Volunteer Spotlight: Kim Ryan

PBC Parks’ Volunteer Spotlight highlights our talented and dedicated volunteers! Meet DuBois Pioneer Home volunteer, Kim Ryan, one of the four “original” Dubois Pioneer Home historical docents. Watch the video to learn about Ryan – including why she volunteers and what reactions she gets from visitors! Docents provide guests with quality, educational, and enriching experiences by giving educational tours throughout the DuBois House exhibit. Consider becoming a docent at the DuBois House located at DuBois Park in Jupiter! Call PBC Parks Volunteer Services at 561-966-6609 for more information.

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The Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department operates more than 110 parks and recreational facilities and is committed to making the quality of life for Palm Beach County residents and visitors better by providing diverse, safe and affordable recreation services, welcoming parks, and enriching social and cultural experiences by promoting wellness, fostering environmental stewardship, contributing economic value, and by improving the community every day for this and future generations. For more information about recreational opportunities and healthy, happy living, visit http://www.pbcparks.com​ and follow @pbcparks on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and WordPress.

Nature Ninja Warrior Spring 2018

 

Through the vision of our Director, Eric Call, a new department initiative kicked off this spring. The Nature Ninja Warrior Program provides underrepresented middle and high school youth with diverse experiences in parks and recreation. This free program highlights youth development opportunities in park and natural resource management, outdoor experiential learning and environmental recreation, with an emphasis on job and life skills development. Between February 17 and April 14, 2018, 14 middle school youth traveled to John Prince Park in Lake Worth on eight consecutive Saturdays and two days during spring break and set out for adventure and learning in our parks and natural areas.

Activities included the FAU ropes course, canoeing, archery, fishing, habitat restoration, assisting with Outdoor Adventure Day and geocaching. Students learned about wetlands, prescribed fire, resume building, proper interview techniques, bird adaptations and invasive exotic plants. The program culminated with a graduation ceremony at the CMAA Therapeutic Recreation Center in Lake Worth where family and friends of the participants gathered for presentations and refreshments.

The program was a huge success thanks to our partners and the parks and recreation professionals that facilitated all components of the program. Partner agencies included: PBC Youth Services, who assisted our department with identifying program participants; Palm Tran, who provided bus passes for participants with transportation challenges; 4-H and UF IFAS Extension, who presented a youth workforce readiness program and the Friends of Green Cay Nature Center, who provided a generous financial contribution to this program. Special thanks to the Parks Natural Resource section, our nature centers, recreation centers, therapeutic recreation and Riverbend Park staff for their support.

As a result of the Nature Ninja Warrior program, participants not only broadened their access to the parks and recreation field, but also showed significant improvements in eight youth development outcomes. Teamwork, independence, responsibility, competency, problem solving, friendship, exploration and affinity for nature were measured through pre and post testing developed by the American Camp Association. The Nature Ninja Warrior Program will continue in the fall with returning students building upon the skills they learned during the spring. Returning program participants will have a leadership role during the new season and will assist in guiding the new participants through the program. The Nature Ninja Warrior student work experience program will begin in summer 2019. This will provide program graduates with paid work experience in the Parks and Recreation Department.

For more information on this program, please contact Pat Rash at: prash@pbcgov.org 

 

 

Say “hello” to the PlayMaker

The Palm Beach County’s Parks and Recreation Department’s ‘PlayMaker’ van has arrived!

“The PlayMaker” is Palm Beach County’s mobile recreation van, bringing recreation to communities one day each week and one weekend day per month, August through May. Residents of all ages will enjoy free activities and music in a safe and caring environment. Adults & seniors, rediscover the kid in you and meet your neighbors. Teens and kids, come play games and hang out with your friends.

For more information, visit The PlayMaker’s webpage or call 561-966-7054.​

We make the quality of life for Palm Beach County residents and visitors better by providing diverse, safe and affordable recreation services, welcoming parks, and enriching social and cultural experiences. We achieve this by promoting wellness, fostering environmental stewardship, contributing economic value, and by improving our community every day for this and future generations.

Please visit www.pbcparks.com​ for more leisure opportunities available through the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department.

Destination Recreation 7: Glades Area Parks

Welcome to the seventh episode of Destination Recreation! We take you through different Palm Beach County parks and facilities in each episode – giving you a unique peek at what you can experience at our more than 80 locations throughout the County.

On this episode, we travel to a unique part of Palm Beach County to check out eight of our Glades-area parks, located in the Western part of the county. We travel through popular parks like South Bay RV Park, John Stretch Memorial Park and Glades Pioneer Park and take a look at the countless recreational opportunities in the area.

