The Villages’ Special Talented Adult Resident (S.T.A.R.) program took its slogan, “Little Events with a Big Heart,” to a new level with the Twirling Hearts event.Geared toward adults with disabilities who are living in The Villages with their parents, the S.T.A.R. program provides monthly socials including sporting activities and craft centered events.
On Friday afternoon, nearly 30 participants at SeaBreeze Recreation celebrated Valentine’s Day with friends and family by using simple items that could be laying around the house or quickly grabbed at the store.
Conner Jamros, Villages Recreation and Parks area supervisor at Lake Okahumpka Recreation, said one of the main goals when planning activities is bringing the recreation lifestyle experience to S.T.A.R. participants.
“(The goal is) offering participants an environment where they may get to better experience and potentially get further involved in our resident lifestyle groups,” Jamros said. “This ranges from a variety of activities including learning sports, trying out crafts or even other fun activities our many resident lifestyle group clubs get to do, such as karaoke.”
By starting off coloring four large hearts on printer paper, participants made twirling hearts by gluing the four hears together, making each side visible, and hanging it on a piece of string.
With care and precision, Maureen Tercha, of the Village of St. Catherine, colored one of the four paper hearts needed for the craft.
“I like to color on the side of the pencil so it doesn’t get dull,” she said.
Similar to how the Friday activity coordinated with Valentine’s day, activities planned for the rest of the month tend to correlate with holidays or different seasons, such as playing Touch Tennis on Feb. 12, Kickball on Feb. 18 and Painted Spring Pots on Feb. 26.
“Touch Tennis is a fun variation of regular tennis and is commonly played on our Platform Tennis Courts with a lower-compression ball, as well as different rackets,” Jamros said.
It is enjoyed because beginners can understand it easily while creating exciting rallies, he said.
Matthew Losey, of the Village of Lake Denham, said he has been participating in S.T.A.R. events since moving to The Villages two years ago.
“I like the crafts and the sports we do and I like having a lot of fun with friends,” he said.
Parents of participants feel the same way.
Linda Herman, of the Village of Monarch Grove, attended the Twirling Hearts event with her daughter Kim.
Along with the chance to participate in sport activities, Linda said the socialization aspect of the program is what keeps them coming back.
“This is our second winter here,” Herman said. “We like to do what we can when there’s not a scheduling conflict.”
Audrey Tercha, Maureen’s mom, said signing up for S.T.A.R. events can sometimes be a challenge because of the popularity.
“They do so many creative projects and it’s nice to see them get together,” Audrey said. “I first learned about the group from a friend of ours. You have to be really quick to sign up, so you can see how popular it is.”
Jamros said participation in events varies depending on the type of session scheduled.
Each activity requires different skill levels so not everyone can do the same event, but there are many options available, Audrey said.
“There is something for everyone,” Audrey said.
And the numbers of residents participating changes based on the activity.
“In a typical S.T.A.R. session, we have around 18-20 participants per session; however, this may vary depending on the session type,” Jamros said. “We’ve had the pleasure of meeting at least 50 different S.T.A.R. participants. It seems with each month, we always get to meet someone new.”
The monthly S.T.A.R. activity listing is updated on the last Thursday of the month, allowing families to choose what interests them. Advanced registration for events is required as space is limited.
To stay informed about upcoming S.T.A.R. events, visit thevillages.com/recreation/star-program/, call 352-753-1716 or check The Villages Recreation News.
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BREAKOUT BOX
Upcoming February S.T.A.R Activities
Feb 12 | Touch Tennis, 2 p.m. at Everglades Recreation Platform Tennis Courts, free
Feb 18 | Kickball, 2 p.m. at Buffalo Glen, free
Feb 26 | Painted Spring Pots, 1:30 p.m. at Manatee Recreation, $8 per person
breasbuzz.com 