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Here’s to a Happy & Healthy 21st Century: Healthy People 2010 is a national set of health objectives established to improve the health of all people in the United States during the first decade of the 21st century. The two major goals of this initiative are to: (a) increase life expectancy and improve the quality of life of individuals of all ages, and (b) to eliminate health disparities between different segments of the U.S. population. The therapeutic recreation field is uniquely positioned to help individuals accomplish both of these goals. Therefore, our program pledges to do its part in the new decade to help improve the quality of life and overall health of all of our athletes. We are offering over 400 hours of programming in the first six months of 2010. Our winter season kicks off with ski programs at two of the best adaptive ski programs in New England (Loon Mountain and Waterville Valley) as well as a cross-country skiing and snowshoe clinic at nearby Weston Ski Track. These programs, combined with ice-skating and hockey at Fessenden, give us every reason to embrace the wonderful sports that the winter season affords. For those of you who don’t like to bundle up, our winter season also offers basketball, indoor floor hockey and instructional recreation swim. Our Tuesday night track and swim programs will swing into action in March as will our Sports Jam program for our younger athletes. These will be followed by an ambitious spring line-up which includes: youth baseball, tandem biking, adult soccer, golf, tennis and rowing. Programs that encompass both the winter and spring season include our teen vacation camps and our weekend spectacular program that focuses on big events and big fun. Speaking of big fun, mark your calendars now for May 5, our Cinco de Mayo Awards Ceremony Fiesta. The only way for our program to successfully join the Healthy People 2010 initiative is for athletes to use the enclosed registration form (pages 7 & 8) and sign-up for programs. However, we want everyone involved with our program to pledge to improve their quality of life through recreation. This means our coaches, volunteers, parents, siblings, camp counselors, sponsors and yours truly need to jump on board and look at ways to enhance our overall health. If we need any inspiration, I would like to announce that Kathleen Carter, the director of Camp Echo Bridge, and Dan Foley, a Newton resident and friend of the program, will be running the Boston Marathon on April 19 to raise money for the Newton Special Athletes program. Come help our program join Healthy People 2010. Together lets improve our own health, the health of our loved ones and the health of our community. Speaking of community, we would like to congratulate Setti Warren, Mayor-Elect of Newton. We look forward to inviting him to some of our larger events so that he can become familiar with our program and meet our athletes. On behalf of the Newton Parks & Recreation Department, we wish you and your family a happy and healthy New Year. Sincerely, |
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