Denare Beach’s recreation department is under new leadership.
Jody Lyle, who grew up and resides in Flin Flon, began her new role at the beginning of August.
After attending the University of Manitoba, Lyle spent 19 years working in recreation at long-term care facilities and is looking forward to the challenges her new position will bring.
“There are a lot of similarities and a lot of differences between working in long-term care and for the community,” she said.
While time spent doing paperwork in her old position centred around client care, she will be focused on grant applications in her new position.
Much of the programming provided in the community stems from grant funding, and Lyle is busy working to meet fall deadlines.
“The positions are different in a number of ways, but are also very similar,” she said. “Both require a lot of programming and implementation of those programs.”
The community recreation department has a wider clientele than she was working with before, and Lyle will be spending time organizing and hosting events for people of all ages and abilities.
The annual Winter Festival scheduled for February 26 and 27 is the next major event for the community, and planning is already underway. Lyle explained that the family event will include a number of games and entertainment, including sleigh rides and refreshments.
“It takes a lot of time to plan and organize the event, as well as a lot of help from volunteers to make it happen,” she said.
With the first month in her new position under her belt, Lyle is finding the community very welcoming and helpful. She was impressed by the 11 summer students who worked with the department this year, doing a number of jobs such as patrolling the beach, teaching swimming lessons, running day camps and general maintenance around town.
As summer draws to a close, fall and winter activities become the focus, and Lyle said the community is hoping to make upgrades and improvements to the outdoor rink at the Denareplex.
Booking the facility and keeping on top of maintenance issues are all part of Lyle’s job, under direction from the recreation board, which reports to village council.
Lyle’s enthusiasm and positive personality are already shining through and she’s excited about what is to come.
“It doesn’t matter where you do recreation, you are always doing so many different things,” she said. Add that to the welcoming atmosphere that has greeted her at Denare Beach and she’s looking forward to the future.
“One of the great things with this job is that I get to meet and work with lots of great people.”
