From the Mouths of Volunteers

One of our soccer coaches, Michelle Rubio, shared her volunteering experiences with us earlier in the spring soccer season:

Every practice and game I tell them to be happy with whatever position they receive and give it their all. I guess you could say our unofficial motto is play your best. My team has noticed during games other kids smack talking, but they refuse to answer back in a degrading way. Their responses always are "we're going to play our best" or "we're going to win because we'll play our best." I really enjoyed seeing this change and improvement.

Jesse, who was on my team last year, was somewhat distracted in practices with influences from other teammates. However, once I made him team captain and motivated him to be a leader, he changed his whole attitude. He has proudly led his team in laps, stretching and constant feedback. It's been so lovely to see the change in him.

My team has improved and boosted their confidence just by playing their best and believing in each other. Some days they have a harder time believing that, but when they collaborate they are the best team ever!

Spring soccer comes to a close

Spring soccer came to a close this past Saturday with an exciting final tournament for the two older age divisions. We want to thank all of our sponsors this season for their support and all of our dedicated volunteers, without whom this league would not be possible!

Below are the champion teams for each age division:

Thank you to Centro Hispano and Mullet Hoover who made it possible for us to get medals for the winning teams!

Soccer Tournament!

Spring soccer season ends this Saturday with our first ever South Franklin Soccer Tournament. The youngest age division (5-7 year olds) will all play a regular game at 9:00 am and the tournament will begin at 10:00 am. The tournament is single elimination with the oldest age division (12-15 year olds) battling it out first, followed by the middle age division (8-11 year olds). Below is the tournament bracket:
All of the games will be played on the field at the Boulder’s Apartments – 750 S. 650 W.

Thanks to the generosity of Centro Hispano and Mullet Hoover we were able to purchase medals this season for the winning teams!

Zumba for kids!

This month we have started a Zumba class for kids at the community center. In this class the kids get to dance to fun music and do rotating stations with jump ropes, hula hoops and more. They get exercise while having fun and developing their coordination. It is hard to tell who has a better time, the parents watching or the kids participating! Check out these videos of the class:

From the Mouth of Volunteers

Elissa Martin is a regular with the community center as an After School Open Hours volunteer. Here is a story she shared with us about her experience at the center, and we want to share it with you:

"As a volunteer for open hours I'm lucky to be able to do a variety of activities with the kids that come into the community center after school. One of my very favorite moments was the day I first sat down at the piano with Rosario. In about a half hour, I had taught her to play “Heart and Soul”. She is so smart, and I could obviously tell she loved learning how to play it. The next week I came back, she had completely polished it and could play it perfectly. We sat down and played the whole duet together. Rosario even told me how she had played it for her music teacher at school and how impressed her teacher was. I was so proud of her! She had practiced and worked hard to accomplish something special. I think it's so cool that the community center offers these kids a chance to not just play but to learn as well".
-Elissa Martin

Stellar volunteers like Elissa make a difference every day with the people they serve in the South Franklin Community. Thank you!

The Easter Bunny makes a stop at the community center!

This past Saturday the Easter Bunny made a stop at the community center...better late than never! Volunteers from the BYU 207th ward came and put on an Easter party to remember. Between the cupcake walk, Pin the Tail on the Bunny, face painting and bag decorating the kids stayed busy and had a great time. The event ended with an Easter egg hunt with eggs and candy provided by the Boulders Apartments. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this fun event!

Cupcake mustache?
Awesome face painters that did some amazing designs!

Zumba!

This past February we started a weekly Zumba class in the community center on Thursdays at 5:30 pm. This Latin dance workout class has been a huge success with the room packed each week. Starting tomorrow we will now have Zumba for kids every Tuesday at 5:30 pm. Come join the fun and get a workout!

Spotlight: Welcome Baby and Tiny Tunes

Every Friday in the community center parents have a chance to learn parenting skills and have fun with their younger children. Tiny Tunes is a music class, taught by community resident Marian Merz, which combines song and rhythm to encourage early cognitive development in toddlers.

The fun continues with the Welcome Baby Playgroup run by Sonali Rangel, an intern with United Way of Utah County and the Utah County Health Department. During this class parents can learn skills that will increase parental awareness and confidence, while also bonding in a fun way with their children.

Come check it out at the Community Center every Friday!

Tiny Tunes 10:30am and Welcome Baby 11:00am