Friday, December 9, 2011

Neighborhood Christmas Event!


On Saturday, December 17, the Franklin South neighborhood is invited to participate in a fun family service event and share the joy of Christmas.

Neighbors can meet with other members of the community in the north parking lot of Community Action Services and Food Bank (815 S. Freedom Blvd.) at 6:30 p.m. to go Christmas caroling with llamas and collect canned food for the food bank.

Llamas?!


Yes, llamas!
 
Bring your kids and grandkids to meet a few new fluffy friends, sing Christmas carols and do a good deed. Participants will be divided into groups and will receive a llama, carol books, maps and a shopping cart for transporting the food. Caroling will mostly take place within walking distance. As is the case with all our events, it's free of charge.

Thanks to the group Carollama for helping to organize this event for us.

We hope to see you all there!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

What do you love about South Franklin Community Center?

Just recently we had our PR Intern do a video on the South Franklin Community Center and he asked those who are involved with the community center why the love it. Take a look!

Why do you love South Franklin Community Center?

South Franklin Community Center is a great place where families and children of the Franklin South community can come to learn and have a great time. It offers so many different opportunities and fun experiences for all those who come. I have loved working with the community center and getting to know the wonderful volunteers and the amazing families that live within the community. It is great to see so many people get involved with the different activities and programs that go on within the community center. Everyone who is involved is an important part to making this wonderful community center what it is. Thank you for all you do and I am so thrilled to be working at the South Franklin Community Center and look forward to the great things that are going to keep happening!     

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Give Thanks!

As the holiday season approaches with Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner; and the spirit of cheer begins to fill the air, we wanted to give thanks to those who make South Franklin what it is. Without our wonderful volunteers, parents, local agencies, United Way, sponsors, The Boulders apartment complex; all of this wouldn't be possible. 

 Tiny Tunes
 Zumba
 Soccer
Community Garden
Day of Caring
The Boulders Staff
Tutoring
 NuSkin Service Project
United Way

Thank you to everyone who plays a key part in making the South Franklin Community Center possible, you are the heart and soul of what we are. Without all of your hard work and dedication, we would not be where we are today, and we have nothing but love and gratitude for you and your kindness. THANK YOU!

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Come Support Homework Heroes @ Pizza Pie Cafe


 Recently, we’ve highlighted a few of the volunteers at the South Franklin Community Center. Ryan Nitta, a UVU student studying Spanish, is another one of our fabulous volunteers.Ryan heads up the activities for the Homework Heroes program. Every Friday, any of the kids that came in to get help from on their homework during the week, get to go do an awesome activity with Ryan.

 

 So far, students have played games and had treats. But then Ryan had an idea. 
 “I had asked around for donations for snacks, but I felt like, it’s always so dependent on another person,” said Ryan. “I thought we could create more of an environment that’s better suited for the success of the kids."

Ryan thought, with a little help, Homework Heroes could really have some stellar events.  So Ryan has worked out a fundraiser with Pizza Pie Café in Provo in order to raise money for activities for Friday’s Hero’s. Ryan says this way the kids can really be rewarded for their hard work during the week.

Here’s how the fundraiser will work:
WHO:
You of course!
WHAT:
Pizza Pie Café in Provo (Google Maps) will donate 25% of all their revenue for 3 days to the Homework Hero’s Club.
WHERE:
Pizza Pie Café in Provo: 2235 North University Parkway
WHEN:
November 1st, 2nd and 3rd (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)
HOW:            
1. Call Ryan (714-393-2824) he will get you as many cards as you want.
2. Go eat lunch or dinner at the delicious, all-you-can eat Pizza Pie Café in Provo 
(You’re eating that day anyway, right?)
3. Give them the card when you pay for your meal.
 
That’s it! We'll see you there!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

RUN. KICK. GOAL.

We had a great turn out for Saturday's soccer tournament, all teams played hard and fought to the very end. Even though it was single elimination, the players still went home with smiles on their faces and memories of a great fall season!




