The Friday Letter | May 20, 2016

The

Mecklenburg County Park And Recreation Would like to Recognize the Veterans on staff.

Thank you for your service.

Nature Preserves and Natural Resources Invasive Plants Now that spring is here, most plants have started filling out after being dormant for the winter. Among these plants are invasive species: plants that are native to another country and are growing out of control here. Many of the natural controls that keep these plants contained in their home country are absent here allowing them to spread and multiply quickly. These invasive plants are very aggressive and crowd out native species.

Invasive species control is an important part of managing the nature preserves.

While wildlife and human activity may have contributed to the spread of these species, they can quickly spread until they are the main plants here depriving native wildlife the nutrition and cover they need.

The most well-known invasive in the South is Kudzu. It came from Asia from a climate very similar to ours. Without people stepping in to manage it, the aggressive vine will cover everything in its path.

The native plants are much more beneficial to wildlife than invasive exotic plants for the most part. Invasive plants can be difficult to control and require staff using a variety of techniques including mechanical, chemical, and prescribed fire.

Natural Resources Staff Katie Proctor injecting chemical into a Princess Tree allowing it to die, but remain standing in the forest to provide habitat for wildlife.

Community & Recreation Centers Walk for the Cure This past weekend, Kurie Washington (RA) and Whitney Bennington (RS) participated in the Relay for Life event held at First Ward Park, where they were able to support Marion Diehl Water Fitness participant, Sandra Niven. Sandra was diagnosed with Breast Cancer on April 1st, 2005 and had to have a mastectomy.

She is now 11 years a Survivor and volunteers much of her time to visit other cancer patients to encourage them about the future and beating cancer. She attributes much of her success throughout her Chemo treatment to the water fitness programs at Marion Diehl. Sandra currently is involved in Marion Diehl’s Hydromania class. We at Marion Diehl celebrate with Sandra and her kicking cancers butt!!!!!

Community & Recreation Centers It’s Time to get FIT! Last week we kicked off the Couch to 5K initiative towards My Total Health at LUESA assisted by Ray’s Splash Planet’s Nikole Rampersad on Mondays and Wednesdays. Everyone had a great time participating in first walk and our pre and post stretching. We also had a blue heron sighting on our walk on Stewart Creek. Malcolm Sanders assisted by getting surveys out to the LUESA staff. The initial program started at Ray’s Splash Planet and moved to a My Total Health Initiative to reach out to worksites that have a more sedentary work environment to get them up and moving. For more information please contact Ray’s Splash Planet at 980-314-4729 or rayssplashplanet@mecklenburgcountync.gov.

Community & Recreation Centers Grayson Skatepark: Spring Skateboard Airbrushing Class The Spring Skateboard Graphic Art Class at Naomi Drenan Recreation Center/ Grayson SkatePark is off to a great start. Students have been loving the new airbrush and are now able to create designs more intricate and stunning than ever before. One student is creating a beautiful beach sunset scene that looks like paradise. Another student is creating colorful map of Central American that highlights his heritage from Nicaragua. We cannot wait to see the finished decks they already look awesome and the class is only halfway through.

For more information about our programs, events and outreach opportunities, contact NaomiDrenanRecreationCenter@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov or call 980.314.1100.

Community & Recreation Centers Shamrock Senior Center Nature Club: The Seniors enjoyed a day with Laura Domingo Environmental Educator from Reedy Creek. The nature club meets every first Friday of the month at 1pm. The nature club is now in its seventh month and going strong. What does a nature club do? Observe and enjoy nature, of course! This can take a gazillion different forms. Our nature club has gone on simple walks. We have dissected flowers, played games, filled out nature note booking pages.

There is no end to the ideas that this group of curious nature club seniors will come up with.

For information on trips and programs at the Shamrock Senior Center mail Patricia.Love@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov or call 704-531-9101.

Community & Recreation Centers Shamrock Senior Center Artists: Finger Painting for Seniors presented by Artist Kimberly Daise, in a community partnership with the Arts and Science Council. This was a very enjoyable treat for the Senior Group and as you can see we have some Picasso’s on our hands.

