Sisters Park & Recreation District hits jackpot

As the chips went down Saturday night, spirits SOARed as the only loss of the evening was the old SOAR moniker. The "new" Sisters Park & Recreation District took a gamble that the community would embrace the official name change and they hit the jackpot at their "Friend-Raiser" casino party on Saturday night.

A festive crowd of 150 people crowded a dozen casino tables, enjoying great hors d'oeuvres and camaraderie while showing their support for an organization presenting a fresh face to the community.

With the kickoff of the 2009 season, the Board of Directors made a decision to change the familiar SOAR acronym and rename the district to more accurately reflect what their mission has now grown to be. Created as a non-profit out of a grass roots community push in 1995, transformed to a special tax district in 1998, there have been a lot of changes over the years.

Sue Boettner, the new Board Chair explained, "We really want people to understand that Sisters Park & Recreation is much more than a day care center. We are providing a broad range of programs this year that go well beyond our historical offerings which have always been strong. We have a focus now on a broad range of Health and Wellness programs targeted from toddlers to seniors and everybody in between, indoors and outdoors."

Boettner brings over 20 years' experience in recreation experience to her new board leadership role, including many years working very closely with Director Carrie Ward at the Bend Parks & Rec District, where she is the full-time Youth and Development Director. This makes a strong leadership team kicking off the new direction.

An air of fresh energy tied into this change was very apparent in talking to the various staff and instructors mingling with the crowd. All seemed very excited about a new focus that will be on opportunities for promoting full family activities as well as targeting some "No Child Left Inside" funding opportunities on the horizon. The array of adult programs now being offered is unprecedented in quantity and variety.

"We would really like to thank High Country Disposal as our lead event sponsor and also all the other wonderful businesses sponsoring casino tables that helped us make this evening such a resounding success," said Boettner.

Openings are now available on the Board of Directors and any interested community members are encouraged to contact Carrie Ward at 549-2091 for information. More information and schedules are available at http://www.sistersrecreation.com.