A Message From Director Jane Shelhorse

Oh my goodness! What a year it has been! This time last year, we were looking forward to our 30th year of service to the citizens of Louisa County. We were encouraging everyone to make a resolution or two to try something new, reduce your stress level, and just have some fun.

It is an exciting time in our department, as we celebrate 30 years of service to our community and reflect back on just how far we have come in the past thirty years. Where our department originally started with inviting the citizens to participate in six programs, we now offer more than 200 activities to the community each year. And as we continue to grow, we always try to do our best to provide quality services and wholesome recreational activities for the entire family.

Warmer weather came, and we tried something new ourselves - the First Fridays concert series in Louisa. Our pool was busy all summer, and our swim team was larger than ever. Summer was winding down and we held our big anniversary celebration; a day filled with fun and activities for all. Our year was moving ahead smoothly.

Then 1:51 p.m. on August 23rd EVERYTHING changed. We could not have imagined in that very moment just how different things really would become. The Betty Queen Center is now filled "to the brim" most days with activities for middle school students, as well as the senior and children's programs we host. Our TeenQuest Special Program has provided partents a safe, supervised place to send their children on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays when they are not in school. Our gym has become the practice facility and "home court" for athletic teams from both the high school and middle school. Some days, the high school's culinary arts students can be found assisting with lunch for our senior citizens. The Center is becoming more intergenerational every day.

It has been a time consuming experience having all these changes take place. Yet, with each new challenge has come rewards. Dealing with the middle school teens three days a week has brought a new level of appreciation for these Bobcats. Kids are so resilient. I've seem them tremble with each aftershock; grin from ear to ear because "I get to be here on my birthday"; watch them play a game with their teacher and hear them say, "hey, I didn't know you could play volleyball"; have them call me "principal Jane" and come in and sit in my office to explain why they're "so angry" and hear what they aren't really saying about how things are in their life; and just see them simile and say "Hey, Ms. Jane" when they get off the bus to join us for the day. They have truly become "my kids" and I have to admit, being around them has added an unexpected pleasure to my days.

Like everyone else, we had to cut back on some of our programs from the fall and winter, as we adjust to life post-earthquake. With schedule changes and facilities no longer available to use, we have had to be creative. For example, our popular Thursday drop-in adult volleyball program at the high school has been switched to Wednesday nights at the Betty Queen Center. We no longer have access to the fitness center to offer to the public. We've had to combine some of our basketball programs because registrations are lower than normal as people are simply trying to make this "new schedule" work for their family. We are finding that scheduling programs and meetings in our Center to be a bit challenging since several regular meeting places have been damaged. It is what is now the new "normal" way of life in Louisa County.

So, 2012 is a new year, and as you can see in this Leisure Times, we have plenty of programs planned for you. We still want you to try something new, reduce your stress level, and have some fun. Why not give hearth cooking, jewelry making, guitar lessons, zumba, or sign language a try? Or get creative with a box of marshmallow peeps and enter our Golden Peeps contest - that's some good, wholesome fun that everyone in the family can enjoy.

And speaking of family fun ... there are quite a few special events scheduled for the new year. Our long time favorites like the Father-Daughter and Mother-Son dances are in February. They will be followed by the new community favorite, the First Fridays concert series which will start in May this year. June will bring history alive once again at the 148th Anniversary of the Battle of Trevilian Station Re-enactment.

We hope that within this brochure, you are able to find something that enables you to bring just a tad more normalcy back into your life. At LCPR, our role in the lives of young and old continues to change, but we are still here, after all, to serve you. There is one good thing that each one of us can take away from August 23rd - the earthquake has brought the community together as never before. We hope that spirit continues well beyond 2012.

Jane Shelhorse