Early Closings, Cancellations for Today, Weekend

Due to the forecast for inclement weather, the department has canceled its After School Programs for today, Friday, January 25. The department has also cancelled all of its youth basketball games for today and throughout the weekend.

      In addition, the department’s community centers will close today at 6 p.m., and the Pine Camp Arts and Community Center will close at 6 p.m. today and remain closed throughout the weekend.

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Department Introduces Exciting, New After School Program with Open House

Are you looking for an after school program that children will love? If so, consider the new program sponsored by Richmond Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities in area elementary schools.

     “We’ve enhanced our program significantly to include a sports and art component,” said Dr. Norman C. Merrifield, director of the department. “We know that kids love sports, and at this young age when they are 5 to 10 years old, that’s when they should be getting an introduction to sports and picking up the basic skills,” he said.

     “At the same time, we know that not every child is interested in athletics, so we’re also expanding their exposure to cultural arts, the environment, health and fitness. The point is that recreation should be fun for the children we serve and give them what they want,” he said.

      The department will hold an open house to introduce the new program on Sept. 5 from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., at each of the elementary schools where it will be offered. Children and their parents or guardians are invited to attend to meet the staff and learn about the new offerings. 

      Registration will take place Sept. 4 through Sept. 7, at each site in the cafeteria after school. Early registration is encouraged as enrollment in the program at each site is limited.

     The cost per semester is just $50 for one child, $40 for a second child, and $30 for a third child, and it includes a free meal each day.  In addition, payment plans and financial assistance are available, and families served by TANF should bring their number to registration. A copy of immunization and physical exam reports also are needed at registration.

     Following are the 18 elementary schools where the department will offer the program:  

Bellevue                            George Mason

Blackwell                          J.E.B. Stuart

Broad Rock                       John B. Cary

Chimborazo                       Mary Scott

E.S.H. Greene                   Miles Jones

Elizabeth Redd                 Overby-Sheppard

Fairfield                            Patrick Henry

G.H. Reid                         Summer Hill   

G.W. Carver                      Swansboro

For more information, call 646-6034.

                                

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Holiday Hours and Events

The department, its community centers and its cultural arts and community center at Pine Camp will be closed Friday, December 23; Monday, December 26; and Monday, January 2 for the holidays. All parks will remain open as usual from sunrise to sunset.

     The department’s Before and After School program is closed during Richmond Public School’s winter break and will resume when schools re-open on January 3, 2012. The programs provide children with a safe place before and after school at 20 Richmond elementary schools. In addition, children in the After School Program are introduced to cultural arts and sports. Registration is just $50 and decreases for each additional child per family. Scholarships are available so that no child is excluded from the program. For more information or to register, call 646-6034.

      The First Tee of Richmond will be closed Thursday, December 22, through Sunday, January 1, and will re-open on Monday, January 2. The golf practice facility is conveniently located downtown at 400 West School Street off of Brook Road just blocks from Belvedere and Broad. It includes a heated driving range, putting green, chipping green with sand traps, six-hole par-three course, and a clubhouse. Regular hours are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. For more information, call 646-4074.

     The department’s indoor Swansboro swimming pool will be closed Friday, December 23 through Monday, December 26, and on Monday, January 2. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, December 21, Thursday, December 22, and Tuesday, December 27 through Friday, December 30. 

      The department will hold a free Winter Solstice Celebration on Belle Isle on Thursday, December 22, at 4:30 p.m. at the Tredegar Street entrance. Join the James River Park staff and the Friends of James River Park around the bonfire to welcome the start of the winter season. For more information, call 646-8911.

    
The Richmond Community Nativity Pageant will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday, December 23, at the Carillon, located at 1300 Blanton Avenue in Byrd Park. This live outdoor presentation is a Richmond tradition and was originally narrated by Douglas Southhall Freeman. It includes a cast and choir of approximately 200, some who have participated in the pageant for 30, 40 or 50 years or more. The pageant is produced by the non-profit Richmond Community Nativity Pageant organization with assistance from the department. It is a rain or shine event. For more information, call Paige Quilter at 804-358-8481.

     The department will hold Free Movies on Ice at 7 p.m. for those enjoying ice skating at RVA On Ice Saturday, December 24, Sunday, December 25, and Saturday, December 31. The 8,400 square-foot outdoor skating rink is located adjacent to Richmond CenterStage between Sixth and Seventh streets on East Broad. The movies scheduled are as follows:

            December 24 – “Shrek the Halls”

December 25 – “White Christmas”

December 31 – “It s a Wonderful Life”

For more information about the department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities, call 646-5733. 