The Seniors love this so much that Finger Painting has become a part of their regular programs. The Seniors at Shamrock Senior Center are kicking off the summer with lots of Fun! For information on trips and programs at the Shamrock Senior Center email Patricia.Love@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov or call 704-531-9101.

Community & Recreation Centers Tom Sykes Recreation Center: Afterschool Programs Tic-Tac-Toe is not just a board game anymore‌ It’s a new game craze motivating kids to become more active and use quick thinking strategies to bring their relay teams to victory. Their competitiveness keeps them wanting to play for hours!

For more information about our afterschool programs, contact staff at TomSykesRecreationCenter@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov.

Community & Recreation Centers Naomi Drenan Recreation Center: Coaching Eastway Baseball Team The Eastway Cougars brought their baseball season to an end this week. The group of 7th and 8th graders fought the whole year to compete and learn baseball from scratch, with many of them never having touched a glove before starting out. Gabe Hackney helped coach the Cougars throughout the season, specifically coach the pitching and catching positions. The team was unable to earn a win during the season, but after the final game all of the players had to admit that they had improved tenfold and were excited for the next season. As a part of working with the middle school through baseball season, we are helping to serve the students recreation needs and will have students from the school in our camps!

For more information about our programs, events and outreach opportunities, contact NaomiDrenanRecreationCenter@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov or call 980.314.1100.

Community & Recreation Centers Elon’s Indoor FUN Soccer On Saturday, May 21st the Elon Storm (7-8 years), the Elon Lightening (5-6 years), and the Elon Strikers (3-4 years) will wrap up their indoor soccer season. Children with all skill levels and abilities came together for a fun season of learning soccer drills, plays, positions and the rules of the game. Elon had a crowd of family and friends that came out to support them every game along with Rec. Center staff that helped coach them to success. Participants worked hard and gave 100% every game while having fun and making new friends.

For more information about our programs, events and outreach opportunities, contact ElonRecreationCenter@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov or call 980-314-1103.

Community & Recreation Centers Berewick Recreation Center: Track & Field Banquet Last Wednesday, Berewick held its end of the season banquet for the Track & Field 48 participants. With about 100 people attending, they enjoyed a video presentation while they ate pizza & popcorn. Participants were given their participation trophies, pictures and ribbons won from some of the events they were in. The coaches were given special plaques for their dedication and service. Everyone seemed to have a great time and we look forward to next season.

For information on our recreation center programs contact staff at BerewickRecreationCenter@MecklenbrgCountyNC.gov or 980-314-1102.

Community & Recreation Centers Albemarle Road Recreation Center: Seniors See Charlotte!

Spring rain didn’t stop the Sensational Seniors at Albemarle Road Recreation Center from heading out to Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens in Belmont, NC! As the rain came to a stop upon arrival, the seniors got in a days’ worth of exercise by walking the paths between manicured gardens and viewing the featured plants of May that framed several trails throughout the botanical garden. The seniors even were delighted with the walk through on-site green house, which was home to beautiful exotic plants and flowers as well.

After finding both fitness and beauty at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden the group of seniors made a final pit stop in Belmont at a small cozy Bar-B-Q restaurant called PEACE-N-HOMINY Q Shack. Although a few seniors were skeptical at first, everyone had cleared their plates and even left with bags to go as they left with smiles on their faces and exchanging comments of having yet another enjoyable day trip sponsored by Albemarle Road Recreation Center.

For further information and details on upcoming trips for our sensational seniors contact Albemarle Road Recreation Center at 980-314-1101 or by email at Albemarleroadrecreationcenter@mecklenburgcountync.gov

Community & Recreation Centers Hickory Grove Recreation Center: Look What’s Cooking at HGRC Hickory Grove Recreation Center is happy to bring to the community the Mini Chef program. This class is offered every Thursday and it is designed to sharpen the cooking skills and stir-up creativity among the mini chefs in food preparation. The program kicked off with a Cinco De Mayo inspired meal/snack. Mini Chef has been proven to be a great success among children that are inspired to learn how to prepare healthy nutritional snacks/meals. The children in this program experience new foods and preparation techniques every week. It will help to develop skills such as math, science, writing and food history by the end of the program. The best part of the class is eating what they’ve prepared. By the end of the program the children have walked away with their very own customized cook book. The cost of the program is only $2.00 per class, now who’s cooking!

