The Villages - September 2016 - 26

Start Your Own Club So you want to start a club? Congratulations on your noble desire to volunteer your time, share your talent and put your organizational and leadership skills to use to enrich your neighbors' lives in The Villages. Many residents have good intentions, but not all follow through and make it happen. Will you stick it out and realize your dream? Good luck and happy applying! These steps will send you on your way with tips from Pam Henry, recreation manager of resident lifestyles, parks and public relations, to help ensure your success. The process typically takes four to eight weeks. 1 2 3 1. Apply Pick up an application at any regional recreation center, or apply online at districtgov.org under "Recreation > Resident Lifestyle Information > Volunteer Opportunities." As of last month, the Recreation Department received an average of one application a day, so you might need to be a little patient. Staff members meet to review each application, determine how similar it is to existing clubs and where those clubs meet. "Our goal is to have the same types of programs in every region," Henry said. "We also look at participation of existing clubs and if they're at capacity." Once the staff determines that the club fulfills their requirements and will benefit Villagers, the idea moves to the next step. 2. Survey About 80 percent of club applications get surveyed, Henry said. That means they earn a spot in the weekly Recreation News insert in The Villages Daily Sun to see how much community interest the club generates. The applier is notified that his or her club will be listed under Club Surveys for two consecutive weeks. Staff will sometimes consider running it longer. "If we think it's unique and new enough, we'll assist them in getting the word out to grow that program," Henry said. The survey tells interested residents to contact the applicant to express interest in the potential club. The applicant keeps track of the number of people who contact him or her about it and reports the total number to the Recreation Department. 3. Schedule If the survey attracts a promising amount of interest from residents, Recreation staff discuss with the applicant to set up the logistics of the club. Maybe 10 percent of applicants drop out after passing the survey period because of lack of interest in the proposed club. Applicants who want to proceed agree on the time, date, place, duration and frequency of meetings, based on the recreation centers' availability. Recreation staff use a RecWare Software program to help avoid overlaps and find open slots. Type of activity is taken into account so that bands aren't meeting next to quieter clubs like card game groups. "It's a puzzle," Henry said. "We're putting the pieces together for the right fit for our facilities." Card and board games generally meet weekly for three or three and a half hours, while special interest and social groups might meet one or twice a month for two to three hours and exercise groups might meet weekly for an hour. "We try to get as close to what the resident has requested as possible," Henry said. 26 SEPTEMBER 2016 http://www.districtgov.org

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The Villages - September 2016 - Contents
The Villages - September 2016 - 1
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