Assignment 2- Synopsis

As a team we have determined great pros of having a career in one of these agencies. First, there are a variety of job opportunities that people of many different interests may relate to. You would also be working for a greater cause while gaining experience in the real world. Working at an organization such as this would be not only increase the value of life for the individuals you are serving, but also for personal benefit. A con could be that working with children with disabilities may be a challenge that not all people could efficiently handle. Also, not-for-profit organizations are recently struggling economically from budget cuts, which can result in a lack of job security. This is not what we as a group would have first thought of as leisure. It seems that the individuals that utilize these services rely on them to maintain a lifestyle rather than a filler of time. While some may see leisure as hiking through the mountains on a cool day, others may see it as social interaction in a non-stressful, educating, and encouraging environment.


Group Members: Rebecca Unger (unger6) Antonio Delgado/Ortega (Ortega6) Chi-Wen Chang (cchang39), Corey Gorman (gorman1), Phillip Molley (molley2) lauren Graham (Graham38) Cristian Villasenor (Villase1)

Assignment 2- Cunningham Children's Home

Cunningham Children’s Home was founded in 1895 in Urbana, Illinois.  It is a safe place for youth (ages 5-21) to “heal, learn, and grow.” Children that come to Cunningham may have emotional or behavioral problems do to a variety causes ranging from abuse or neglect to neurological abnormalities. Such problems often lead to learning challenges or special education needs. Cunningham offers what public schools cannot to children with such setbacks.

Judge Joseph Oscar and Mary Cunningham (a College Preparatory School educator) donated their rural Urbana home and its surrounding 15 acres to the Women’s Home Missionary Society of the Illinois Conference (WHMS-IC) Methodist Episcopal Church Thanksgiving Day in 1894. The warranty deed ensured that if the Home was not being used for the purposes of aiding children in need, the Cunningham’s could legally claim the property back. It began as both a Deaconess Home and an Orphanage. Cunningham Home started hiring local employees to work in the orphanage in 1906 due to a shortage of deaconesses available, and in 1910 the name was changed to Cunningham’s Children Home and became solely an orphanage. Fifteen years later Cunningham’s Children Home was incorporated into the State of Illinois not-for-profit institutions.

Most children that attended Cunningham in the beginning came from households whose parents were in need of help due to incidences such as divorce, sickness, or desertion of one parent and were paid to keep their children at the Home. The need for an orphanage in the community didn’t come about until the 1900’s. More children were being brought to the house and additional buildings were constructed to accommodate the children.

In 1949 Sarah English, a new superintendent, started incorporating modern child care methods and introduced professional social work philosophies and techniques which slowly and unintentionally transformed Cunningham into a residential treatment center. By 1968 Cunningham met the 1964 Child Welfare of America League definition of a treatment center due to their social work and therapeutic focus. The Home is more elite now in that children must be deemed dependent, but not delinquent by the court.

Today Cunningham focuses on using programs and activities to cultivate self-esteeem and self-reliance for the needy youth. They have special education and special therapy services for children with behavioral and emotional disabilities. And they provide foster parent care for the youth. Cunningham also hosts several fun events for their children and others interested in learning about the Cunningham Home such as a Festival of Quilts and the annual Kendall Gill Golf Tournament, which is sponsored by former Illini and NBA player Kendall Gill.

Kendall Gill Golf Outing 2010


The Cunningham Home provides many job opportunities ranging from specialists and nurses to counselors and teachers.  Employees can expect a team oriented and stable work environment. They have internship openings that provide good quality work experience to someone interested in one of those fields and also provide opportunities for long term employment.















Cunningham is currently undergoing several phases of renovation. Under a plan approved in 2001, they have already built a new Residential Treatment Center and Spiritual Life Center. They now have goals set to create a new education and special therapies complex. With this plan Cunningham hopes to create a living and learning environment that can provide for its clients 24/7.

Group Members: Rebecca Unger (unger6) Antonio Delgado/Ortega (Ortega6) Chi-Wen Chang (cchang39), Corey Gorman (gorman1), Phillip Molley (molley2) lauren Graham (Graham38) Cristian Villasenor (Villase1)

Assignment 2- California Therapeutic Recreation Center

The California Therapeutic Recreation Center

The California Therapeutic Recreation works through the program of “education and cooperation.” Their mission statement calls for support and growth of the recreation therapy profession. They fight and challenge the false beliefs of recreation therapy. They also “educate and inform their members and customers.”

The California Therapeutic Center was started by a group of individuals that include psychiatrists, clinical doctors and activists that saw the growing need for therapeutic recreation in the central valley region of Los Angelos. They wanted an organization that could aimed for children with special needs in the community.These individuals got together in the 1960s and founded the non-profit organization in 1962.

The Therapeutic Recreation Center has many work opportunities and everyone can get their foot in the door in different ways. The center offer employment opportunities as well as volunteering, social work, and internships for those that are interested in getting involved.  The different positions include clinical physicians, pyschiastrists, administrative staffs, ITs, social workers, and a large variety of internships positions. Some positions require more professional experiences and training, while others don't.There is a wide range of jobs.

Major issues that is associated with current trends for the Therapeutic Recreation Center include budget crises. With the new health care reform passed by Obama, there has been changes to where the center has access to funds. Some of the ways of how the Therapeutic Recreation Center gained access to funding are now close and while there are new ones that may be available, the center will need time and staff training to figure out how the new system works. Besides the healthcare reform, there has also been slashing of funding due to the economic crisis both at the local and federal government level.

