The Giving your best award was given to !
(Copied from Channel 6 website)
This Month's GYB Winner Pam and George Stickler
Giving Your Best
Pam and George Stickler have used their experience, as parents of a special needs child, to inspire others. Just getting the two of them together long enough to present their award was a challenge!
The Sticklers don?t wait for opportunities to come around; they make them happen for children with special needs through recreational and social activities. And though they serve a lot of people with disabilities in the CSRA, their efforts started with just one person- their son, Stephen.
Pam says they picked an activity that Stephen liked.
?We started with a bowling team, and thought if I could get 10 or 15 individuals to bowl that would be wonderful- and today we have at least 55 bowlers!"
The desire to make a difference in Stephen?s life soon inspired a more ambitious undertaking: the RECing Crew.
"We started talking and seeing what else we'd like to see them do,? Pam explains. ?With a lot of help from all those other families we've been able to do the RECing crew and all the programs that we have."
From basketball to jazzercise, activities that help people with special needs enjoy all that life has to offer. George says he knew they were making a difference when banquet time rolled around.
"We had 145 people at the awards banquet. We were giving give out trophies for basketball, baseball and bowling. All of a sudden we were having to find places big enough to hold our dinners. That?s when it hit me."
So many people getting so much out of a project that started with one couple?s dream. As Pam puts it, they support and nurture each other.
"We give each other strength and it gives us the opportunity to move on and continue what we're doing and realize everyday is really important, and I think the other parents meet each other and get the same strength from each other."
Congratulations to the Sticklers, who stuck with their labor of love and made the RECing crew such a positive force in the CSRA. Wade Payton says they are truly giving their best and no less.
"They're the closest example I know of the golden rule."
Nominated by: Wade Payton-- ?They have inspired and continue to inspire others to enjoy themselves and grow through volunteering with the group.?
About Giving Your BestThe Giving Your Best Award honors people in our community who have made a significant difference in the lives of others. Award Recipients are selected based on their contributions to our community and ongoing efforts, above and beyond their job, to help others.
On the first Monday of each month, Jennie Montgomery will feature the latest Giving Your Best recipient during the WJBF News Channel 6 at 5:00 PM newscast. The Giving Your Best Partners include, Georgia Bank & Trust, Solvay Advanced Polymers, Walton Rehabilitation Health Center, and WJBF News Channel 6.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
RECing Crew builds up special needs youths
By Charmain Z. Brackett| Correspondent
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Chronicle link
Rosemary Bradley regrets that she didn't involve her son Michael with The RECing Crew earlier.
"It's been wonderful. Everyone is so nice and welcoming," Ms. Bradley said of the leisure and recreation organization for special needs adults and children.
She learned about the program through Anne Comer, an adaptive physical education teacher in the Columbia County school system who is a coach for many of The RECing Crew's programs.
Mrs. Bradley's 19-year-old son, a senior at Greenbrier High School, started programs this year.
Pam Stickler started the RECing Crew in 2002 with one program -- a bowling league for special needs adults. More than 100 disabled children and adults now participate in its activities, which include the bowling league, basketball in the fall and baseball in the spring, a social group and a Jazzercise class.
Most events are held in North Augusta, but participants come from Aiken, Edgefield, Richmond and Columbia counties, Mrs. Stickler said.
Allison Meyer has been part of the organization for about five years.
"It's fun," said Ms. Meyer, 23.
Her mother, Susan Meyer, said being part of the organization has been good for her daughter.
"Allison has made good friends," she said.
Most of The RECing Crew programs are free or have a nominal cost. An annual spring fundraiser called Sweet Celebrations helps to offset expenses.
In addition to the regular activities, there are special events throughout the year, including a visit with Santa Claus at Christmas and a kickoff event at the beginning of the school year.
For more information, call Mrs. Stickler at (803) 279-8820 or visit www.therecingcrew.com
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Augusta Family Magazine\ September2009
Inspiration Station
by Charmain Z. Brackett
Founding a non-profit organization wasn?t part of Pam Stickler?s plans. The North Augusta mother, whose 30-year-old son, Stephen, has cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheelchair, simply wanted to provide a social and recreational outlet for him. ?I picked bowling. I thought, ?If I get 15 kids, I?m going to be happy.? I had no idea it would blossom into this,? says Stickler, who had 25 show up for the first bowling match in 2002 at North Augusta?s Northside Lanes.
Since then, Stickler has never looked back.
This spring, her organization, The RECing Crew, received its 501-C3 status and instead of just bowling for 25 adults and children with special needs, The RECing Crew has a variety of programs with participation of more than 100 adults and children last year. The organization?s year runs similar to the school calendar with programs from August through May and a break during the summer.
A Dearth of Opportunities in the CSRA
Finding programs for Stephen to be a part of was never a problem for the Sticklers when they lived in larger metropolitan areas such as Chicago and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. ?Other areas had special recreation associations with after- school and recreation activities,? she says. ?You name it, they had it?separate soccer programs, movies once a month, dance, karate, swimming.?
These areas even offered program guides with numerous activities available. But when the family moved to the area in 2001, the opportunities were extremely limited, especially once special needs children graduate and move out of the school system.
The Programs Grow
From the Alley Cats bowling team, which had 70 bowlers registered last year, came the second group within The RECing Crew?the Cruisers.
The Cruisers take part in social activities. Members may go to the movies one month or to see the Augusta GreenJackets another month, but their favorite activities are the dances, says Stickler. Dances often have different themes including a 1950s sock-hop which featured an Elvis impersonator, and the Winter Wonderland Ball, sponsored by Grace United Methodist Church, in January. There?s also a Jazzercise program.
With bowling, most of the participants were older than 21, but Stickler didn?t want to exclude school-aged children. More young children became part of The RECing Crew when the T-RecS (tri-recreational sports) program offered adaptive baseball and basketball programs and cheerleading. One of the volunteer coaches is a recreation therapist for the Columbia County School System, Anne Comer. She works with special needs children in the schools and has helped develop that portion of the program. Longtime North Augusta recreation coach and North Augusta City councilwoman, Pat Carpenter, also works with T-RecS.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
FORMS
Annual Registration Form page 1
Annual Registration Form page 2
Annual Registration Form page 3
Program Registration Form
Wavier and Picture Release
Behavior Code
|
