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with Parks & Rec Director, BJ Staab
The first month of 2023 is already behind us…as they say, "time flies." In January's newsflash I talked about making those New Year's resolutions and determining what you want to accomplish in 2023. Hopefully you are accomplishing your goals and staying on track so far. Here at Liberty Parks & Rec our mission is to Create Community Connections. As you can see with this month's e-newsletter, we are staying on track with our mission! Happy Heart Health Month and GO CHIEFS!
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February is American Heart Month!
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Americans and can affect all ages, genders and ethnicities. It is important to keep your heart healthy by participating in regular exercise, eating a healthy diet and managing your cholesterol and blood pressure.
The Liberty Parks & Rec Health & Wellness Division encourages you to wear red on Friday, February 3 to help raise and spread awareness of heart disease. The Health & Wellness staff will be also be at the Liberty Community Center on Thursday, Feb. 9 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. performing free blood pressure checks and providing more information to show their support for American Heart Month.
Learn more about American Heart Month from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NIH).
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NEW Disc Golf Course @ Bennett Park
Our LPR crews have taken advantage of some of the warmer days this spring and finished installing the baskets for the new Bennett Park Disc Golf Course. The course is playable now and the concrete tee pads will be installed in the coming weeks as weather permits. The pads are temporarily identified with flags and paint, and the baskets are numbered.
This nine-hole course was a collaboration between citizens and LPR to create a smaller course encouraging beginners to play disc golf. We received feedback from the community asking for more visibility (cleared vegetation and brush) throughout Bennett Park and more activities to utilize the space.
We are excited to add this new amenity to our park system. This is a great course to complement the more challenging Bad Rock Creek Disc Golf Course at Stocksdale Park, which is one of the top rated courses in the KC metro area.
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Liberty Parks & Rec staff traveled to Sedalia, MO to test our skills in the Missouri Park and Recreation Association Park Maintenance Rodeo. The three Liberty teams competed in five events - the backpack blower obstacle course, zero-turn obstacle course, truck and trailer course, skid loader obstacle course and a park bench build.
There were 81 participants on 16 teams representing 12 parks and recreation agencies in this region of Missouri. The Liberty teams did very well, with a couple individual first, second and third place finishes, and one team took third place overall! What a great change of pace and opportunity to get out of the cold and do a little team building!
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February Silver Center Activities
Come socialize and stay engaged at the Liberty Silver Center! Located at the Liberty Community Center, the Liberty Silver Center is open Monday - Friday from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.
There are a wide variety of activities planned each month designed to meet the needs and social interests of the seniors in our community, offering plenty of opportunities to exercise your mind and body!
Here are a few highlights coming up in February:
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Friday, Feb. 3 – Wear Red Day to raise awareness for Heart Health Month
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Wednesday, Feb. 8 and Thursday, Feb. 9 - Free Blood Pressure Checks
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Friday, Feb. 10 – “Souper Bowl” Soup and Salad Lunch
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Tuesday, Feb. 14 – Valentine’s Day Music Bingo
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Wednesday, Feb. 15 - Free Tax Prep - (call 816.439.4368 to sign up)
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Friday, Feb. 24 - Monthly Birthday Party
In addition to all the activities, be sure to check out the menu and stop by for lunch!
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photo credit to Liberty Area Chamber of Commerce | |
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Congratulations Jodi Capps!
Liberty Parks & Rec Foundation (LPRF) Chair Jodi Capps was recently presented with the Bill Kersten Outstanding Citizen of the Year award from the Liberty Area Chamber of Commerce.
The award recognizes an individual who has made a noteworthy contribution over and above regular employment duties.
For more than 30 years, Jodi has been a huge supporter of the City of Liberty and has served on the Park Board for Liberty Parks & Rec (LPR) for seven years. In 2015 she was appointed to the LPRF Board, during which time she helped transition the Board from two annual fundraising projects to a 10-week annual campaign.
Since 2018, Jodi has been Chairperson of the LPRF Board and helped oversee the fundraising of more than $438,000 to support children, families and the community. This is just a small sampling of the accomplishments she has achieved. Her most significant contribution to the community is ensuring all children have the opportunity to play sports or have fun in Liberty.
Thank you for being such an advocate for LPR and everything you do for our department and the City of Liberty.
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Lifeguard Certification Offered at the Liberty Community Center
Here at LPR, we use Ellis & Associates International Lifeguard Training Program to certify our lifeguards and other participants interested in obtaining their lifeguard training certification.