And the winners are (drum roll please)...5-7 year old teams: EVERYONE!, 8-10 year old teams: TITANS, 11-13 year old teams: SACAGAWEA, 14-18 year old teams: AMERICAN LEGION! Way to go each team, congratulations on your victory this season. We could tell that your love of soccer was only magnified through your wonderful coaches and hard work, which made each goal and win even sweeter! Thank you for a great season to all of you who helped make it possible! See you in the Spring! 

Friday, October 21, 2011

Soccer Tournament

This Saturday, October 22nd is the Fall Soccer League Tournament, it has been a great season and the coaches and players have worked hard! All those practices and games have made it very rewarding for each team and it's players.
If you want to come out and cheer for the teams, the games will start at 9:00AM and go until 2:00PM; teams will be playing at The Boulders Apartment Complex field and Dixon Middle School field.   
  Everyone involved has been an intricate player this season; the sponsors, coaches, players, referees, the parents who come out to watch and support, The Boulders Apartment Complex, Franklin Elementary, Dixon Middle School, United Way, and those who run the soccer league. 
 A big THANK YOU to all who made this season a successful and fun season for the players and community!
 

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Musical Melodies

The volunteers here at South Franklin are true heroes, who love to work with the children and people in the community. Rachel who is one of our piano teachers is a great example of a dedicated volunteer. 
 Rachel is a freshman at BYU who is a Pre-Music Education major who loves music and is excited to share her talents and love of music with those who come to the Community Center. Rachel first heard about this opportunity to teach at the Service Fair during New Student Orientation at the beginning of this Fall Semester.     
"I wanted to volunteer at the Community Center because, back home in New York, I spent most of my past two summers volunteering or working as a counselor at the Waterman Conservation Education Center, where I worked with kids. I really enjoyed this experience and figured that I would get a similar one from volunteering at South Franklin. Also, I am a Pre-Music Education Major at BYU, so giving the kids piano lessons is good teaching experience for me."
"Also, I had a great teacher back in NY, from whom I received free voice lessons. Through these lessons, I truly began to love music and I know that piano lessons are expensive, so I hope to influence these kids to love music and just have a great experience, just as my teacher did for me." 

Thank you to Rachel and all of our great volunteers, you are the heart and soul of this community center and we appreciate all the time and dedication you put into making it run! 

Monday, October 10, 2011

Everyday Hero: Josh Lewis

We love all of our volunteers at South Franklin. Each one of them dedicates their own unique set of skills and talents to benefit the Community Center. Two weeks ago, one South Franklin volunteer received much-deserved recognition at halftime of the BYU football game.
 
Josh Lewis, a volunteer soccer coach for the South Franklin Soccer League, was recognized at the game as an “Everyday Hero”. We couldn’t agree more! Josh has been coaching soccer for the South Franklin Soccer league for the last 3 years.  He grew up playing soccer. and even played some at Lone Peak High School in Highland. Josh is a student at BYU and gives his own time to coach the soccer games.
 
“I had coaches and friends and family that supported me. I feel like this is something I can do to give back and share with others what they gave to me,” said Josh. Josh said he has had many special experiences with the kids, and really enjoys volunteering as a coach for the soccer league.
 
Congratulations to Josh, and thanks again to all our wonderful volunteers!

 

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Homework Heroes


Homework Heroes is a reward incentive program that is held every Friday from 3:00-5:00pm for children  grades K-12, who have come to tutoring through out the week. It is a great way to reward and congratulate the children for working so hard on their homework they have brought to tutoring. 
 Our volunteers create kid-friendly activities for all ages to participate in. The activities are engaging and worthwhile for all who interact. The volunteers have planned out a variety of activities, such as: indoor and outdoors sports, fun games, cooking classes, movie day, themed days, etc. 
 Homework Heroes is a lot of fun for all who participate, even the volunteers get to have a fun time when they are engaged in creating and implementing the activities they have planned.
 It is also a great way to come and volunteer for any BYU or UVU student, we have a lot of fun and its a great way to spend a Friday afternoon. The children are fun to be around and you can't help but smile and laugh when  you are around them. Games, fun, and laughter...what more could you ask for!  
 Homework Heroes is awesome!