On the upside, the center is experiencing trends in breakdown of service availabilities. Therapeutic Recreation Center  is becoming more community-based with the ability to provide more mental and physical services to children in need. Clients and families that used to have to travel to obtain services can now find them at their local communities.

When the center was asked what their definition of leisure was, they responded that they did not have any specific definition for leisure, but they do advocate leisure and recreation. They said they offered yoga, and gardening as leisure activities. They considered this to be very beneficial to the mental health care of the center's members and customers.

The center identified its major contribution to its community and what its members can benefit the most from is its mental therapeutic programs targeted towards children. Through its programs, the center is able to incorporate the families of such children into helping the children obtain the help and services they need.

 

There are different skills that are needed for an individual to work for the recreation centers. You need to have an interest in the well being of others and to help the mental state of individual in needs. An individual interested in this field needs to be extremely dedicated and to have at least general knowledge in the background of therapeutic recreation.

Group Members: Rebecca Unger (unger6) Antonio Delgado/Ortega (Ortega6) Chi-Wen Chang (cchang39), Corey Gorman (gorman1), Phillip Molley (molley2) lauren Graham (Graham38) Cristian Villasenor (Villase1)

Assignment 1: Definition of Leisure (Chiwen Chang)

This is a photo taken from the field behind my grandparents house. It represents the nature part of my perspective in leisure. For me, leisure is being able to relax, relieve yourself from stress, while being able to fully taking in your surroundings (below is an image of several cats napping in at my grandparents' backyard). Going somewhere away from all the crowds, densely located buildings and traffic so that you can feel "free" and peaceful both physically and mentally. You don't have to go to fancy resorts to find that kind of leisure. Wild life, little walk paths, lazy sunsets. Sometimes, simply being surrounded by nature can do the job.

Enjoyment of Time (Phillip Molley)

This picture is from Halloween 2010, me and my friends were enjoying ourselves at my friend Osa's house. I find this picture to be very amusing and it just seemed to happen when we were all enjoying our leisure time. Our way have spending leisure time was to enjoy each others company. To me leisure is being active. Also it is to enjoy time that you have, when you can choose what you want to do with that time you have. Leisure should be something fun for yourself and something that you get enjoyment out of. Leisure can be enjoyed in groups, with friends or family, and you can also enjoy leisure by yourself.

Assignment One- My definition of Leisure: Take the world in (Antonio Delgado)

My definition of leisure as you can see is being with people that you can be with all day without ever getting bored, or annoyed by them. You can just go to the park and sit in the grass, talk and laugh, while forgetting about your problems. It doesn't always have to be something spectacular or something with a purpose but something that makes you feel relaxed, and happy. Leisure to me is being able to just take the world in, while being with people you love, whether friends or family. Sitting in the park on a beautiful Spring day, and hanging out with your friends. That's what leisure means to me.

Definition of Leisure- villase1

This is a photo of the AMC River East Theater in downtown Chicago. It represents the activity of watching a movie, either at a theater or simply at home. This is one of the simplest and best forms of leisure because when you watch a movie, especially if it's a good one, you can get sucked into the story and leave the real world. You become enthralled in the ventures of the movies characters and forget all about your own stressful problems. My definition of leisure is being as comfortable and worry free as possible.

Assignment #1 (Corey Gorman) Family Leisure

Assignment # 1- (Rebecca Unger) LEISURE- A great use of time

The picture I chose to represent leisure is from this past fall and it was taken at my sister's house. The picture is of me jumping into a pile of leaves and I believe that it represents an aspect of leisure that people often take for granted. I have numerous pictures of myself playing a sport or participating in some sort of activity that is typically associated with leisure time, but I specifically chose this picture to represent the fact that leisure varies greatly whether one spends their time in a rigorous game of football or simply spends the day playing in a pile of leaves. My definition of leisure is the use of ones free time to enjoy life and spend time doing various activities that will enhance an individuals happiness.

Assingment #1: My Idea of Leisure

My Idea of Leisure

Lauren Graham

       This picture was taken last summer, the season I find most enjoyable for the mere fact that it is the most convenient time of year for my idea of leisure. It was taken before the start of the Woodriver Sprint Triathlon with a group of friends that I keep in contact with while training. We’re showing off our race numbers in the transition area, which is where everything joins together. This is where I will jump on and off of my bike… after I swim and before I run. 
I like to spend my free time being active. I sometimes prefer to work towards a goal, like a triathlon, and especially when I can do it with the support of a group of friends. I was never good at any sports when I was younger due to a lack of any coordination, and never thought of actively taking care of my body until college when I realized now should be the easiest time of my life to get in shape. Instead of clicking though channels on the television each night when I’m finished taking care of responsibilities at home, work, or school, I head somewhere to be active. Training for a triathlon is not a hobby, it is a lifestyle. I have to watch what I eat, be well rested, stay on top of my responsibilities, be careful not to strain my body too much, or let myself become a couch potato. If you can’t tell, I side with what we learned from class and in the textbook readings as the Greeks philosophy that leisurely activities lead to personal development or growth. In my case, it helps me grow stronger physically and mentally during any sort of physical activity. For others this may be baking, drawing, or assembling cars. “To each his own.”
My personal definition of leisure is what you choose to do with your free time. It is not simply what you let happen during your free time, but rather what you consciously choose to take up time. I think it should naturally follow that what you choose to fill this time will aid to personal growth, whether it is physically active or not. Just as it is a necessity to go to work, do school assignments, visit the doctor, and clean the house to get though life, it is just as necessary to find something personal to fill your free time with to make life into a meaningful and enjoyable experience.