Richmond CA Community Services

Community Services / Recreation is opening up some more! Check out the current services and hours we have for all of our programs and facilities. We hope to bring back more programming and events over the next couple of months. Stay tuned!

Today is the LAST DAY to submit your mini-grant online application! The application form closes today. Be sure to hit the submit button before 5:00 P.M. Details, application, and more at: https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/3508/CSD-Mini-Grant-Program

Two more days before the mini-grant online application closes tomorrow at 5:00 P.M. Submit your application today! Details, application, and more at: https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/3508/CSD-Mini-Grant-Program

Only 4 days left to apply for a mini-grant! Submit your application before the deadline this Friday, June 11 at 5:00pm! Access the application, details, and more here: https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/3508/CSD-Mini-Grant-Program

2020 Snow Ball Scholarship Awards Update Each year the Community Services Department (CSD) partners with the West Contra Costa Unified School District to host the city-wide annual Snow Ball Scholarship where two students are crowned Snow Ball King and Queen, which entitles them to a college tuition scholarship payment of $2,500 each, and four students are honored as runner-ups which entitles them to a college tuition scholarship payment of $1,000 each. Congratulations t...o the 68th Snow Ball Winners! Winners - $2,500 From Hercules High School - King James Allen Mariano From Richmond High School - Queen Stephanie Garcia-Avila Runner - Up Winners - $1000 From El Cerrito - King Emmett Clancy From El Cerrito - Queen Kristy Chu From Richmond - King Daniel Nunez From De Anza - Queen Sofia Eduardo Garay Thank you to our sponsors for providing the generous scholarship funds: Maryn and Garry Hurlbut Richmond Police Activities League Thank you to our supporters, for assisting the CSD for this event last year. Michelle Milam, Crime Prevention Manager Janie Holland, Community Building & Organizing Director Thank you to the CSD and IT staff for providing the first virtual Snow Ball Scholarship event during the pandemic: Sue Hartman, IT Director Richard Lee Brian Bland John Hill Ranjana Maharaj, CSD Manager Kymberlyn Carson-Thrower, CSD Supervisor CSD-Snow Ball Team

Want to keep up with all things CSD? Sign up for our newsletter! We'll send our our activity guide on a quarterly basis! Click the link here to sign up! Sign up: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/OEiBb9M

We are starting a new 8-week session of yoga class, free of charge on the Senior Launchpad. This course will be an introduction to Mindfulness and its role in helping us to navigate the ups and downs of everyday life. For many of us, meditation is not easy. Our bodies are active, which makes it difficult to sit still and focus inwards. Therefore, a good complement to a meditation practice is yoga asanas. Yoga asanas are exercises designed to increase circulation throughout... the body, lengthen, and strengthen the muscles resulting in flexibility and calming the nervous system. This enables the body to relax in a meditative practice and allows for a mindful state of awareness in everyday life. This course is offered for FREE on Zoom and each class will consist of 15-20 minutes of lecture and 60 minutes of gentle yoga asanas. This class is ideal for beginners, anyone new to yoga, and anyone just interested. Please visit https://tinyurl.com/SeniorsDPRCLaunchPad to register and get the link to Zoom class. Participants must complete a COR Activity Registration Form. For more information contact the Richmond Annex Senior Center at 510 620-6812 Classes start Wednesday, January 13, 2021 Class times: Wednesdays, 9:00 A.M. - 10:30 A.M. Victoria (RYT 200) is a Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance and was trained by The International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre.

We have exciting news to share with everyone! To be able to stay connected with our community we have created a Newsletter with updates about the happenings within the City of Richmond’s Community Services Department Recreation Division. A sneak preview of the Newsletter can be seen by clicking on the below link. If you are interested in signing up for our Newsletter, you can subscribe by choosing one of the below options:... 1. Click the following link: https://conta.cc/3pzPLTg and then click the Join Our Email List button at the top of the Newsletter or 2. Email [email protected] confirming you would like to begin receiving the Newsletter and we will add your email address to our mailing list. We hope you will subscribe and enjoy receiving updates from our division as much as we enjoy creating them for you.

