BHAA - July Fourth honor goes to those who help with the fun

BEXLEY IN THE NEWS

(This article, reprinted with permission, appeared in Bexley News on June 24, 2009) 6/28/09

July Fourth honor goes to those who help with the fun

* Bexley has decided who will receive the annual Citizen of the Year recognition when residents gather for this year's Independence Day festivities.

By LAURA ENGLEHART

This year's Citizen of the Year Award will not be going to just one person, but to an entire department in Bexley.

The Bexley Celebrations Association Fourth of July Planning Committee will honor the city's recreation and parks department for its service to residents in Bexley and beyond.

"There are so many programs (in the department) that reach out to touch the members of our community, and they're done by a relatively small number of people who put in time above and beyond what they're paid to do because they love their community and love what they do," said Anne Lewis, chairwoman of the Fourth of July planning committee.

"There isn't anyone that isn't touched by an activity that takes place at the (Jeffrey) Mansion or through the department," she said.

This is the first year the association has given the award to more than one person, but Lewis said the department seemingly functions as one entity, operating together.

Barb Greiner, a recreation supervisor and 20-year employee of the department, said she and the other full-time employees feel like a family some days.

"It's not so much a job as it is a vocation; and we're here for people, just the same way you are for your families and your kids," she said.

Greiner's four children utilized the programs offered by the department, before she started working there.

"I was on the other side of this desk for a long time, so it gives me an incentive to do a good job now," she said.

"The first thing I think when someone comes up to my desk is 'How can I make this person's day a little better?' "

That's the sort of thing that most people can't see to appreciate, but they can feel it, she said.

"It's like when there's a pothole in the road, someone calls and the city fixes it, but what the recreation department does, you can't always see: it's a feeling. It's giving a 12-year-old girl self-esteem in a dance class; or when parents bring their 3-year-old to his first soccer game; or kids laughing in the basement (of Jeffrey Mansion) while they're creating," Greiner said.

"When it gets down to dollars and cents, it's hard to put a dollar value on what we do."

There are seven full-time employees in the department and 150 seasonal employees working as camp counselors, lifeguards, coaches, umpires, referees and contractors.

It's estimated that 20,000 people took advantage of recreation and parks department activities in 2008, Lewis said.

As a child, Michael Price, interim director of the recreation and parks department, was one of those who benefited from summer programs.

"I played a lot of sports and spent many summers at the pool. It's those things -- especially the athletic programs -- that had a big impact on the person that I've become, through different coaches, counselors and volunteer parents," Price said.

That's what he, and others in the department, hope to give back to the community.

"I think it's safe to say that's why we all do this. It's not for the money or anything else; it's to help people along on their journeys," Price said.

The full-time employees in the city's department will get a seat in the parade July 4, and Bexley Mayor John Brennan will introduce the staff sometime during the evening events being held at Capital University, Lewis said.

"It's a great way to see, face to face, who is involved, if they haven't met them already," she said.

Bexley's July Fourth celebration will kick off at 8 a.m. July 4 with the traditional John Barr five-kilometer run and walk, which starts at Jeffrey Mansion, 165 N. Parkview Ave.

The parade will step off at 9:30 a.m.

Music performances and other festivities are scheduled from 5 to 9:45 p.m. on Capital's front lawn as follows:

* City Folk performance, 5 to 6 p.m.;

* Music in the Meadow performance, 6 to 7 p.m.;

* Mercury Retrograde performance, 7:20 to 8:20 p.m.;

* Ben Franklin impersonator Bexley resident Ben Heckman, welcome address from Bowman and 2009 Citizen of the Year award presentation, 8:20 to 8:40 p.m.;

* Big Rockin' Blues Band performance, 8:45 to 9:45 p.m.;

* March to fireworks display site on Capital's soccer field at College and Astor avenues, led by the Columbus Saints Drumline, 9:30 to 9:45 p.m.;

* National anthem performance, sung by the Bexley High School Ensemble, and fireworks, sponsored in part by the Bexley Area Chamber of Commerce, 9:45 to 10:15 p.m.

For more information call Bexley's Recreation Department at 614-559-4300 or visit the Bexley Celebrations Association Web site at bexleycelebrations.org.

The Bexley Recreation Department staff has been named as this year’s

Citizen of the Year for its teamwork in putting on events. Department Members include (from left): Interim Director Michael Price, Grounds Supervisor Ron Gould, Recreation Supervisors Barb Greiner and Natalie Contosta, Preschool Director Elaine Schroeder and Building Maintenance Supervisor Denny Harper.

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