Buddy Club Newsletter- July

JULY EDITION

WELCOME TO THE BUDDY CLUB

This program is designed to meet the needs of individuals with developmental/cognitive disabilities. Join us for arts, crafts, fitness, movies, computers & video games. Access our Wellness Center, enjoy our pool or take a walk in the park! We meet every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 10am-2:30pm.

Only $2 Drop in fee required or just $20 per month.

JULY ACTIVITIES July 2 - Yoga & Gym Activity/Arts & Crafts July 3 - Aqua Fit & Thank You Cardmaking/Gym Activity July 5 - Aqua Fit & Bingo July 9 - Yoga & Simon Says July 10 - Aqua Fit & Basketball July 12 - Aqua Fit & Arts & Crafts July 16 - Yoga & Gym Activity July 17 - Aqua Fit & Kick Ball July 19 - Aqua Fit & Gym Activity/Arts & Crafts July 23 - Yoga & Basketball/Arts & Crafts July 24 - Aqua Fit & Simon Says July 26 - Aqua Fit & "Christmas in July" Buddy Birthday Party July 30 - Field Trip (tentative) July 31 - Aqua Fit & Buddy Bingo

BUDDY NEWS We have new Buddies!

A great big Buddy welcome to Ritchie, Josh, Casey, Tom, Randy and Susie!

June proved to be an exciting month for the Buddies. The Open House was a huge success and was attended by 35 people. The Buddies want to thank all the Community Center staff for their help in organizing this event. Special thanks to Carl for putting together the slide show for us. Our refreshments were provided by our wonderful sponsors Food Lion and Walgreens.

The Buddies had a great time on their recent field trip to Bowl America and look forward to participating in other activities in the future.

Way to go John! Our very own Buddy John Ryczek represented the Manassas Bulldogs at the Special Olympics Summer Games in Richmond this month and proudly brought home a Bronze Medal.

Vacation plans!

Michela will be visiting her sisters in Utah.

The Posten's will have their grandchildren Cody and Sammi visit. They plan on taking them sightseeing and on a boat ride on the Occoquan River.

The Buddies were excited to finish their woodworking project!

The Buddies had a great time on their bowling field trip!

JULY EDITION

MORE BUDDY NEWS It's camp time!

Randi will be attending St. Elizabeth's Camp in Orkney Springs from July 27-31. She is very excited about seeing her old friends and making new ones. She will be canoeing, fishing, swimming and enjoying the good food--esp. smores.

About St. Elizabeth's Camp This camp is a safe and fun summer camp for those with special needs ages 14-25 and sometimes older. It is run on a system that allows each camper to have a buddy for the time they are at camp. The buddy will be their best friend and will assist them in activities. You can find out more about the camp at http://camps.thediocese.net/index.shtml/.

Lion's Club The Arc Roaring Lions Lions Club meets on the second Tuesday of the month at the Arc facility in Dale City at 6:30. They have a good time at the meeting while planning community service activities. If anyone is interested in joining the club please see Randi.

JULY BUDDY BIRTHDAYS Randy Mychal John Sammi

July 2 July 4 July 21 July 23

(Sammi is Randi's niece and we are excited to have her here to celebrate with us!)

City of Manassas Park Department of Parks and Recreation 99 Adams Street Manassas Park, Va 20111 Phone – 703.335.8872 www.manassasparkcommunitycenter.com

BUDDY OF THE MONTH John Ryczek is one of the founding members of the Buddy Club and is employed at Red Robin. He graduated from Osbourn High School in 2006 and lives in Manassas with his mother Carole, four cats and a Great Pyrenees dog Dixie. He has a sister Noel who was born on Christmas Eve. John enjoys bowling, water walking, kickball and swimming. Every Buddy morning you can find John in the fitness center walking on the treadmill or lifting weights. In his spare time he likes to do crossword puzzles. John loves the movie "Oklahoma" and other Rogers and Hammerstein muscials. John is active in "Take One Drama" and was a fantastic gingerbread man in the 2011 Christmas show.

When the Buddies want to send a thank you note to one of our sponsors we can always count on John to do the lettering. His neat lettering adds that special touch to our cards and makes them one of a kind.

You can always find John with a big smile and a friendly "What's new?"

John is proud to be the Buddy's Number one Redskins fan!

Thank you John for all you do for the Buddy Club!