The Leisure Times Activity Registration NextStep for Life Leisure Services formerly known as NextStep for Life MERRY CHRISTMAS From Leisure Services December 2014 HOLIDAY EVENTS The staff of Leisure Services would like to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season. To our participants, families, volunteers and others who support our program, may God bless you, guide you and give you strength as you face the new year. Holiday events are being scheduled and everyone will want to catch the holiday spirit. You will find details of these events on page 3. All holiday events were posted in the November newsletter so they are filling up quickly. We do have a limited number of slots available so if you have not registered for an event you are interested in, you will want to register soon. Please keep in mind that no call-ins or emails can be taken for reservations and no registrations can be guaranteed without the registration fee for a special event. Due to the expense that goes out for these events, full refunds are not guaranteed if you are unable to attend unless another individual is pulled from a wait list. So the key is to sign up early and enjoy the activity. And don’t forget to call JC Transit when available. Happy Holidays, Terri Dallas Basketball Registration Night—Dec. 10th If you are up for a game of “round ball”, join our basketball teams. We will begin this season with a registration night on December 10th. This will give our coaches an opportunity to evaluate new and veterans players so teams are in place when we begin our practices in January. Registration and practices will be held at Festus Elementary School gym. at 6:30 p.m. To guarantee a position on a team’s roster, players must attend this registration night. Our first tournament of the year will be January 17th so player’s physicals must be checked and athletes assigned to teams by the end of December. Practices will begin January 7th. See more information on page 5. Coordinator’s Corner 2 Special Events 3 Dinner / Movies/Bowling 4 Sports 5 December Highlights LIMO & LIGHTS CHRISTMAS DANCE FOX THEATER Beginning December 2nd December 5th Ho Ho Ho December 20th Additional Opportunities 6 Registration 7 Dick Bennett Scholarship 8 Vacation Options SANTA HAT CONTEST If you can guess the correct number of SANTA HATS just like the one above, you will win a free Saturday bowl that can be used anytime January-April. Record your answer on the registration form. Good Luck & Merry Christmas. Page 2 NEXTSTEP BOARD OF DIRECTORS Thomas Bookstaver Chairperson Gary Roettger Vice Chairperson Vince Coleman Treasurer Margo Pigg Secretary Tony Casey Director Barbara Uhls Director Amy Rhodes Director Josh Bauman Director Marsha Mertens Director Ms. Jennifer Wooldridge Executive Director The Leisure Times Coordinator’s Corner Terri Dallas, Leisure Services I would like to wish everyone a very special holiday season and a great start to the new year. As I look back on the past year, I feel we have been very blessed with the opportunities we have offered. The Leisure Services staff and volunteers are dedicated to providing you the best experiences possible to make the lives of our participants and their families that much richer. As I look forward to the new year and the new opportunities we have in store, I am confident that you will enjoy the news we will share on the new adventures of our participants. Two highlights I would like to share with you for the upcoming year are the renewal of the grant for our teen program, Teen Ties, and the enhancement of our bocce courts. Variety Children’s Charity has renewed our grant to provide a unique experience for participants ages 14 to 18 years of age. The Teen Ties pilot program has proven to be successful, allowing us to reach out to teens with developmental disabilities in Jefferson County and helping them with the transition from adolescent to adult Leisure options. We are here to assist them in developing new peer relationships and talking about special teen–related topics. This next year will bring some changes to the program to help us reach out to more individuals and build on this past year’s experience. We are also super-excited about special funding received from the Jefferson Memorial Community Foundation Grant to put a covering over our Bocce courts with fans, heating, and lights. This will allow our consumers additional use of the courts in all kinds of weather. This will also provide us opportunity for smaller competitions with Special Olympics athletes in the St. Louis area and invite more community involvement with NextStep. Our Bocce program continues to grow so we are thrilled to enhance our accommodations for this growth. Our services are never the same from year to year. Our event schedule is always changing but, at the same time, it allows us to offer our traditional services as well. Please enjoy the collage of photos below depicting the good times we have shared together this past year. I look forward to making more memories with you. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Page 3 TRANSPORTATION Jefferson Co. Developmental Disability Resource Board enables JC Transit services to be available for a limited number of Leisure Services activities for a minimal cost to participants. Seats are limited so call at the time of registration for activities. JC Transit Phone Number 636-282-4470 (North Line) 636-937-6454 (South Line) You must register separately for Leisure activities and JC Transit reservations. See instructions on the registration form. Activities with JC Transit Services Christmas Dance-Dec. 5th For the remainder of the activities, you can meet our vans at a pick-up point. You will find the list of pick-up points below. Please note: OATS vans may be used as a backup to the JC Transit vans Leisure Services Transportation PickUp Points in Jefferson County High Ridge-Kmart Hwy 30 & Little Brennan Festus-Steak & Shake Rear Lot-Hwy A & I-55 Arnold Behind McDonald’s—Hwy 141 Look for the van icon to indicate that JC Transit services are available or look for pick-up times at pick-up points under the description of the activity. We reserve the right to cancel or change pick-up points when necessary. A minimum of 3 riders is required to guarantee a pick-up site. The Leisure Times Special Events CHRISTMAS DANCE Our dances are loads of fun? This is one place you can meet a lot of people in one night. We have a DJ Service that provides music for the evening and we serve snacks. If you have not been to one of our dances, you should join us. The dress is casual but nice. And who knows...a special guest might stop by for the holidays. DATE: Friday, December 5th PLACE: NextStep For Life 1615 Vine School Herculaneum, MO TIME: FEE: 7:00-9:30 $5.00 LIMO, LIGHTS & DINNER This is an event everyone looks forward to. Our group has dinner at Ponderosa on Richardson Rd. in Arnold. After dinner, the Limo will pick you up and drive you through the Christmas light display at Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, IL. You will enjoy all the perks of a limo service; lights, fog, and Christmas music. You may also choose to feed the animals at their petting zoo and even ride a camel. Since this was offered in last month’s newsletter, the only available slots are on December 18th. Please see page 4 for detail on times and fees. A CHRISTMAS STORY This musical at the Fox Theater is the hilarious account of Ralphie’s desperate quest to ensure that the most perfect of gifts ends up under his tree for Christmas; an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action 200-shot Range Model Air Rifle. This new Broadway musical is based on the classic 1983 movie. (limited number of tickets are still available.) DATE: Saturday, Dec. 20th FEE: $35.00 TIME: Festus 12:00 Arnold 12:30 PLACE: Fox Theater, St. Louis, MO page 4 4 Page The Leisure Times Monthly Social Activities MOVIE NIGHT Due to our busy holiday schedule, we will not meet at the theaters in December. We will return to scheduled Movie Nights in January. DINNER CLUB We are not scheduling our regular dinner out this month because we are starting our dinner and limo nights on December 2nd. See Special Events on page 3 for more information. We only have a few openings left. DATE: Limited slots available on December 18th. TIME: Festus 5:15 High Ridge 5:15 or meet at Ponderosa in Arnold at 5:45 FEE: $30.00 limo ride (send with registration) Bring money for dinner. Recommended amount for dinner is $20.00 JC Transit services are NOT available for this event. SATURDAY BOWL Enjoy Due to our busy Holiday Schedule, we will not have Saturday Bowling in December. Look for January dates in next month’s newsletter. FEE: $6 for 2 games including shoe rental $8 for 3 games including shoe rental TIME: 2:00 to 4:00 PM PLACE: Arnold Bowl Quonset Lanes 1140 Jeffco Blvd 2004 Truman Blvd Arnold, MO 63010 Crystal City, MO 63019 HO HO HO...Guess the correct number of Santa Hats like this elf is wearing and win free bowling. the Holiday Cheer page 5 The Leisure Times BOWLING & BASKETBALL Our Bowling athletes competed at the St. Louis Metro Area tournament in St. Peters on Nov. 1st. Thank you to the many family members who joined us to cheer our NextStep bowlers onto victory. This was a qualifying tournament ,so those awarded with gold and silver medals will advance to the State games in March. Congratulations to all Area bowlers for the great job you did. Below are the results of the tournament with the names of the bowlers who will travel to Fort Leonard Wood on March 27th. Good Luck to all! Area Awards: 13 Gold 17 Silver 4 Bronze 2 Fourth Place Ribbons State Qualifying Bowlers: Nathan Bates John Burnett Paul