Don’t miss an episode – follow pbcParks on WordPress or subscribe to our YouTube channel to see each episode of Destination Recreation, which is released monthly.

We make the quality of life for Palm Beach County residents and visitors better by providing diverse, safe and affordable recreation services, welcoming parks, and enriching social and cultural experiences. We achieve this by promoting wellness, fostering environmental stewardship, contributing economic value, and by improving our community every day for this and future generations.

Changes Welcomed at Riverbend Park

County officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 4 to celebrate the opening of Riverbend Park’s recent improvements. The ceremony was part of the free annual Pioneer Farmstead Day event  held from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

“Located along the Loxahatchee River, Florida’s first nationally designated Wild and Scenic River, Riverbend Park is an oasis of beauty connecting residents and visitors with our natural and historic treasures,” said District 1 Commissioner Hal R. Valeche.

Park improvements include the construction of a 4,500 square foot building that accommodate public restrooms and staff offices, reconfiguration of the entrance to include paved parking spaces and construction of a plaza/overlook for the adjacent Loxahatchee Battlefield Park. New underground utilities have also been installed to connect the planned improvements to the Town of Jupiter’s water and sewer system.

“Promoting the stewardship of natural, archaeological and cultural sites is a core service of the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department,” said Director Eric Call. “Park visitors are invited to explore the extensive system of self-guided trails and to experience the park’s diverse natural resources through hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, canoeing and kayaking.”

Riverbend Park is located at 9060 Indiantown Road in Jupiter and is operated by the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department. The park is open every day from sunrise to sunset.

Please visit www.pbcparks.com​ for more leisure opportunities available through the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department.

Destination Recreation 6: Boating

Welcome to the sixth episode of Destination Recreation! We take you through different Palm Beach County parks and facilities in each episode – giving you a unique peek at what you can experience at our more than 80 locations throughout the County.

On this episode, we tell you all about one of the most popular amenities in Palm Beach County — boating! Learn about where to go, what activities you can enjoy, and what you need to do if you’re parking your boat trailer at a PBC Park. Let’s head out on the water!

Don’t miss an episode – follow pbcParks on WordPress or subscribe to our YouTube channel to see each episode of Destination Recreation, which is released monthly.

We make the quality of life for Palm Beach County residents and visitors better by providing diverse, safe and affordable recreation services, welcoming parks, and enriching social and cultural experiences. We achieve this by promoting wellness, fostering environmental stewardship, contributing economic value, and by improving our community every day for this and future generations.

For more opportunities for healthy, happy living, visit pbcParks.com.

Pickleball boom: bringing players of all ages together at Caloosa Park

“Pickleball has absolutely exploded in the last eight years!”

Avid Pickleball player Sue Thaler visits Caloosa Park often to play the sport of Pickleball with her husband and friends. As a 30-year racquetball player, Thaler discovered Pickleball when she and her husband, a 40-year tennis player, wanted a sport that would suit both of them. “We each tried playing each other’s sport, I wasn’t good enough at tennis, he wasn’t good enough at racquetball,” Thaler said. Enter – Pickleball.

Pickleball is a “derivation of tennis and badminton and ping pong,” according to Thaler. It involves hitting a whiffle ball with a paddle on a court that’s about half the size of a tennis court. The game can be played in singles or doubles. Thanks to the structure of the court and the ease of hitting the whiffle ball, Pickleball is easy on the joints, allowing people of all ages to get out on the court. Thaler says it’s an easy game to learn and regardless of whether a player is a novice or an expert, the game can be enjoyed by anyone. Now, there’s no reason not to stay active!

Best of all, Thaler says through Pickleball, she’s met a number of new friends and teammates, like teammates Leslee Roach and Bob Sumislawski, featured in the video. “We’ve met dozens and dozens of players that we’ve developed friendships with and it’s because of Pickleball – it’s a shared interest that we all have,” Thaler said. Thaler went on to say that during the fall and winter months, the courts are packed with Pickleball players at Caloosa Park who are looking to enjoy the breezier South Florida winter, meet new people, and stay active through a game that’s easy to play and enjoy!

Check out our eight Pickleball courts at Caloosa Park – visit pbcParks.com for more information.

We make the quality of life for Palm Beach County residents and visitors better by providing diverse, safe and affordable recreation services, welcoming parks, and enriching social and cultural experiences. We achieve this by promoting wellness, fostering environmental stewardship, contributing economic value, and by improving our community every day for this and future generations.

For more opportunities for healthy, happy living, visit pbcParks.com.