I am writing in regards to the recent closure of Spare Time Recreation and also to bring some awareness to one of their user groups, Special Olympics Lakeland - Bowling Team.
Due to the closure of the bowling alley, the future of the current Special Olympics program is in jeopardy. As with most clubs/organizations, they would absolutely love to have more members and involvement from the community to allow the group to move forward and thrive.
Anyone who may be interested is invited to attend the meeting being held on May 3/14 at 2:00 p.m. at the Ardmore Seniors Centre. (Time and space don't permit me to fully explain the importance and benefits of this program to our local individuals with disabilities as the positive impact on their lives is immeasurable, but speaking from experience, I can say that it is a delight and a pleasure to be part of this group!)
But, regardless of what the future holds for their program, the athletes of Special Olympics Lakeland very much wanted to extend their heartfelt thanks and appreciation to everyone who has supported them all along. Although everyone's contribution to the program is greatly valued (there are simply too many names to mention here but you know who you are!), we would especially like to take this opportunity to send out a HUGE THANK YOU and Best Wishes to JOANNE and MARTY MICHAUD and their staff at Spare Time Recreation. They went above and beyond the simple role of business owners/operators and were “part of the team”. They created a positive and welcoming atmosphere for the athletes where all were treated equally with dignity and respect. We fondly hope they will have as many happy memories as we will!
So, to summarize, please consider getting involved in Special Olympics in our community and MANY THANKS to Joanne and Marty - Happy Retirement!
From Penny Peterson (parent & volunteer) and the Bonnyville/Cold Lake Special Olympics Athletes