Burnett Eli Clouse Donna Farley Kathy Miller Charlie Seabaugh Jane Howell Rob Kissee Samantha Luttrell Shaun Lynch Becca Tincknell Audrea Rentchler Kendra Tracy If you are up for a good game of Dirk Williams Dallas Giffin Norman Wooldridge Brian Guenzler Earl Biesemeyer Danny Hageman Richie Dowdell Jeanna Huntington Greg Eaton Curt Martin Janet Rulo Donnie Schrameyer Tiffany Turek Basketball, join our teams. We will begin this season with a registration night on December 10th. All athletes interested in playing must attend this night. This will give our coaches an opportunity to evaluate new and veteran players so teams are in place when we begin our practices in January. Registration and practices will be held at Festus Elementary School gym. Our first practice is scheduled for January 7th. Practices will be on-going through the end of March. We will have the opportunity to compete in Local, Area and Regional tournaments, with Regional being the qualifying tournament for State. The State games for basketball have been moved to Fort Leonard Wood, to be held March 27th—29th. We will have several players returning this year but we are always looking for new ones. You will need to be enrolled with Leisure Services and have a current Special Olympics physical and release. All new and renewed physicals are due by December 31st. Contact our office if you need a form. We are in need of additional coaches this year. General knowledge of the sport is preferred Basketball Registration but not required. Night Enthusiasm is all Wednesday, Dec. 10th 6:30 p.m. that is needed!! First Practice You are Wednesday, January 7th guaranteed a great 6:30 p.m. time. Please call if 2015 Tournament Schedule January 17th - Francis Howell interested. January 31st - Area March 8th - Regional March 27th—29th—State Athletes wishing to compete in Special Olympics at the State level (which is optional) will be charged a $60.00 assessment fee to assist in expenses of lodging, meals, and competition. If you attend the games, but arrange your own lodging, the fee is reduced to $30.00. Assessments will be collected from interested athletes at the start of the practice season for each sport. If you are not chosen to attend, you will receive a full refund. Assistance is available upon request from the Dick Bennett Memorial Fund . Allocations are based on individual need. Page 6 A Teen Program funded by Variety, the Children’s Charity NextStep Leisure Services is pleased to announce that funding has been granted for another year from Variety, the Children’s Charity to continue our a TEEN program to youth between the ages of 14 18 years of age. We are pleased to continue our partnership with Variety and want to thank them for their generosity. The focus of this program is to engage in activities designed to foster skills toward more independence; including money handling, relationships, fitness and nutrition as well as other topics like fashion and recreation. It’s a good opportunity to help teens transition into the older adolescent/young adult role and develop successful peer relations during this transition. This year we will be making changes to the program to enhance the experience for our teens. Instead offering sessions 3x a year, we will be meeting monthly year-round. This will give our teens the opportunity to see each other more often and on a more consistent schedule. We will also expand on the number of participants to increase that circle of friends that has formed over the last year. We will continue to focus on special topics that will offer useful information for the transition to young adult activities and will incorporate this information community outings, group sessions, special events and a variety of social experiences. To expand on this program, there will be a small fee that participants will be charged but there are options for scholarships if financial assistance is needed. We are very excited about the future of Teen Ties. A special thanks goes out to Lisa Cashion and Sandy Riney for their services and input as our group leaders. They have really enjoyed the group and look forward to serving you in the next year. If you have a teen between the age of 14 and 18 years old that is interested in joining Teen Ties, please call Terri Dallas to determine eligibility or call your Service Coordinator to start the referral process. It’s fun to be with all the people and get to go places The FRIENDS, the FUN This is great. It has helped my daughter become more independent. The chaperons are superb!!! They always have the participants happiness a priority. They are patient and kind. As a parent, I appreciate everything they do for our children. LOVE IT! Leisure Services of Jefferson County is by far the best support group in existence for special needs adults. When I talk to other parents in other states and other counties in Missouri, they can not believe all that is offered here. Page 7 REGISTRATION PROCEDURE Below is the procedure we recommend you use to successfully register for Leisure Services activities. 