Please join us at Hickory Grove Recreation Center by contacting us at 980-314-1122 or email us at HickoryGroveRecreationCenter@MecklenburgcountyNC.gov.

Community & Recreation Centers Sugaw Creek Recreation Center: Queens Landing Cruise On May 12th, thirty-nine seniors from northeast Charlotte spent a day on the lake with Sugaw Creek Recreation Center. The day kicked off with a sightseeing cruise of the Lake Norman area on the Catawba Queen. Once the seniors returned from the ninety-minute cruise, they continued to fellowship over lunch on the deck at Queens Landing. This growing group of active seniors are looking forward to their next trip at the NASCAR Hall of Fame on June 9th.

For more information, contact 980-314-1124.

Sports & Fitness and GC/ALMS 30 & Over Men’s Basketball: The Men’s 30 & Over League started their spring league this past Sunday May 15th. Games are played at Bette Rae Thomas Recreation Center on Sunday afternoons starting at 1pm. There are a total of nine teams participating in the league this season.

For more information on adult sports please visit our website at www.parkandrec.com, or call us at 980-314-1117.

Sports & Fitness and GC/ALMS Adult Volleyball: The Co-Rec B Volleyball League kicked off their spring playoffs this past Monday May 16th. Playoff games are played at the Wallace Pruitt Recreation Center on Monday evenings starting at 6:30pm.

For more information on adult leagues please visit our website at www.parkandrec.com, email AdultSports@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov or call us at 980-314-1356.

Sports & Fitness and GC/ALMS Adult Volleyball: The Co-Rec BB Volleyball League will be playing in their spring season final game this coming Wednesday May 25th. Playoff games are played at Tom Sykes Recreation Center on Monday evenings starting at 6:30pm.

For more information on adult leagues please visit our website at www.parkandrec.com, email AdultSports@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov or call us at 980-314-1356.

Sports & Fitness and GC/ALMS Countywide Youth Track & Field Season Ends: The countywide youth track and field season wrapped up May 8th to enormous success in 2016. Over 500 athletes participated in five meets, up from 352 in 2015. Some running events were modified for certain age groups and the turbo javelin replaced the softball throw for ages 7+. These modifications were made to further align the program to promote the grassroots, recreational side of the sport while focusing on development of each child’s running, jumping, and throwing form. Participants who wish to continue training and compete at a competitive level are encouraged to explore local track clubs who operate within the county.

For more information about our youth sports programs, please visit our website at www.ParkandRec.com, call 980-314-1116 or email us at YouthSports@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov.

Sports & Fitness and GC/ALMS Pitch, Hit and Run Sectional This Weekend: Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department will host the Sectional competition of MLB’s Pitch, Hit and Run event on Sunday, May 22 at Revolution Park. Over 80 participants aged 6-14 are scheduled to complete for the best scores in the skills of pitching and hitting a baseball or softball and running the bases. Winners will have their scores compared against the top finishers from other sectionals in the Atlanta Braves region to see if their scores would allow them to advance to the Team Championship Competition (TCC). The TCC will be held later this year at the Tuner Field in Atlanta, GA.

For more information about our youth sports programs, please visit our website at www.ParkandRec.com, call 980-314-1116 or email us at YouthSports@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov.

Sports & Fitness and GC/ALMS Senior Games: Events and activities for the 2016 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Senior Games continue throughout May and June at various locations throughout the County. The next major event on the schedule is the Performing Arts showcase scheduled on Saturday May 21st from 6-8pm at the Levine Senior Center in Matthews. Many of our local participants have already qualified for the State Games which will take place in Raleigh, NC this Fall and many hope to compete in the National Senior Games which will take place in Birmingham, AL in 2017.