Children Donate to Help Build Playgrounds

Children in the department's After School Program revealed yesterday that they raised $1,125 to help build playgrounds for children in Haiti and Afghanistan. The children made the announcement after sliding down a sliding board at the George Mason Elementary School Playground.
Each year, children in the program select a charity to support that helps other children and their families somewhere in the world. This year, the children decided to raise funds by selling coupon books for the International Childhood Enrichment Program (ICEP). ICEP notes that while the situations in Haiti and Afghanistan differ vastly, children in both countries have not had the opportunity to experience the spontaneous joy of playing. Building playgrounds gives these young people the opportunity to reclaim their childhood.
Richmond’s Chief Service Officer Paul Manning recognized the children for their donation as well as the After School Program for the values it teaches. “The program not only provides a safe place for children after school; it is grooming future residents and leaders to help Build a Better Richmond and a better world,” he said.
Dr. David B. Jones, a board member of ICEP and a professor of Recreation and Leisure Studies at the University of Maine, was on hand to also recognize the children and accept the donation.
The department’s licensed After School Program currently serves 500 children at 20 elementary schools. In previous years, children in the program have raised funds to help build a merry-go-round that pumps water in an African village, purchase honey bees and bee hives for needy families to increase their agricultural yields and income, and provide solar cookers for women living in refugee camps in Chad so that they can feed their families and the orphaned children they adopt.
For more information on ICEP or to donate to help build playgrounds, visit
www.icepkidsplay.org.

Children to Reveal Donation to Help Build Playgrounds

WHO: Paul Manning, Chief Service Officer, City of Richmond
David B. Jones, Board Member, International Childhood Enrichment Program, and Associate Professor in Recreation and Leisure Studies, University of Southern Maine
Charles Hester, After School Program Coordinator; Parks, Recreation & Community Facilities, City of Richmond
Children in the Richmond Parks, Recreation & Community Facilities’ After School Program

WHAT: A “Reveal” – After sliding down the sliding board on the school’s
playground, children in the Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities’
After School Program will reveal the amount of money they have raised to donate to the International Childhood Enrichment Program to help build safe playgrounds for children in Afghanistan and Haiti.The public is invited to attend.

WHEN: 4 p.m., Thursday, May 19, 2011

WHERE: George Mason Elementary School Playground
813 North 28th Street
(Rain location will be the school cafeteria)

BACKGROUND:
Richmond’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities operates an After School Program at 20 elementary schools and a Before School Program at three elementary schools. Each year, children in these programs raise money to donate to a charity that helps other children around the world.
For more information, contact Christy Everson at 804-646-5944 or Tesha Davis at 804-646-3998.

City Children Donate Funds for Solar Cookers

April 28, 2010 Children enrolled in the city’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities After School Program raised $2,004.27 that they donated at City Hall April 28 for the purchase of solar cookers for women in South Africa.

Each year, children in the program raise money in a variety of ways to help other children and families who are not as fortunate as they are. This year they held penny drives; sold cookies, ice cream, popcorn, funnel cakes, and day planners; collected coins in coin jars; asked for donations that equal their height; and did a variety of other things to raise money.

The department offers the After School Program at 21 elementary school sites throughout the city, and approximately 500 children are enrolled. The children in the After School Program at Clark Springs Elementary School raised the most money this year and came to City Hall to make the donation.

A child in the program presented a large pink piggy bank, one of five stuffed with fake money to represent their donation, to Dr. Carolyn Graham, the city’s deputy chief administrative officer for human services, on the steps of City Hall.

“We think it’s important to recognize these children for their efforts. This program teaches them the importance of helping others, and we hope it instills in them a sense of community spirit and volunteerism,” said Dr. Graham.

Dr. Graham in turn presented the piggy bank to Rabbi Ben Romer of Richmond’s Congregation Or Ami. He was there representing the Solar Cooker Project, which the children chose as the recipient of the efforts.

The Solar Cooker Project helps women in refugee camps care for their families, which usually include not only their own children but several orphans as well. The solar cookers also provide the women with a means of producing an income, and, of course, they benefit the environment as well. Just two solar cookers lower the need for firewood and reduce greenhouse gasses by more than 3,814 pounds a year.

You can learn more about the Solar Cooker Project online at www.SolarCookerProject.org.

This is the third year that children enrolled in the department’s After School Program have raised funds to help less fortunate children and families. Previously, their efforts have funded honey bees and hives to help provide an income for needy families through Heifer International and provided a water pump for the village of Ha Pokane, South Africa, through PlayPumps International.

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