Starting last week, our clients now have access to professional fitness training! Our fitness trainer, Wendee, has numerous fitness certifications, is a personal trainer, teaches PE and senior fitness classes, and is a former Miss Fitness USA competitor. She knows her stuff!
Wendee offers two classes for our residents, both on Monday nights. Each lasts 30 minutes, the first beginning at 6:15 PM and the second at 6:45 PM. The classes utilize balls, scarves, weights, and lively music. Wendee personalizes the exercises to the needs of our residents, and I am always there to help the residents with the moves!
I think this fitness group is vitally important, especially since the incidence of obesity is so high in the developmentally disabled population. Other problems associated with a sedentary lifestyle can be debilitating. These classes encourage our residents to move and have fun, at their own level, while they stretch, strengthen and tone their bodies!
Ridge family members, I hope you all can get behind this program. Please encourage your loved ones to take advantage of these fun exercise classes! I am so excited to have a professional like Wendee here to help our residents with their healthy lifestyles!
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Sailing!
On Sunday, October 28th, The Ridge was invited to sail with the Heart of Sailing Foundation. Three homes took advantage of the invitation. What an adventure it was!
We started out at 10 AM with Captain George. It was a brisk October morning, with just a little wind. C-home resident Mike O took the helm and drove the boat for a while.
At 12:00, Conner home went out. Cheryl U laughed every time we hit some waves..she is quite a little thrill seeker!
At 2:00, Del Park had their turn. They are veterans at sailing; this being their third trip.
What a great day! My thanks to Captain George Saidah and the Heart of Sailing Foundation!
We started out at 10 AM with Captain George. It was a brisk October morning, with just a little wind. C-home resident Mike O took the helm and drove the boat for a while.
At 12:00, Conner home went out. Cheryl U laughed every time we hit some waves..she is quite a little thrill seeker!
At 2:00, Del Park had their turn. They are veterans at sailing; this being their third trip.
What a great day! My thanks to Captain George Saidah and the Heart of Sailing Foundation!
Monday, September 24, 2007
What's happening in October
We have a big month planned for October. Naturally, we will have a Halloween party, complete with a costume contest and pumpkin carving contest. We'll be taking the Metrolink out to San Clemente for the SeaFest, and we'll be heading out to Dana Point for another sailing trip with Heart of Sailing. The Peppermint Queens Ladies club will be having it's first ever camp out-we'll be pitching tents and camping out at the back of the Ridge. The Boy Scouts will be having their second camp out (also at the back of the Ridge.)We will start bowling once a month at the Norco Brunswick Bowl..I'm still working out the details for this activity.
Our awesome volunteers from Common Ground will be throwing our third birthday celebration, celebrating all clients that have an October birthday. Crossroads church will be having a fun "Day of Fellowship". Of course, we will have a bingo night, arts and crafts, horseback riding, and all of our regular fun stuff.
For a few months now, we have been practicing seated yoga. In October, we are going to shake things up a bit.. we will continue with the chair exercise group, plus, add a "standing" exercise group. Both groups will meet once per week. Barney the therapy dog visits the main campus and Garrison home regularly. We may be getting two new visitor dogs-Marty the Golden Retriever and Cowgirl the Australian Cattle Dog have just recently received their therapy dog certification.
October should be another busy, fun month at the Ridge!
Our awesome volunteers from Common Ground will be throwing our third birthday celebration, celebrating all clients that have an October birthday. Crossroads church will be having a fun "Day of Fellowship". Of course, we will have a bingo night, arts and crafts, horseback riding, and all of our regular fun stuff.
For a few months now, we have been practicing seated yoga. In October, we are going to shake things up a bit.. we will continue with the chair exercise group, plus, add a "standing" exercise group. Both groups will meet once per week. Barney the therapy dog visits the main campus and Garrison home regularly. We may be getting two new visitor dogs-Marty the Golden Retriever and Cowgirl the Australian Cattle Dog have just recently received their therapy dog certification.
October should be another busy, fun month at the Ridge!
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Paul Wagner
On behalf of everyone at Peppermint Ridge, I would like to send my condolences to the Wagner family on the loss of long time Ridge resident, Paul Wagner, who passed away this morning.
I met Paul when I first began working at the Ridge in 2002. He introduced himself and began to tell me about the story he was writing. In Paul's story, just about everyone he knew became a character. I was flattered when Paul told me I was going to be TWO characters!
Paul was very active with Inland Regional Center, and was vice-president of the consumer self advocacy group. He conducted trainings for other Regional Center consumers every year at the self-advocacy conference. Paul always had a positive attitude and a compliment for those around him. He was smart, funny and kind. He knew no limits...he practiced yoga, achieved the rank of Tenderfoot in Boy Scouts, and worked extensively to ensure the rights of his peers.
