UNews - Family Day

Volunteers help make Play Day 2015 a huge success

trevor.kenney — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 23:05:45 +0000

When you throw the doors open to a party with more than 4,000 guests, the majority of which are children, you’d better have some help on hand to make sure things go smoothly.

Thanks to a volunteer army of more than 150 people, 85 of whom were students, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge was able to present its biggest Play Day yet on Monday, Feb. 16 (Family Day).

Over 150 volunteers assisted at Play Day.

“I can’t thank our volunteers enough, they really helped us welcome southern Alberta to campus,” says ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Mike Mahon. “Our community and its support for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is one of the key factors in the success of the U of L. Our students choose to attend the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge for a variety of reasons, the southern Alberta community being one and it was great to see so many of them take some time to show their appreciation and give back. It’s important we are able to share a day like this with families throughout the area and give them the opportunity to connect with one another through play.”

The day could not happen without the corporate support of 1st Choice Savings and Credit Union and the many volunteers they provide for the event. In addition to the large student commitment, U of L faculty and staff, including representatives from the Supporting Our Students team as well as the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Alumni Association and Aramark, who manned the Toonie BBQ area throughout the afternoon. In all, some 500 volunteer hours go into the successful staging of Play Day.

One student who took up the volunteer call was Kaitlin Norman. A third-year Fine Arts (performance) student, the northern Alberta native says the Play Day 2015 super hero theme was a great lure.

“I love super heroes and I love watching kids run around and have fun, it just makes you feel great about life,” she says.

“I thought it was great we were given the opportunity to volunteer, to get a chance to do something not related to school and something that was good for the community. It was a lot of fun and it was great to see all the young families there putting aside all the stresses of life and just having a day of fun with each other.”

U of L neuroscientist Dr. Robbin Gibb also played a big role in recruiting volunteers for the event, giving class credit to students in her Introduction to Brain and Behaviour course.

"I felt the students would benefit from participating in Play Day as we have just learned about the positive effects of exercise on the brain and we are about to learn about child development and the importance of play relationships for heathy brain development," says Gibb. "Play Day was a perfect opportunity to observe these principles in action and a great way for our students to connect with the community."

Play Day initiative wins awards

trevor.kenney — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 17:27:12 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's Play Day initiative recently received a silver award from the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE) - a national organization that acknowledges excellence in alumni relations, communications, community outreach and development programming at universities and colleges across Canada.

The event also won a bronze award in a similar category from the international Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District VIII, which is made up of post-secondary educational institutions from western Canada and the northwestern United States.

Play Day is designed to promote opportunities for play for southern Alberta children and families.

The free event, sponsored by 1st Choice Savings and Credit Union, drew nearly 5,000 people to campus on Family Day, which took place February 18, 2013.

"Play Day is a tremendous example of the importance the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge places on community engagement," says U of L President Dr. Mike Mahon. "Encouraging our children to play is important from a developmental point of view and events like this are important from a community point of view."

The event was successful due to the help of more than 100 volunteers from on campus and the broader community. The event brought together representatives from areas all over campus including the Art Gallery, Sport and Recreation Services and science outreach programs.

A variety of activities in the 1st Choice Savings Centre and at the Max Bell Aquatic Centre were all designed to encourage free play and exploration. Photos are attached.

"It didn't matter if you attended as a guest or volunteered, you had a lot of fun," says Mahon of the circus-themed event. "We were very pleased with our first Play Day in 2012. Its overwhelming success led to the 2013 activity and the decision to make it an annual event. We look forward to having the community join us next year."

The next Play Day will take place on February 17, 2014.

Please visit the CCAE website to view the complete list of winners and their entries.

Please visit the CASE VIII website to view the complete list of winners and their entries.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ ready for a day of play

trevor.kenney — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 22:41:04 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, together with 1st Choice Savings and Credit Union, is once again taking the opportunity to help the community engage in play.

After an enormously successful inaugural event, which drew thousands of children and parents, the U of L is readying to host its second annual – and free – Play Day event on Family Day (Monday, February 18). The circus-themed event runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport and Wellness, the Max Bell Regional Aquatic Centre and the Ascent Climbing Centre.

"Play Day is designed to reach out to the community, but on another level it's trying to communicate about the value of play for families," says ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge President, Dr. Mike Mahon, who introduced Play Day at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in 2012 to promote the positive aspects of play and its influence on creating healthy individuals and healthy communities. "The concept is really focused on families, not just on children – we are encouraging families to come and play together."

Katie Mahon, daughter of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ President Dr. Mike Mahon, assists in the construction zone at last year's inaugural Play Day event. This year's circus-themed party should be even bigger and better.

The circus theme of this year's event includes a number of new activities added to the popular play zones from the inaugural Play Day. Among the added activities is a Music Zone where drop-in Kindermusik classes and sound bingo will entertain children aged zero to 18 months, as well as a drop-in world drumming area. Carnival games have been added, as well as a Toonie Barbecue area and a Fitastic Play zone for toddler fitness. For those daring enough to scale the heights, the Ascent Climbing Centre's climbing wall will also be open to the public.

"We're excited to be a part of Play Day again this year, and I think it will be even bigger and better than last year's event," says Brian Kinahan (BMgt '79), president and CEO of major sponsor 1stChoice Savings. "As a community-minded organization, we're thrilled to partner with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and present this opportunity for southern Alberta families to come together and enjoy the amenities here at the U of L 1st Choice Savings Centre for a day of play."

Last year, a massive cardboard construction zone was a hit with participants of all ages, and will be back this year, with even more space (and cardboard) to play with.

"It was so much fun to see parents and young kids playing together," says Mahon. "They were cutting shapes and playing make believe and the parents were playing as much as the kids were, and that was really cool to watch. That's the real sprit of Play Day and if we as a university can contribute to families by encouraging play, then we're doing a good thing."

Following is a list of free activities available at Play Day 2013

Science – Airzookas; Air Pressure Funnel; Science Toy Circus

Technology – Tri-flexa Hexagons; Scratch Programming; Mobius Strip

Art & Creative – Carnival Hats; Bubble Painting

Free Build – Cardboard Fort Building

Physical Activity – Basketball; Futsal; Open Gymnastics; Bouncy Castles; Fitastic Play; Climbing Wall

Aquatic – Open Swimming

Music – Drop-in Kindermusik; Sound Bingo; World Drumming

Carnival Games

Face Painting

Photo Booth

UNews - Family Day

Volunteers help make Play Day 2015 a huge success

Related Topics

Play Day initiative wins awards

Related Topics

��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ ready for a day of play

Related Topics

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ ready for a day of play