1. Look over the newsletter and complete the registration form below. Please avoid calling in your reservations. Completed forms for all activities and payments for Special Events are necessary to confirm your reservations. 2. Please make checks payable to NextStep for Life. 3. You will want to contact JCTransit to request a ride to activities indicating this service. A 48 hour notice is required. Contact JCTransit at 636-282-4470 or 937-6454. Remember that there are limited slots for transportation. You will also have the option to meet our group at pick-up points or event locations. 4. It is important that you cancel a reservation for any activity you are unable to attend, both with Leisure Services and JCTransit. A 24 hour cancellation notice is required to be considered for a refund of your activity fee, however, refunds cannot be guaranteed upon cancellation. 5. In case of INCLEMENT WEATHER, you may call our Event Information Line at 636-282-4420 to check the status of an activity before heading out the door. All cancellations will be determined by 3:00 p.m. the day of the event. 6.. HAVE A GREAT TIME! REGISTRATION FORM You must register for all activities in advance. If you are not registered, you may be sent home due to staff/participant ratio. Name:_____________________________________Phone:________________________Nearest pick-up point:_______________ Address:_______________________________________________________ E-mail _______________________________ Please send registration form with payment to SPECIAL EVENTS Activity fee for Special Events must be received with registration to guarantee slot. NextStep for Life P.O. Box 97 Mapaville MO 63065 TOTAL AMOUNT ENCLOSED $__________ SPORTS TRAINING Christmas Dance-Dec. 5th $5.00 A Christmas Story-Dec. 20th $35.00 Limo and Lights (choose one date) $30.00 Dec. 2nd - full Dec. 4th - full Dec. 9th - full Dec. 11th - full Dec. 16th - full Dec. 18th _____ Special Olympics physical is needed Basketball - registration night December 10th If you choose to attend a State Special Olympics tournament, you will be asked to pay an assessment fee charged by Special Olympics as well as a small transportation fee. VACATION OPPORTUNITIES My Dream Vacation: _____________________________ The announcement for the 2015 Summer Vacation is coming soon. SANTA HAT CONTEST How many Santa Hats like the one above are there in this newsletter? (you should include this one in your count) Participant’s Answer: _______ Remember that pre-registration is required for all events. You will want to send in your registration form as soon as possible. We’re sorry but registrations cannot be taken over the phone. Encouraging Active Lifestyles December 2014 Leisure Services NextStep for Life, Inc. P.O. Box 97 Mapaville, MO 63065 Return Service Requested Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Mapaville, MO Permit No. 8 Phone: 636-282-4419 Phone: 636-933-5519 Fax: 636-282-1420 Fax: 636-933-3420 Info: 636-282-4420 OUR MISSION It is the mission of NextStep for Life, Inc. to provide supports that enable people with disabilities to pursue a life of quality and dignity. DATED MATERIAL This issue mailed on 11-21-14 Please contact us if you wish to be removed from mail list. Dick Bennett Memorial Fund Like us on Facebook Visit us on the web: www.nextstepforlife.org If you are in need of financial assistance to attend Leisure trips and activities, scholarship money is available through the Dick Bennett Memorial Fund. Dick was a long time director for DSJC and attended many of our Leisure trips as a chaperone, enjoying the events as much as our participants. Memorial funds have been set up to help others experience that same joy. Your request will be kept confidential and amount of assistance will be based on individual needs. Funds can be used to pay activity fees, transportation fees, or both depending on your need. 2013/14 Needs Met with Funds Special Olympics Assessment Fee Assistance Monthly Activities Assistance YMCA Trout Lodge Fall Branson Trip Swim Lessons Summer Vacation To keep this fund going, continued contributions may be made, including memorials to loved ones. Your support is appreciated. Vacation Opportunities Summer Vacation 2015 Where would you like to travel? It’s time to start thinking about next year’s summer vacation. We are planning for a 4-night trip within the USA. In the past, we have visited mountains, lakes, oceans and plains. What is your dream vacation? Please share ideas on this month’s registration form and we will look into different options. Start saving! The announcement is coming soon.
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