Paul, I will miss you. You have left us entirely too soon.
I met Paul when I first began working at the Ridge in 2002. He introduced himself and began to tell me about the story he was writing. In Paul's story, just about everyone he knew became a character. I was flattered when Paul told me I was going to be TWO characters!
Paul was very active with Inland Regional Center, and was vice-president of the consumer self advocacy group. He conducted trainings for other Regional Center consumers every year at the self-advocacy conference. Paul always had a positive attitude and a compliment for those around him. He was smart, funny and kind. He knew no limits...he practiced yoga, achieved the rank of Tenderfoot in Boy Scouts, and worked extensively to ensure the rights of his peers.
Paul, I will miss you. You have left us entirely too soon.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Sailing...
On Saturday, August 4th, I was reminded that I have the best job in the world! I accompanied Del Park and Villa on a sailing trip out of Dana Point with George Saidah and the Heart of Sailing foundation. What an awesome day! The weather was perfect, the ocean, beautiful. The rhythmic movement of the sailboat on the water was hypnotizing, relaxing and therapeutic. Heart of Sailing will be back in California in October, and I am hopeful that more of the homes will participate. In the meantime, George told me about another non-profit organization that takes people with disabilities out flying! Stay tuned for more information on that!
Colleen
Colleen
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Welcome to the Ridge Activities Blog!
Welcome to the first ever addition of the Peppermint Ridge Activities Department Blog! What a blessing it is for me to work for an organization that realizes the importance of the WHOLE person! My goal in the Activities department is for people to hear about what we do and think to themselves, "They do more than I do! I want to live there!"
We are very fortunate to partner with the disabilities ministry at Crossroads Church. One of the disabilities ministers, Jennifer, comes to the Ridge every Sunday to conduct our chapel services. She did about a month and a half of lessons on baptisms, and as a result, four of our residents chose to be baptized at Crossroads church on July 22nd. It was really exciting.
We will once again be sailing with George Saidah and Heart of Sailing (www.heartofsailing.org). Our first sail was back in April, where we were delighted to see sea lions and dolphins. Our second trip is scheduled for August 4th, and it looks like about 30 residents will be going!
In August, we begin a brand new partnership with Common Ground, an Interfaith Spiritual Center (www.embracehumanity.com). Common Ground will be throwing monthly birthday parties for all the residents that have a birthday in that month. Our first party is scheduled for Friday, August 17th.
Our horseback riding team consists of 10 residents now, and I hope that will grow to 15 in the next few months. We are slated to compete on September 30th at the Tri-Valley Special Olympics Horse Show in Lake View Terrace, CA. As we have (in my opinion) the BEST trainer & the BEST horses in the state, I think we are going to do quite well at this show. Most importantly, we are going to have FUN!
Every Monday, we offer a simple yoga class, chair routines, to our residents. This past Monday we had the biggest turnout EVER. It is so exciting to see our residents stretching, strengthening, relaxing and having a good time while they are at it!
Well, it is time for our Boy Scouts meeting, so I better sign off for now!
We are very fortunate to partner with the disabilities ministry at Crossroads Church. One of the disabilities ministers, Jennifer, comes to the Ridge every Sunday to conduct our chapel services. She did about a month and a half of lessons on baptisms, and as a result, four of our residents chose to be baptized at Crossroads church on July 22nd. It was really exciting.
We will once again be sailing with George Saidah and Heart of Sailing (www.heartofsailing.org). Our first sail was back in April, where we were delighted to see sea lions and dolphins. Our second trip is scheduled for August 4th, and it looks like about 30 residents will be going!
In August, we begin a brand new partnership with Common Ground, an Interfaith Spiritual Center (www.embracehumanity.com). Common Ground will be throwing monthly birthday parties for all the residents that have a birthday in that month. Our first party is scheduled for Friday, August 17th.
Our horseback riding team consists of 10 residents now, and I hope that will grow to 15 in the next few months. We are slated to compete on September 30th at the Tri-Valley Special Olympics Horse Show in Lake View Terrace, CA. As we have (in my opinion) the BEST trainer & the BEST horses in the state, I think we are going to do quite well at this show. Most importantly, we are going to have FUN!
Every Monday, we offer a simple yoga class, chair routines, to our residents. This past Monday we had the biggest turnout EVER. It is so exciting to see our residents stretching, strengthening, relaxing and having a good time while they are at it!
Well, it is time for our Boy Scouts meeting, so I better sign off for now!
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