Bill Kaplan is looking for more volunteers for the Newburgh Armory Unity Center.
By MATT VERONESI
Hello New Windsor. Recently I was invited to a meeting at the Newburgh Armory Unity Center by Mr. Bill Kaplan to learn about their Saturday Morning Enrichment Club. I had never been to the Armory before and had never met Mr. Kaplan even though I have been the Director of Parks and Recreation for New Windsor for nearly 13 years.
I was always under the impression that the Newburgh Armory programs were for Newburgh residents only. At the meeting I learned that the Saturday Morning Enrichment programs are open to any youth who attend the Newburgh Enlarged School District who are in Pre K to the 6th grade. They serve over 400 kids in both academic and sports classes. Classes are free for all participants and in order for a child to be able to participate in a sports class they must take at least one academic class as well.
There are so many different class choices including some pretty unique skilled classes such as learning how to fly a drone, to classes on how to be a nurse, to Hydroponic Gardening. All of these classes are taught by volunteers.
And being that this program is expanding, the need for volunteers keeps expanding as well. In the meeting with Mr. Kaplan he talked about wanting more Senior Citizens to be volunteers. He had read a study that showed that there are great benefits to both parties when senior citizens and youth are brought together in mentoring opportunities. The studies show that seniors who mentor and support young people are three times more likely to be happier than those who do not.
Unfortunately many of the youth in the Enrichment program do not have their grandparents in their lives so being able to work with seniors in this program fills a real void for some of these children. Not to mention that some of the senior volunteers don’t have their grandchildren in their daily lives because they do not live local so this program also can fill a void for the senior as well.
What Mr. Kaplan has done with the Newburgh Armory and with this program is an amazing thing, and it has helped so many children academically as well as with life skills. And he is definitely on to something wanting to get more senior volunteers. Talking to some of the volunteers of the Saturday Morning Enrichment Program they all said similar things. That they all get so much out of volunteering for this program.
If anyone is interested in volunteering at the Newburgh Armory Unity Center, please give them a call at 245-4035. And to Mr. Bill Kaplan congratulations on creating this amazing program that is helping so many children. You should be extremely proud of what you have accomplished, and this program will continue to grow and help so many others!
Registration for Summer Camp Programs
The Town of New Windsor Recreation Department is accepting registrations for Summer Camp Programs. There are different options for children ages 3-15 years old with half day, full day, and a Counselor In Training Program.
Please visit the Town of New Windsor Recreation Department Website at nwrecisfun.com or call 845-565-7750 for more information.
Positions open at NW Rec
The Town of New Windsor Recreation Department is hiring for the following positions: Field Crew, Concession Staff Crew, Assistant Camp Director, and Summer Camp Counselors. Applications must be turned in to the Town Supervisors Office at 555 Union Avenue by Monday May 20 which in order to be considered.
Applications can be picked up from the Recreation Department office at 244 Union Avenue in New Windsor or by going to the Recreation Department Website at www.nwrecisfun.com. For more information please call 845-565-7750 or email mveronesi@newwindsor-ny.gov. New Windsor Residents only please.
Trip to annual Strawberry Festival Peddler’s Village in Lahaska, PA
Join the New Windsor Recreational Department on Saturday May 18 for a day trip to Peddler’s Village in Lahaska, Pennsylvania for the annual Strawberry Festival. At the festival craftspeople gather to show their wares and demonstrate their skills, and strawberries are served up in various forms such as dipped in chocolate, in assorted pastries and shortcakes, in jams, fritters, as well as fresh and unadorned. Live entertainment and pie eating contests add to the festivities of this traditional Spring celebration.
In addition to the vendors that set up, the village has over 70 upscale and unique shops and eight restaurants. The bus leaves New Windsor Town hall Complex at 8 a.m. and returns at 7 p.m. The price of the trip is $35.
Movie at the Marasco Center
The Senior Matinee movie is held every Tuesday at the Marasco Center at 11:30 a.m. The movie for Tuesday May 7 is “Second Act.”
An assistant manager with a stellar record but no college degree makes her unqualified for a big promotion. When a fake resume leads a big financial firm to hire her, it completely changes her life. She then sets out to prove to the world that street smarts matter just as much as, if not more than, degrees and titles.
For more information on the programs above or for all Town of New Windsor Recreation programs visit nwrecisfun.com or call 845-565-7750.
Birthday Announcements
Birthday shout outs this week go to Tim Urban whose birthday is on May 1, to Chris Regan whose birthday is on May 2, to Tim Hinspeter whose birthday is on May 3, to Brendan Flynn whose birthday is on May 4, and to anyone else out there celebrating birthdays this week Happy Birthday!
If anyone has a birthday or other special event you want mentioned in my column, or have anything going on in New Windsor that you want the world to know about you can reach me at mveronesi@optimum.net or by calling 845-629-1260. Have a great week.