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| Shadow Oaks Recreation Association Newsletter |
November
2008 |
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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT...
Hello to all current, past and future members of Shadow Oaks Recreation Association, or as we warmly refer to as the "Pool." The pool and our community have seen better days. We have aged in the past 42 years... some better than others. Many of you remember the "glory days" of the pool and some of us have only heard about it. What was once 300 stockholding member families (and a waiting list!) has dwindled to less than 40 stockholding members and less than 70 family memberships. I believe our membership is a direct reflection of today's culture of community and civic duty. It has been lost. The good news is that I think we just may have found it in Ike. It was an old fashioned taste of community, and it is alive. Ike showed us community is not dead!
Many cornerstones of the community have closed shop or suffered in this new era. We still have an independent corner store, a hardware store, a drycleaners and a neighborhood pool. But for how long, unless we support them? Will we miss them when they are gone? Have we have traded the warm small town culture of yesterday for the cold big city culture of today? Why is it that we choose this big-box, drop-off drive thru, contracted, all-in-one corporate culture? Price, selection, convenience, hours? It certainly cannot be the service, the simplicity or the people. It is people like you and me and our local community that keeps our neighborhood safe and maintains our property value and character. A sense of community is what makes our neighborhood unique. This is still our neighborhood!
Our pool has been an institution that generations of kids have rode their bikes to, played kickball, volleyball, learned tennis and how to swim. Many have competed as a Shadow Oaks Dolphin on our beloved swim team. A safe place to socialize and make friends every summer that have lasted a lifetime. Yesterday's lifeguards are the parents of today's and hopefully that will continue on. We all speak of the 'good ole days.' These are our children's "good ole days" and I think we owe it to them the same great memories many of us had.
Sure we are more culturally diverse today, and so must be the membership. I welcome all members of the community to join us. The schools and community outside our pool have become more diverse, our membership body must do the same. I know you have so many more choices today than yesterday, but we are the community, without you we are nothing. We are aggressively seeking ways to revitalize our membership community to include all ages, cultures and beliefs. The new Board of Directors is committed to success and we are open to any and all of your ideas.
I hope you will continue to support SORA this next year and years to come. Last year, our membership was at an all time low as was the property. I hope you will remember what the pool has contributed to the community in generations past and will join us as we rebuild the pool into the next.
Kirby Schimmels
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NOVEMBER Night Out - Saturday,
November 22... just the beginning The new SORA Board is hosting a November Night Out on Saturday, November 22 beginning at 6:00p. This is OPEN and FREE to members of SORA, as well as all families in our community.
This is an opportunity to see the grounds and catch-up with friends in the neighborhood. This is also a chance to talk to the new Board Members and voice your thoughts and wishes for the next year.
We are discussing several improvements during the winter and spring months to build value in the pool, as well as in our community. And, we are looking forward to both current and new member participation in order to renew life at our 42-year old property. We believe having more year-round activities as well as a longer 2009 swim season will help grow our membership family.
Activities we've discussed include a weekly fitness boot-camp, Christmas holiday Game Days, weekend Farmers Market, bi-monthly Mommy Groups, quarterly Community Garage Sales and more!
We have over three beautiful acres that sit abandoned almost nine months out of the year. We want to hear your ideas on how we can better serve our community. Replacing the volleyball courts and tennis courts are some of our first initiatives, expanding the parking lot will follow. We are entertaining several other improvements to the facility as well.
We will also be having a couple of fundraisers prior to opening swim season next spring. We envision the SORA facility will return as the cornerstone of the community that it once was. We look forward to you joining us this next year to breath new life into a facility that has meant so much to so many generations of Spring Branch families.
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 AFTER IKE Cleanup!
Thanks to a few hard-working members, our pool is looking better than ever.
JOIN US on November 22 and see for yourself. Invite your neighbors and forward this newsletter to others. We want to promote the pool to our great community! | |
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 MEMBER OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE!
With all the new initiatives we are exploring, we have several opportunities for you to participate. We are not only looking for those interested and qualified to lead these initiatives but also people who want to participate at any capacity.
What's your cause? How would you use your own private 3+ acre park with a pool and concession area? We want to hear how you want to use our facility. Here are a few ideas we are working on and we need your help to make these happen:
Fitness Boot-Camp & Water Aerobics
Holiday Break Game Days
Farmers Market
Car or Motorcycle clubs
Mommy groups
Community garage sale
Bingo / Game Night
Boy Scout/Girl Scouts
Saturday A.M. coffee group
Private Parties
Spring and Fall Carnivals
4th of July Party
Superbowl Party
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SORA SCHOLARSHIPS
We will be offering scholarships for the 2009 season. The following categories are available:
Families whom have suffered a recent hardship such as loss of family member, home or serious illness.
Families with physically or mentally handicapped children.
We are working with our nearby Spring Branch schools to explore ways to offer scholarships to reward exceptional academic achievements and students of unique or outstanding character.
We feel it is important for SORA to reach out to members of our community that may need community support. If you know of a family or child that you feel would be a good candidate for a SORA Scholarship, please contact:
Kirby Schimmels,
832-584-7676
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2008-09
President Kirby Schimmels
1st VP Admin & Programs Neal Stephenson
2nd VP Facilities & Grounds David Howard
Secretary Kym Jump
Treasurer Monica Howard
Parliamentarian Janet McLeod
Membership Lisa Harman
Swim Team Rhonda Reese
Immediate Past President Bill Blitch
713-932-0241 phone
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Values of yesterday, visions of tomorrow,
JOIN US TODAY....
Shadow Oaks Recreation Association
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