For more information on Senior Sports please visit our website at www.cmseniorgames.org, or email SeniorGames@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov call us at 980-314-1356.

Sports & Fitness and GC/ALMS Grady Cole Center: The Charlotte VegFest is moving to the Grady Cole Center! This Saturday May 21st, come out and experience this free event featuring healthy, sustainable food samples, live music, speakers, cooking demonstrations and more! The Festival starts at 11:00am.

For more information, visit http://thehumaneleague.com/vegfest/charlotte/

For information on all upcoming events at the Grady Cole Center and American Legion Memorial Stadium, please visit us at: http://charmeck.org/ mecklenburg/county/ParkandRec/Facilities/EventFacilities/Pages/Events

Volunteer Services and Special Events Volunteer Services: On Wednesday, May 18, Volunteer Services hosted a pizza party and a basketball tournament at Camp Green for our CMS high school student volunteers.

These students are participants in the Occupational Course of Study (OCS) program. The Occupational Course of Study is designed to provide eligible students, as determined by the IEP Team, the skills needed to develop a foundation for work. This course of study consists of three components: (1) standards based curriculum, (2) job training, and (3) competitive work experiences. The program addresses the aptitudes that are necessary for successful adult living and employment. Students follow a course of study that emphasizes integration into the working community after high school graduation. There were 6 high schools that participated in the program this year. Volunteers from this program were used for various Park and Recreation projects throughout the school year.

We had a total of 8 teams to participate in the basketball tournament. The games were three on three, half court, and single elimination. West Charlotte High School won the Championship. Teams from Garinger High School won second and third place. Thanks to Youth Sports for donating basketballs as prizes and for operating the tournament. Also, we would like to thank Richard McNeill for providing fantastic music!

For more information on this program and others, contact Volunteer Services at VolunteerServices@Mecklenburgcountync.gov.

Cynthia Smith Perkins is a Recreation Specialist at Sugaw Creek Recreation Center. She was born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She attended Tennessee State University and graduated with a BS Degree in Health, Physical Education and Recreation. Other post graduated work included Johnson C. Smith University, University of North Carolina at Charlotte Certificate Programs. Cynthia started her career with the City of Charlotte at Earle Village Recreation Center. She is a certified personal trainer, USA Track and Field Official and event planner. Cynthia has worked major events such as the 1996 Atlanta Olympics Organizing Committee, NBA All- Stars Games, NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four and Urban Sports Entertainment -Honda Battle of the Bands. Cynthia passion involved community outreach which includes Co-founder of the Charlotte Flights Track and Field Club, Carolina Swift Track & Field Club (Founder), Charlotte Youth Sports & Cultural Mentoring Program (Founder) and Hidden Valley Optimist Club member. She also is a member of Central Church of God Church. She truly enjoys traveling, playing the saxophone, reading the bible, spending time with her family. Cynthia has (4) brothers (1) sister (4) God children and a host of nieces and nephews.

5841 Brookshire Blvd.

Charlotte, NC 28216 (980) 314-1000

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

The Friday Letter Volume 6 • Issue 18 • May 20, 2016

CHARMECK ALERTS The CharMeck Alerts Notification System relays accurate and timely emergency notifications. You control how you’re contacted— whether it’s on your cell, work or home phone, via text, email or voice message. You can receive up-to-the-minute notifications about events and emergencies that may affect your home, workplace or other points of interest—anywhere in Mecklenburg County. Sign up here or call CharMeck 311. To receive CDOT-specific alerts, you must sign up for that item in the list.

Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Senior Leadership Team Jim Garges, Director Michael Kirschman, Deputy Director Renea Barber, Human Resources Mario Chang, Budget Administration Lee Jones, Capital Planning Terri Stowers, Community and Recreation Center Services Jeff Robinson, Park Operations Chris Matthews, Nature Preserves and Natural Resources