Alleghany Wellness Center

Summer is rounding down and we have had a good summer. Attendance is holding steady and we really appreciate our members and their support and we enjoy having new visitors come by for a day visit to use the gym or pool.

The AWCI Golf Tournament, which was held at the New River County Club on July 17^th,, was very successful. We were able to raise $17,700 due to the efforts of our volunteers, sponsors and patrons. A special thanks to Kay Choplin, who is a member of the AWCI Board of Directors. She pulled the event together and did a fantastic job! Here are “the winners” and to view more information about the event, as well as pictures of the event, please visit our website. Thank you everyone!

Also in July, AWCI held the Summer Kids Camp. Our new employee, Joe Flowers, did a great job of providing the campers with fun and interesting activities, and we are planning to hold camp again next year. We should have even more interesting activities since Joe has degrees in Zoology and Entomology. Should be fun!

In July the Rainbow of Hope opened the meditation garden which is located right below the Wellness Center on Collins Road. The dedication took place on July 20^th. The area’s fountain was dedicated in memory of Peggy Turner, a retired teacher, who moved to Alleghany County and she was very involved with Rainbow of Hope. The purpose of the garden is to have a quiet and peaceful place for people to come and meditate. Stop by when you are at the Wellness Center to see for yourself, it is a lovely place.

We will have to say goodbye and best of luck to Alicia Prest as she is moving to Northern Virginia and will no longer be providing massage therapist services here at AWCI. We are lucky enough to be able to have Melissa Neville join our team and she will be providing massage therapy. You can contact her directly at 276-579-2098 to schedule an appointment. The rates are $30.00 for ½ hour and $60.00 for 1 hour. Please welcome Melissa to the Wellness Center.

AWCI is planning to have a booth at the Mountain Heritage Festal in Sparta on Saturday, September 19^th. Stop by and say “Hello”.

On Sunday afternoon September 27th we are planning to hold a group canoe trip on the New River, leaving from Zoolo’s Canoes in Glendale Springs. Activities will include lunch (pack your own) and we are planning a wine tasting session from a local winery. Check out our website soon for more information as this comes together.

The Mountain-to-Sea Trail has been maintained, on two different occasions, by a group of enthusiastic people from AWCI. The six mile part of the trail that goes into Stone Mountain has been cleared of over-hanging branches, etc, as well as along the parkway by Devils Garden. Steven Joines who is a member here at AWCI has been long associated with maintaining the trail. We thank our volunteers who have worked hard for the trail and hope they will continue to do so in the future to keep up our part of the trail. Special thanks to David Young, the team lead trail blazer! If you interested in joining this group, contact Linda Kabat at the wellness center.

Did you know that a group of people who are regular attending AWCI members are meeting on Sundays and hiking “up” Stone Mountain Trail – fast and furious and enjoying every minute!

Did you also know that we have 2 members, Brandi Bowles and Pat Flattery, who will be running in a 5K race in October at Galax. Go to www.galaxparks-rec.com for information about the race.

Also three of our members, will be participating in a triathlon at Tanglewood Park in Clemmons, NC on September 20.. For more information about the Sept. 20th Angel’s Race Triathlon visit: www.setupevents.com and go to Other Events. Wanda Hamm will do the biking event, Tonia Johnson running, and Leigh Kostoryz and her brother doing the individual triathlon. We will let you know how they all do

Do you believe? We have one member (May ’09 Member of the Month!!) David Choate, who is going to Myrtle Beach this weekend, and he has already called ahead to make sure he can get to a gym at that location – checked rates, time they will open. What dedication!

We have added a Suggestion/Testimonial box located by the front desk. We would like to hear from you regarding suggestions and input regarding AWCI. We like to hear from our customers!

AWCI has also added a “BUDDY BOARD” in the gym area where you can post out any workout needs you may have, such as a tennis partner, cardio craze, core strength partner – in other words - express your interests and see if you can find a buddy to workout with. Rules are posted on the board. Think encouragement and motivation when the going gets tough.

REMINDER: WHILE AT THE WELLNESS CENTER: With flu season upon us, please remember to wipe off equipment after each use. Wash your hands throughout the day to help reduce germs.

A reminder that AWCI continues to support our community by offering financial assistance for memberships. A large part of our current membership base is comprised of sliding scale members, for which reduced membership rates are available based on income levels. If you are interested in financial assistance, please give us a call at 372-2944 and ask for Mary Jane Younger who can provide you with the appropriate information.

NOTES FROM TED ORTON. Besides Ted’s daily running of AWCI as the Executive Director, here some other activities that keep him happy and very busy:

The AWCI swim team started practicing here on September 1^st and this schedule will be in place through March, 2010 – the team meets five days a week, 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM at our pool. Also the Alleghany High School swim team will combine with the AWCI swim team starting in November. When this combined effort takes place we will close the lap pool during this period of time through February, 2010 (3:30 PM to 5:00 PM).

The Core Strength Class that is held Mondays – Wednesdays and Fridays will continue as scheduled at 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM, and Joe Flowers will assist me with instruction.

I will be coaching Sertoma Football for Fifth and Sixth graders at Alleghany County with Rudy McKnight, Curry Martin and Shannon Lawerence. Also I will be coaching football for Forth and Fifth graders at Grayson this Fall. We are providing a Strength Development program for the Grayson High School football team as well as a similar program has been developed for the Alleghany Girl’s Basketball team.