February 2010 e-Newsletter   

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New! Youth Program Scholarship Application.

Super Summer Spectacular – Registration opens March 1st at 12:01a.m. and closes March 12th at 5:00 p.m. Parents will be able to register their children via our website during that time and participants will be chosen at random by lottery held on Saturday, March 20th. You do NOT need to be present for the lottery. All results will be mailed by Friday, March 26th, so please be patient and wait for your results before contacting our offices. Click for Summer Lottery page.

Shooting Starz Club – On March 12th at 6:30 p.m., Trish Kee who is in charge of DOSA Camps is invited to join us. DOSA provides a five-day, recreational and residential summer camp experience for children, teenagers, and young adults who are challenged by developmental disabilities. The campers who participate are able to experience the growth opportunities and joy of a recreational summer camp where they participate in typical summer camp activities. Please RSVP for this event with Jamie Baccari at 209-0377 or jbaccari@sjcfl.us

Teen St. Patrick’s Dance – March 19th, 7-10 p.m. at the W. E. Harris Community Center, Hastings. $2 per person. Parents must sign their child in/out. Contact: Tanya Jackson at tjackson@sjcfl.us or (904) 692-3655.

Raffle Ticket Fundraiser – Hastings Community Center. $2 per ticket. This a fundraiser for the After School program Mother’s Day event — a  free mother and daughter Hair Do. Tickets on sale March 1st to April 30th. Every parent in the After School Program must sell 10 tickets. Contact: Tanya Jackson at tjackson@sjcfl.us (904) 692-3655.

Pitch, Hit & Run National Finals – Local Competition Sunday, March 7th. SJC youngsters can participate in an exciting baseball skills competition to show off  their pitching, hitting and running. The goal is to encourage youth participation and emphasize the “FUN” element of baseball. FREE for boys and girls ages 7-14. Sponsored by Major League Baseball, Aquafina, Pepsi Cola, LEJ Sports Group and hosted by Prospects Baseball and SJC Recreation and Parks Dept. Click for Event poster and registration form. For more info, Tony Canton at: PHRevent@gmail.com.

Easter Egg Hunt – The St. Johns County Recreation & Parks Department presents the Annual Easter Egg Hunt on Thursday, April 1st, 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. at four local parks. Bring the kids down for this fun-filled event and even get their picture taken with the Easter Bunny! More info.

Just Tri It Kids Triathlon – The Children’s Museum of St. Johns, Recreation and Parks, and YMCA want you to SAVE the DATE for the 2010 kids triathlon at the Solomon Calhoun Community, 1300 Duval St., June 12th at 8:30 a.m. Click for Registration, Event Flyer and Tot Trot Registration. Visit www.explorecmsj.org for more information!

Matanzas Fun Run Results! St. Johns County Recreation & Parks Department, Ancient City Road Runners, and Danita Thomas Heagy would like to thank the 115 participants that joined us for our Annual Fun Run. We would like to recognize two local schools R.B. Hunt and Ketterlinus Elementary for sending out the most runners!  We would also like to recognize our five Top Fun Run winners: Andrew Jackson age 9, Devin Jakeway age 10, Lauren Kelly age 9, Kylie Ross age 8 and Isaac Thomas age 11!  We hope everyone enjoyed themselves and we can not wait to see you again next year!

Quickstart Tennis! A new, innovative way to help kids learn and play tennis. To make learning easier, we've scaled down the game to their size. Smaller courts, lower nets, smaller racquets, easy scoring, and bigger, slower balls. In a short time they are actually playing with one another and having fun! Now any child between ages 5 and 12 can start playing tennis — even if he or she has never picked up a racquet before. Contact Bobby Ritacco at tennis4all@comcast.net, (904) 471-2463.

The St. Johns County Recreation and Parks Department does their best to offer youth programs in our community.  We have six local community centers that offer affordable and fun activities for children of all ages.  

If you are looking for a quality after school program at an affordable price, a basketball league for your 9 year old, summer camp for your middle school student or a place for your high school student to get volunteer hours you have found it.

The St. Johns County Recreation and Parks Department is offering some of the most exciting programs in North Florida for children of all ages so visit our web pages to find a program that fits your child!

SJC Recreation and Parks — Where everybody plays!

...and remember, students with low levels of physical activity are more likely to become involved in high risk behaviors...
It Starts In Parks!