         

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

After School Tutoring!


Monday-Thursday we have tutors from UVU and BYU at the Community Center to help the children with their homework; it is a great after school program that gives children the one-on-one time for school assignments they may have.


Our tutoring program runs Monday 2:30 PM to 6:30 PM, Tuesday 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM, Wednesday 2:30-6:30, and Thursday 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM; children from all grades kindergarten to 12th grade are welcome to come and get help with their homework. This is a great opportunity for students from BYU and UVU to come and serve within the community.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Day of Caring

United Way Day of Caring is for local businesses and organizations to provide service to their community. Yesterday was Day of Caring in Utah County and over 1200 volunteers came to 31 project sites to help with landscaping, painting, repairing, and cleaning.










South Franklin Community Center was one of the sites that received help from over 25 volunteers to help organize and categorize the library catalog. We now have about 4,000 books sorted and labeled into 17 different genres.  This system will improve the kids experience in our library. They can now come in and find a book within seconds.
Thanks to all those who came and helped from Brigham Young University's MPA program and Utah Community Credit Union. We couldn't have done it without you! 

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Parental Gratitude



The soccer league is not just for kids to come and get their wiggles out. Parents are there every Saturday to watch and cheer on their kids. We appreciate parent involvement and support in the league because without them we wouldn't have a league.









Last Saturday we were scheduled to have a game at 9am for the 8-10 year old's at the Boulders field. When 9 o'clock rolled around there were two teams on the field warmed up, and ready to start playing. However, there were no referees to enforce the rules.  That's when I noticed three gentlemen/parents standing right outside the midfield line. These parents are there every week running up and down the side lines shouting tips to the players. I asked if they had referee experience. None of them did, but they knew the game just as well if not better than anyone else. All three gentlemen agreed to volunteer as referees for the game. On rare occasions do we have three refs at one game. This game was ideal for players because we were able to have two sideline refs and one on the field. I was so grateful to have parents there so early in the morning to help us with the soccer league. A big shout out to all the parents who are at our fields every weekend giving moral support to their children. Thank you!

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Hooray for soccer!

We are now officially in our 6th season of the South Franklin Soccer League! Our first set of games was last Saturday (August 20). Games were going on at The Boulders and Franklin Elementary in Provo from 9am-1pm.
After two scrimmage days for youth to come sign up we currently have 109 kids playing in the program. There is still space to register but time is running out. Last day to register is August 27th. You can register by going to Centro Hispano (817 South 200 West Provo) or United Way (148 North 100 West Provo) and asking for a form. Any children from ages 5-18 can sign up and remember it's free!
Every weekend we look forward to a successful game day. Come join us and see what all the fun is about!

If you have any soccer experience, we are looking for referees to help during games on Saturdays. Please contact us if you're interested.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Boulders Apartments Pool Party

This afternoon Boulders Apartments hosted a pool party from 2-4 p.m.! Hopefully you had the good fortune of attending and enjoying the free sack lunch distributed by Boulders management, housekeeping and maintenance staff. Yum!
 


Representatives from different community organizations also attended in order to share information about their activities with party attendees. Utah Valley University's office of School, College & University Partnership signed up youth K-12 for free tutoring for the coming school year. Sign-ups were also available for the South Franklin Soccer League.

Representatives from the Provo Circles Initiative also came to share information about Circles and sign people up. As you can see, in South Franklin we're all about getting involved together and sharing. If you want any more information on any of these programs that were represented at the party, contact us!

We at South Franklin Community Center wish to thank the Boulders Apartments again (and again and again) for their generous donation of a space to use to gather as neighbors. Thanks for the smiles and the genuine care of the office staff, management, and maintenance crew, who are always hard at work to make our homes a safe and happy place to live!