LFR Program Newsletter
November 2024
Department Updates
Please note that Department of Leisure, Family and Recreation offices will be closed on Thursday, November 28th and Friday, November 29th in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. All offices will return to their normally scheduled hours on Monday, December 2nd.
Youth Service Bureau
Family Birdwatching
Trip (Hammonasset)
Spend the day discovering all the amazing, feathered friends we coexist
with. Learn how to identify birds, migration and nesting habits, food sources,
and how peaceful it is to explore rural and urban landscapes. We will provide
binoculars and lunch. Parents, guardians, and youth in grades 4-12 are welcome!
Registration is required.
●
Location: Youth Service Bureau
and Off-Site
●
Meets: Sat, 11/16/24, 9:00 AM
– 3:00 PM
● Fee: No cost
Manchester
Community Baby Shower
You’re
invited to Manchester’s Community Baby Shower! The Community Baby Shower will
include refreshments, pregnancy and parenting information, infant safety and
fatherhood seminars, community resource tables, free giveaways and gently used
baby items. Space is limited. To register, please email the Manchester Early
Childhood Collaborative at [email protected].
●
Location: Manchester Memorial
Hospital, 71 Haynes Street
●
Meets: Sat, 11/23/24, 10:00
AM – 12:00 PM.
●
Fee: No cost. Space is
limited.
Youth and Police:
Thanksgiving Food Baskets
Youth and Police will work together to assemble and distribute
Thanksgiving food baskets to individuals and families in need, helping to
ensure that everyone in our community can have a happy Thanksgiving! For more
information, please contact Kellie Gauvin at (860)874-5545 or [email protected].
●
Location: MACC Food Pantry, 460
Main Street
●
Meets: Tu, 11/26/24, 3:00 PM
– 5:30 PM
Save The Date: Art
Critique Group
Hone your personal art practice with the help of constructive feedback
from your peers and artists in your community. Join our conversation at Crit
Group! All media welcome, from painting and photography to creative writing,
poetry, digital/ 3D, and music. Group conversations facilitated by Poppy
Wlochowski, BFA, M.Ed. and John Dalterio, BFA, MFA of the Manchester Youth
Services Bureau, as well as a selection of local guest artists.
●
Location: Youth Service Bureau
●
Meets: M, 1/13/25-5/19/25,
4:00 pm – 6:00 PM
●
Ages: High school-aged
students
● Fee: No cost. Snacks and art supplies provided.
Neighborhoods
& Families Division
Family
Fun Night: Friendship Bracelet Night
Family
Fun Nights are based on the idea that, when it comes to creating connections –
fun comes first! These events provide families a positive, no-cost opportunity
for connection & recreation. Create beautiful bracelets, explore
your creative side & bond with friends at Friendship Bracelet Night!
● Meets: F,
11/15/24, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
● Location: Eastside
Neighborhood Resource Center, 153 Spruce Street
● Ages: Pre-K –
Grade 6
●
Fee: No cost
or registration required.
Family
Movie Nights: Frozen
Join us for our free, family-friendly movie night series,
indoors at the Eastside Neighborhood Resource Center! Attendees are invited to
dress up as their favorite Disney character – whether a princess or prince,
hero or villain – or everything in between! Light refreshments will be
provided.
● Meets: F,
12/06/24, screening starts at 6:00 PM
● Location: Eastside
Neighborhood Resource Center, 153 Spruce Street
● Ages: All ages
welcome
● Fee: No cost or registration required.
Recreation Division
Yoga for Food
Join us for a free community yoga class! All we ask is that you bring a
non-perishable food item to be donated to the Manchester Area Conference of
Churches food pantry. Let’s help to fill the pantry for those who are in need
during the holiday season! No yoga experience needed to participate.
●
Location: Community Y
Recreation Center
●
Session 1: F, 11/08/24, 6:30 PM –
7:30 PM
●
Session 2: F, 11/22/24, 6:30 PM –
7:30 PM
●
Ages: All ages welcome
● Fee: Please bring a non-perishable food donation to support the MACC food pantry..
Like this article?
Leave a comment
About Author
James Costa is the Neighborhoods & Families Coordinator for the Department of Leisure, Family, and Recreation. He began working with the division during his sophomore year at Manchester High School, and he is now a UConn graduate with degrees in Journalism & Film Studies.
Fun Fact #1: I won my car in a raffle during Manchester High School’s Project Graduation.
Fun Fact #2: My all-time favorite movies are All That Heaven Allows, Punch-Drunk Love & Twin Peaks: The Return.