Wednesday at 5:30, Southview’s 6-10 year olds enjoy a Book Club session with Miss Abby. The group started off reading “Chicken Sundays” by Patricia Polanco. Upon completing that, they dove into “How Many Seeds In a Pumpkin” by Margaret McNamara. Participants take turns reading aloud as well as answering questions, improving their reading skills and comprehension. For more information on programs at Southview Recreation Center contact SouthviewRecreationCenter@mecklenburgcountync.gov.

NDRC Charlotte Ballet Demo Night On Tuesday evening, the Charlotte Ballet Outreach program brought some special guests to treat the participants, parents, and community to a Lecture Demonstration dance performance. Performing a series entitled, “Black, Blue, Green,” the dancers showed tremendous passion in their performances and captivated the audience! We would like to thank the Charlotte Ballet company for an amazing performance for the community and future Charlotte Ballet performers that participate at our facility. For more information, contact NaomiDrenanRecreationCenter@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov or call 704-432-5231.

Community & Recreation Center Services Badminton The Charlotte Badminton Club hosted a tournament on November 7 and 8 with players from across the nation. The event was held at Hickory Grove Recreation Center – Gymnasium on the newly waxed floors. Badminton has proven to be a very popular sport among adults and seniors. For more information, contact Alison.Gitt@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov or 704-432-4811.

REC Employment Graduation The Recreation Employment Corp (REC) Program is a work-based learning program employing youth between the ages of 14-17 as Employee/Mentees at neighborhood recreation centers, nature centers and aquatic facilities. Each employee was paired with a professional recreation staff member who is their Supervisor/Mentor that provides close supervision and guidance during the 40 week program. Through this structured job experience and training opportunities, youth learn positive work skills and habits which serve them throughout life. On Monday, November 10, graduation was held at the Senior Center – Tyvola for thirty (30) Mentees. Once everyone was recognized and received their plaques, a special awarded was given to D’Andre Brown, Mentee for Arbor glen Recreation Center. D’Andre’s Mentor was Justin Jackson. For more information, contact Heidi.Kitterman@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov or 980-314-1032.

Community & Recreation Center Services Elon Recreation Center “All About Birds” was the theme for Elon Recreation Center’s Ray’s Nature program this past Friday. Preschoolers ages 2 – 5 got to experience bird watching by walking through the woods where they learned about some of the birds living in the surrounding area. They also made their own nests from biodegradable bowls, leaves, and twigs and bird feeders from string, recycled water bottles, and wooden spoons. For more information on preschool programs, please contact Katy Keller at Kathryn.Keller@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov.

ARRC in the Community!

On November 11th, Albemarle Road Recreation Center staff and Ray visited Anami Montessori School located in South Charlotte. Students were given an opportunity to participate in a mini sports clinic with Ray and gain some very valuable information on maintaining good eating habits. Over twenty five kids between the ages of 3 and 6 were involved in the presentation. For more information on youth programming at Albemarle Road Recreation Center, contact AlbemarleRoadRecreationCenter@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov or 704-567-1941.

Therapeutic Recreation Paralympic Gateway to Gold Paralympic Sport Metrolina, a program of the TR Section, hosted the first multiday, multisport National Gateway to Gold event November 7-9th at Marion Diehl Recreation Center. The goal of the Gateway to Gold program is to identify emerging Paralympic talent and expanding awareness of Paralympic sports in the community. Paralympian Jerome Singleton, an amputee runner, was the guest track and field coach. United States Olympic Committee Paralympic staff, Paralympic athletes and USOC coaches attended the event to give support to athletes. Athletes with physical and visual impairments came from as far as Louisiana to be a part of the event. Over 20 athletes came out to show their skills in hopes of taking their athleticism to the next level. Participants took part in a variety of protocols and assessments in the sports of track, cycling, swimming and paratriathlon. For more information on Paralympic sports contact Jana.McMullen@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov

Retirement News Three of the departmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long serving leaders were recognized and honored for their service at the PRC meeting on November 11th. Lola Massad, Patricia Poteat, and â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Ken Koonceâ&#x20AC;? have been instrumental in developing the department into one of the premier organizations in the nation. We are thankful for their work and wish them bliss as they retire.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Big Hazeâ&#x20AC;? Memorial and Dedication This evening is very special for the department, the Southview family, and the West Boulevard Community. Almost 4 months ago we lost our colleague, friend, and community advocate, Hazel Richardson and this evening we will be honoring him. Hazel was the Facility Manager here from 2008-2014 where he took pride in serving the community, specifically the West Boulevard Corridor. Hazel was a BIG personality with a great heart and a passion to impact lives. He touched lives of staff, col-

leagues, volunteers, community partners, seniors, teens and even our 3year olds in the Tots program who loved Mr. Hazel. Lisa, his wife of 20 years and their twins, Taylor and Nick have traveled to join us this evening. To the family, we say Thank You. We know that being a facility manager at a recreation center is not a 9-5 job. It takes a huge commitment and a supportive family to be successful. Lisa, Taylor and Nick, thank you so much for sharing Hazel with us. We are blessed to have had such a passionate individual work in our department for the community. Our lives are forever changed because "Big Haze" answered his calling to serve.

“Big Haze” Memorial and Dedication

We also wanted to keep Hazel's memory alive here at the center and we have done so in two ways. We created a memorial in our lobby area that we will unveil this evening. In creating this memorial, we integrated the three areas that we knew were important to Hazel; family, community, and football.

The second is way we will keep his memory alive is through artwork. Prior to Hazel passing we partnered with an organization called "Brighter Days Art Education" who worked with our teens to create a mural in our play room. After Hazel passed, the two gentlemen that run the organization, Devaughn Johnson and Curtis wanted to honor him by adding a hand painted portrait of him to the mural. The result of their work is remarkable and very lifelike. So before you leave today please take a

Excerpt form Kiana Brooks’ speech to the Richardson Family, PRC Board members and meeting attendees at Tuesday, November 11 PRC meeting. Kiana is Facility Manager at Southview Recreation Center.

South Region News This weekend the South Region will host the Charlotte United Cup at Elon and Harrisburg Road Parks. The tournament will host soccer teams from all over the Southeast including Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. We anticipate over 300 teams to participate in this weekends activities. You are also invited to come check out these events!

The Charlotte United Cup is a sanctioned invitational tournament through US Club Soccer. All teams must be in good standing with their state and local associations. A minimum of three (3) games are guaranteed (weather permitting). Games will be held at a variety of soccer venues in the Charlotte region including Elon and Harrisburg Road parks the weekend of November 15-16, 2014.

5841 Brookshire Blvd.

Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 336-8840

Recreate All Year!

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Park Partners may contact The Friday Letter Team at Kier. Harrison @MecklenburgCountyNC.gov for publication assistance.

The Friday Letter Volume 3 • Issue 44 • November 14, 2014

Great leaders and employees are what make Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Number 1!!

Letter to Michael Kirschman

Hello Mike, as always it was a pleasure connecting with you at Supervisors Management School. It has truly been awesome meeting you and staying in touch with you over the years! Congratulations on being selected as Chair of the School, your energy brings so much enthusiasm to many of us that aspire to be leaders in the parks and recreation industry. Thank you again for assisting and coordinating efforts with the National Recreation and Park Ethnic Minority Society to plant trees at Revolution Park. The link to a few photo’s are below. I look forward to continuing to connect and network with and I appreciate your constant mentoring and encouragement. Talk to you soon. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/5uzndcceckedqbd/AACISUBsp5c1uZNap28nZmpa?dl=0 Tiffany Johnson, CPRP, Area 9 Manager District of Columbia Department of Parks and Recreation

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 Chris Matthews, Nature Preserves and Natural Resources