December 2020 Highlights: The Community Services Department altered their scheduled after-school virtual activities to offer a special Winter Wonder ZOOM event, a Holiday-themed virtual camp for youth participants. Travis Gok, Recreation Leader at Booker T. Anderson Community Center, would lead youth and other CSD staff in an exhilarating workout every morning at 11:00 A.M. Travis’ regimen of fitness included an hour of various stand-in-place exercises such as push-ups, sit...-ups, planks, and also soccer, basketball, and Taekwondo. Winter Wonder ZOOM would resume at 3:00 P.M. until 6:00 P.M. for holiday messages, online quiz games, and Mr. Travis’ Winter Wonder Workout. Nevin Center staff introduced a game called What’s He Painting Now?!. Zoom’s green screen function is used to create this fun and engaging special effects driven game! Evon Molave, former Recreation Leader, returned to coordinate a Holiday Gifting Event with the aid of CSD staff. Various friends and donors, who have worked with Mrs. Molave for over 20 years have returned to offer their generosity, love, and numerous amounts of toys to families who really needed a morale booster during these trying times. The West Contra Costa County Food Bank (WCCCFB) made their scheduled distribution Nevin Center. Cans of fresh fruits, vegetables, and boxes of nonperishable canned goods and pastas were distributed. Thank you to the volunteers who help (WCCCFB) distribute food to those that needed some holiday cheer! CSD also thanks RPAL and other volunteers for their food distribution service for the past few months. Various local restaurants pre-cooked and prepared thousands of free to-go plates filled with hearty, home-style cooked meals. CSD staff picked up 40 meals and delivered them to the Shields-Reid Community Center, Richmond Recreation Complex, and Nevin Community Center to be passed out to the local community. These difficult times have highlighted the caring nature of all these great people and gives hope to this New Year in 2021. Thank you!

VIRTUAL COOKING DECORATING CONTEST! Here's a new contest for everyone! 1) Bake or decorate your favorite holiday cookie! Is baking not your thing? Download any cookie coloring sheet or use the coloring page provided or draw your own holiday cookie!... 2) Snap a pic of your cookie creation! 3)Share your picture with us on our Facebook or Instagram (@richmondcsd), using #RichmondVirtualHolidays by Friday, December 18th, 2020 at 11:59pm. Please tag us in your photo and also DM us your post if your profile is private. The contest begins December 1, 2020, and ends on Friday, December 18, 2020, at 11:59 P.M. Ten people will be randomly selected to win holiday goodies! Winners will be announced on our social media accounts on Monday, 12/21/2020 by 5:00 P.M. One (1) submission per social media account per day.

It's not too late to join our last virtual sports session of the year!

The Snow Ball looks a little differently this year But KCRT (TV Station) is here to explain! Apply today!

NEW CONTEST ALERT We have a new coloring contest for you all! Details on the flyer!

Virtual Snow Ball King and Queen $2,500 Scholarship!

We have some spooktacular and fun contests for you this Halloween! Participate in one or both of the CSD's Halloween contests! JACK-O-LANTERN CONTEST: Color, draw or carve your own real Jack-o-Lantern and share your gourd-geous creations with us on either our Facebook or Instagram pages by tagging @richmondcsd and using #RichmondVirtualHalloween. Please tag us in your photo/post AND also Direct Message us your post if your profile is private to make sure we can see it! Ten (1...0) people will be randomly selected to win Halloween treats! We look forward to checking out your submissions! Links to the Jack-o-Lantern coloring sheet, list of participating community centers for the Guess the Halloween Theme challenge, Google form to submit guesses, and more details in the link here: http://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1998 Contest begins today and ends Wednesday, October 28, 2020, at 11:59 P.M. One (1) submission per social media account per day. Winners will be announced on our social media accounts on Thursday, October 29 by 5:00 P.M. Ten (10) people will be randomly selected to win Halloween treats for the Jack-o-Lantern Contest.

Have you submitted your guesses for our Halloween Theme Contest? Today is the last day! To help you out, we've included some clues from some of our community centers on the Google form. If you can guess the theme, submit your guesses before the end of the day!... Click here to check out the clues: https://forms.gle/V23Lj1UvetFMSdQD7

There are a few spots left for Monday and Tuesday, so visit parchestermural2020.eventbrite.com to register! Come out and join the fun!

Richmond youth and families! Help us decide how to invest MILLIONS of dollars in funding as part of a 3-year grant cycle for our young people and families in Richmond. Join us for one of our upcoming Community Forums or take our survey below. --- ¡Familias y jóvenes y de Richmond! ... Ayúdenos a decidir cómo invertir MILLONES de dólares en fondos como parte de un ciclo de subvenciones de 3 años para nuestros jóvenes y familias en Richmond. Únase a nosotros en uno de nuestros próximos foros comunitarios o responda nuestra encuesta a continuación.

North Richmond community: what does a redesigned Shields-Reid Park look like to you? Come and tell us during our sidewalk meetings at Shields-Reid Park/Community Center on Saturday, September 26 from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm! The sidewalk meetings will be opportunities for you to show us what park features you want AND where you want them!... **Masks and social distancing required at all times**

Only a few hours left to submit your application for a Love Your Block COVID-19 Mini-Grant! Applications are due at 11:59 pm tonight, September 15, 2020!

$500 mini-grants available for COVID-19 volunteer projects!

