Skip to main content

Amazing Race is on Again!

Amazing Race in Charlotte

Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation - Therapeutic Recreation Department:
November 6 marked the beginning of a new TR fund raising tradition - The Therapeutic Recreation’s Amazing Race.

This "dry run" Amazing Race started and ended at Marshall Park. Fifteen teams piloted the 4 mile course around Uptown Charlotte, solving clues and riddles to help them find their way through town. Each clue instructed teams to take a picture of or answer a question about a specific piece of Charlotte history or art, and check their answers in at 6 stops along their route.

Over 150 children with special needs attend camp though Park and Recreation’s TR Department. Children from ages 3 to 21 with physical, mental and emotional issues are able to participate in an all day summer camp for up to 7 weeks. The camp features field trips to Lazy 5 Ranch, Space Kidets and other fun places in the Charlotte area. Campers are kept active with developmentally appropriate activities including but not limited to swimming, playing ball and creating art projects.

In 2009, $16,000 was given out in scholarships and in 2010, only $8,000 because of budget shortfalls. Money raised through Amazing Race will be used solely for these camp scholarships.

The first official Amazing Race will be held on Saturday, March 12, 2011. Registration is $50 per team. Teams of two can be sponsored by a business or individual donors, and will compete for bragging rights as the Therapeutic Recreation Amazing Race 2011 champions as well as prizes.

To find out more information on how to register your team, contact Margot Howell at 704-432-4328 or Margot.Howell@mecklenburgcountync.gov or check out the website at Therapeutic Recreation.


Ryan and I will be teaming up this spring for Amazing Race. Look for more about our team name, training schedule and how to sponsor us. If you do not live in the area, we will offer ways for you to participate in our virtual pit crew.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Parenting an Adult Child with Disabilities

  "Parenting an Adult Child with Disabilities" is a series on eSpeciallyBen. As Ben approached 18, it was clear our role changed as parents. We needed to help Ben transition into adulthood. These stories are meant to assist other families who face, or will face, some of the same challenges. Talking About the Future Guest Post - Matt Wilson Legal Guardianship, Medicaid and SSI Researching Group Homes Questions to Ask at a Group Home Visit Referral Packet for Group Homes Getting Assistance from a Care Manager From Group Home Placement to Discharge Reaching for Independence

He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

After my post, Brotherly Love , I received an email from a reader who reminded me of this song. I knew the song, but had never really thought about the words and the meaning behind them. I looked it up and thought others might see the lyrics in a new light.   He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother The road is long With many a winding turn That leads us to who knows where Who knows when But I'm strong Strong enough to carry him He ain't heavy, he's my brother. So on we go His welfare is of my concern No burden is he to bear We'll get there For I know He would not encumber me If I'm laden at all I'm laden with sadness That everyone's heart Isn't filled with the gladness Of love for one another. It's a long, long road From which there is no return While we're on the way to there Why not share And the load Doesn't weigh me down at all He ain't heavy, he's my brother. He's my brother He ain't h

ABC's of ABA

A few weeks ago I attended a workshop presented by a behavior therapist. As it turned out, I went to a conference on the same topic over a year ago. I will describe what I have taken away from these methods in my own words - but please take a look at the links I have provided below. After I learned about this, life with children made a lot more sense to me. Not that this is earth shattering material, but it helped me to better understand the hows, whats and whys of behavior in children, and occasionally husbands. I am in no way an expert in this - just a parent who wants to share a behavior strategy that has worked in our home. I hope to inspire others to explore it further.  Any errors in information comes from me and cannot be blamed on the presenters. Also, you may have seen ABA - Applied Behavior Analysis - connected most often with Autism - please do not let this deter you if your child is not autistic. I use these methods with all my children, none of which are labeled au