ANDREWS AFB, Md. –
To celebrate "Great Outdoors Month" this June, the base's Outdoor Recreation Center is celebrating by offering new trips and tours, free swimming classes and more convenient hours for its patrons through the summer.
"We are really making it our goal to target Airmen with trips and activities that they will be excited about and will generate interest," said Ali Mabins, Outdoor Rec director. "This summer, we are working to build great trips - like the upcoming scuba training certification class trip to Bainbridge, Pa., which we're really excited to offer Team Andrews. This trip is worth over $450, but we're working with a company who really wants to give back to our military community; it's really a great value and a wonderful opportunity."
The scuba class will be offered at a discounted rate to Team Andrews Airman for only $170 for E-1 to E-4 ranks and $230 for all others. Interested Team Andrews members can sign up at Outdoor Rec through June 17. The scuba certification will be held at the end of June on an overnight trip to Bainbridge, Pa.
By offering new services and tours, Outdoor Rec is striving to meet its goal of making outdoor recreational activities available to everyone.
"We want to make the trips affordable - especially given the economic climate right now.
We want to make the trips family-friendly, and we want to make them fun. Our goal is to do anything that our Airmen can do outdoors that is related to their professionalism, including team building, survival skills and unity," Ms. Mabins said.
Outdoor Rec will help units build trips that will foster unit cohesion, said Ms. Mabins.
"If there's a unit out there that really wants to go rock climbing, but can't make it on that particular day, we'll work with them to make it happen," Ms. Mabins said.
July will be an event-filled month for Outdoor Rec, including a charter fishing trip, a trip to New York and a skydiving excursion; August's activities are geared towards the water.
"In August, we'll be going kayaking and white water rafting," said Maddie Bogacz, Outdoor Rec specialist. "We're really working to get trips that our military members - and their families - can be excited about."
Outdoor Rec's excitement isn't limited to the outdoors; it is currently working with the Pentagon Channel to create a new show for Airmen; in this show, the Outdoor Rec Center will be videotaping an upcoming rock climbing trip.
As the new Outdoor Rec Center director, Ms. Mabins quickly made some changes to enhance Team Andrews' quality of life. Two of those changes include providing free admission to the base pool and free swimming lessons for members and their families.
"The community really relies on our pool during the summer for recreation, family time and fitness, and we're happy to offer this service to them free of charge; they deserve it," Ms. Mabins explained.
The pool begins full-time hours on June 13 with swimming lessons for children ages 3 to 14 beginning June 23. This year, Outdoor Rec will also be providing swimming lessons for adults. Lessons will begin June 22, from 7 to 8 p.m.
"We're offering swimming lessons to the adults at Andrews as a way to reach out to them," Ms. Mabins explained. "We're offering [swimming lessons] in the evening after the pool is closed so they will have privacy and not feel self-conscious."
In addition to swim lessons, Team Andrews members can reserve the pool for 'Summer Splash Parties;' these parties are held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday after normal pool hours. Interested patrons should call Outdoor Rec for prices.
To provide more information about its services, Outdoor Rec will be holding an open house on July 8 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
"We're really excited - we're going to have Capt. Pete 'Wall Eye' Dahlberg from the Four Seasons Guide Service come talk in a free seminar about fishing on the Chesapeake Bay, and there will be tons of giveaways - it's sure to be a great time," Ms. Bogacz said.
For summer hours and more information, call Outdoor Rec at 301-981-5663. Outdoor Rec is located on the corner of Virginia Avenue and Menoher Drive in Bldg. 1235.