New #COVID19 Testing Sites in #RichmondCA Civic Center Plaza, parking lot @ 24th St & Nevin Ave: Mon-Fri, 8am-3:30pm #NorthRichmond Center for Health @ 2nd St ...& W. Ruby Ave: Tues & Fri, 1-4pm No appointment or symptoms needed. Patient info is confidential. Details & full testing sites map www.coronavirus.cchealth.org/get-tested Contra Costa County Health Services #ContraCostaCounty #covid19 #covid19testing #coronavirus #coronavirustesting #freecovidtest

Due to the extreme fire activity in the region, all Regional Parks are closed until further notice, except some shoreline parks. Paved interpark Regional Trails... not within closed parks are not affected by the closures and will remain open. The Park District is currently experiencing an unprecedented number of wildfires in parks, including Round Valley Regional Preserve, Morgan Territory Regional Preserve, Del Valle Regional Park, Sunol Wilderness Regional Preserve, Ohlone Wilderness Regional Preserve, Mission Peak Regional Preserve, and Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park. Overall, 85,000 acres have burned in the region, with 5% containment. Extreme heat, poor air quality, and extreme fire dangers are expected throughout the week, adding to park safety concerns. While some parks are remaining open, the District is advising against using Regional Parks and Regional Trails at this time due to poor air quality. Parks remaining open are: Crown Beach State Park Hayward Regional Shoreline MLK Jr. Regional Shoreline McLaughlin East Shore State Park Oyster Bay Regional Shoreline Point Isabel Regional Shoreline Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area For information on which parks and trails are open or closed, visit www.ebparks.org/about/fire/fire_warning_information

We’re proud to say that our Recreation Department’s Camp Achieve program is currently featured on the cover of Western City magazine! Our outstanding summer camp won the Helen Putnam Award last year for 2019. Before the start of the summer, Western City Magazine reached out to see how our department and Camp Achieve were adapting during this COVID-19 pandemic. Impressed with our seamless transition to a virtual camp format, the Magazine chose our camp and our beautiful campers to be their cover and lead story for their August 2020 issue. We hope that you all can celebrate this achievement with us! Check out the magazine here: https://www.westerncity.com/

Temporary Outdoor Dining and Curbside Retail Application Available Now! The City of Richmond is providing opportunities for businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to utilize public and privately-owned outdoor areas, including parking lots, for outdoor dining and retail use. Richmond businesses may apply for a permit to use a sidewalk or parking space in front of their location for business operation by contacting the Community Services Department, Recreation Division at [email protected] or by visiting www.richca-communityservices.org to obtain an application.

After all of the interest and support we received from residents in May, we are excited to present: Adopt-A-Senior! We are connecting community volunteers and s...eniors in Richmond and North Richmond. If you are over 55 and would like to receive FREE maintenance services for your property, go to tinyurl.com/SeniorAdoptionRequest to be adopted! Services may include: cleaning up debris and litter; removing weeds and tall grass; trimming and pruning plant; painting; and more. If you would like to BE a volunteer and adopt a senior to help them maintain their property go to tinyurl.com/AdoptaSeniorVolunteer. (The Adopt-A-Senior program does not provide any home repairs or other services that take place inside of the home.) Help us spread the word so we can connect as many seniors and volunteers as possible!

Camp Achieve Scholars go on Virtual Camping Trip! On Friday, July 10, 2020, Recreation staff took campers on a virtual camping trip! Participants made tents in their houses or backyards, and even staff got into it and put their own spice in making their own tents. The camping trip began with the morning gathering led by Booker T. Anderson Community Center to give us the trip's agenda. Then, Nevin Community Center put on a spooky and funny camp story for all the campers. May V...alley and Parchester Community Centers followed up with a scavenger hunt and virtual field trip to Yosemite National Park, where we got to see different waterfalls and lookouts within the park. To end our morning activities, Shields-Reid Community Center and Recreation Complex played a game called, "What am I Thinking: an Animal, a Vegetable, or a Mineral". Next on the agenda was the daily check-in. Based on the morning activities, Recreation Leader Travis thought it was a good idea to get out of their tents and do some movement. So, the Recreation Complex did a session of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) before lunch. The last activity of the day was watching a movie called Heavyweights - a Disney family comedy about a summer camp called Camp Hope. Campers and staff alike had a fantastic time at our virtual camping trip! Check out the latest virtual summer camp updates at our blog: https://campachievescholars.wordpress.com/

COMMUNITY CENTERS UPDATE Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, most of our Community Centers are still closed. In the meantime, our amazing facility maintenance staff have waxed the floors in the fronts areas of the Senior Center and the Developing Personal Resources Center (DPRC). Staff is working hard by cleaning and organizing our facilities to meet the safety and social distancing requirements needed to re-open. We hope to open soon with the proper social distancing and sanitization protocols to serve our great Richmond residents!