The Sports Program which
has been well-established for many years, offers three divisions.
To the younger set, T-Ball is offered; softball for the eight-to-12
year old kids and baseball to the teens.
We give thanks to Tom Gladhill and Earl Wong
who organize the moneys and equipment for this program each year.
The Co-ordinator Des, this year, had a very supportive volunteer coaching staff who put their energy and enthusiasm into providing a summer league that saw all participants have fun and acquire new skills.
Banquets to
make the end of the season were well-attended. The T-Ballers had
fun at Playground Paradise, followed by their favourite foods: hot
dogs, pop and chips. The Softballers and Baseballers had their banquet
at Gateway Community Church. The menu was the same.
All participants received a certificate and the
winners were awarded ribbons for their standing. The evaluation includes
their wish that the program start earlier in the spring, as they were just
getting "good" when it was over.
The Summer Lunch Program was a new venture this year. It was to provide a program, followed with lunch for kids who would be in the Park all summer. The weekly program, organized by Lynne, looked like this:
Twenty to 45 kids participated every day. Outings to the Water Park and Science Centre had 65 participants.
Lunch was a challenge. Systems were soon developed as a core of parent volunteers kept the order of the day.
This was a very ambitious undertaking - a program offered with lunch every day of the holiday period.
We look forward to being able to offer this fun in the Park again next summer. One participant's comment was: "I don't know how I will wait for next summer to come back."
Next summer, we could provide a better program if we had a co-ordinator, along with a lunch organizer. We estimate the program would need $4,500 to cover all the costs in 1998.