Participants are taught how to anticipate, recognize and respond to an aquatic emergency. Skills obtained during this program include rescue techniques for a guest in distress on the surface of the water, below the surface and fully submerged (conscious and unconscious).
Other program skills taught include the application of supplemental oxygen, the use of a bag-valve-mask, first aid and AED application.
Sessions available in March, April and May with the first starting on March 10, 2023.
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Unleash Your Potential
Registration is open for spring sessions of our Youth Speed & Agility Clinics. These clinics are designed for youth ages 6-13 and are a great opportunity to learn fundamental movement patterns applicable to virtually every sport while encouraging sportsmanship and friendly competition.
There are three sessions available this spring on Tuesdays in the Liberty Community Center Gym. The program includes four 50-minute general conditioning and agility training sessions.
- Feb. 28 - March 21
- March 28 - April 18
- April 25 - May 16
- 6:30 - 7:20 p.m. (Ages 6-8)
- 7:30 - 8:20 p.m. (Ages 9-13)
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Employee Spotlight - Bill
Bill is the newest member of our Health & Wellness team at the Liberty Community Center (LCC). He brings a lot of experience and knowledge in personal training and developing programs. We will let Bill tell you a little about himself.
I received my Bachelors of Fine Arts in sculpture from the Kansas City Art Institute. From there, I pursued several certifications for personal training and group exercise instruction. I have NASM certifications for group personal training, corrective exercise training, and TRX suspension and functions.
I like to serve as a motivational coach and exercise instructor focused on the safety of our members and their personal and physical development. I am passionate about group exercise, body movements and balance for seniors.
When I am not at the LCC, I am spending time with my two kids, Ava (11) and Chuck (6). My favorite hobbies are ceramic sculpting and painting. My favorite color is lime green/ blaze orange and my favorite animal is an owl.
Stop by the LCC sometime and say hi or come check out one of my group exercise classes.
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NEW Group Exercise Class
Have you ever wanted to weave the mindful practices of yoga into your fitness routine? Starting Thursday, Feb. 9 at 5:30 am., the Liberty Community Center (LCC) will be offering a new class called WARRIOR Rhythm™. This class is fitness-focused with yoga undertones to increase strength, flexibility and balance. Think yoga + weights + HIIT + mindfulness rolled into one insanely rhythmic experience!
Get ready for unconventional yoga flows and unforgettable playlists designed to unleash your inner wild thing! This class is free to LCC members and day passes are available for non-members who want to check it out. You can view the group ex class schedule online and see all the classes the LCC has to offer.
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The Liberty Community Christmas Tree program would like to say "THANK YOU" and recognize these In-Kind donors for being a part of our program's success in 2022!
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Price Chopper - purchased highly desired food items to give to families in need.
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Heritage Hall - provided space to collect, sort, repack, and "ship" out food and gifts.
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Commerce Bank - prepared and sent hundreds of preloaded gift cards for volunteers to use to purchase gifts for children.
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Vanguard Packaging - donated boxes for our Food Drive and on Delivery Day.
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Dan Lechner – Farmers Insurance - donated bicycles to families who participated.
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Liberty Community Center - allowed us to use the lobby to conduct our “Sponsor a Family” meetings.
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Benson Place Neighborhood - donated 450 brownie mix boxes and 450 stuffing mix boxes to our food drive.
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Thomas Farms System - provided a dumpster to use all week at Heritage Hall.
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Crowley Furniture - provided "big" boxes to sort donated food.
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Starbucks - provided coffee for volunteers on Delivery Day.
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LPS Distribution Team - picked up food from every Liberty Public School District school and delivered it to Heritage Hall.
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Liberty Parks & Rec - delivered shopping carts to Heritage Hall for food sorting.
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Home Depot - let us borrow 18 shopping carts for 5 days to use for food sorting.
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Liberty Girls and Boys Basketball Team - volunteered to deliver food to senior citizens.
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Climate Control - allowed us to use a box truck to deliver food to senior apartments.
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LaMar's Donuts - provided donuts for volunteers on Delivery Day.
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L&M Electric - provided and drove a truck and trailer to use to deliver food to seniors citizens.
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Are You Ready for Some Football?
The Liberty Community Center will be closing at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12 so our staff can support and celebrate the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
Be sure to get your workout in early and we will open Monday, Feb. 13 at 5 a.m.
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Register Today for Spring Youth Sports!
LPR's 2023 spring youth sports features a full lineup of soccer, baseball, softball, t-ball, flag football and volleyball.
Did you know? 73% of parents believe that sports benefit their child’s mental health. And they are right!
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