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Belmont youth groups and Parks & Rec report big growth in events, expand adaptive programs
Summary
Parks & Recreation staff and youth advisory groups reported growing participation across camps and events — including an adaptive egg hunt, a teen wellness retreat and Camp Soar approaching 900 sign-ups — and described a new waitlist automation to manage demand.
Parks & Recreation staff on March 10 told the Belmont Parks & Recreation Commission that youth programs and community events have expanded sharply in recent years, and outlined changes to accommodate demand.
Danielle Giuliani, a recreation coordinator and advisor to the Voices volunteer group, recapped the group’s year: 24 members who meet twice a month, monthly service projects and leadership presentations on topics from college applications to using AI. ‘‘We planted five trees around the playground of Belmont Park to celebrate Arbor Day,’’ Giuliani said, and described donation and care‑kit drives that supported Lucile Packard and Samaritan House.
The department’s larger youth programs also showed substantial participation. Staff reported that the teen wellness retreat had 157 teen sign‑ups and received a $5,000 grant from the Sequoia Healthcare District. The adaptive egg hunt drew 40 registered participants; the traditional egg hunt featured 18,000 hidden eggs and an estimated 2,000 attendees. Camp Soar had 825 sign‑ups last summer and is approaching 900 capacity for 2026, according to staff.
‘‘We extended our camp hours and renamed our inclusion camp to adaptive camp,’’ said the recreation lead, noting that adaptive camp now offers more frequent sessions and expanded weekly spots from five to six. Staff also described an automated wait‑list system launched for Camp Soar and Aquatics; early use generated about 100 transactions and a roughly 20 percent non‑response rate, comparable to the former phone/email process.
Commissioners praised volunteer efforts and asked about long‑term maintenance for tree plantings and how the department will handle growing participation without a proportional increase in full‑time staff. Staff said they rely on a mix of returning seasonal staff, contractor partnerships and volunteer feeder programs (Voices, YAC) and flagged a community‑level need for additional facilities and vehicle resources to expand mobile recreation beyond volleyball.
The department listed upcoming events and registration windows: the preschool and childcare fair on March 14, the teen wellness retreat on March 28, the adaptive egg hunt on April 3, the traditional egg hunt on April 4, a wedding fair on April 12 and the youth spelling bee on April 25. Staff encouraged residents to watch the Parks & Rec activity guide and department social channels for details.
The commission took no formal action on program funding during the meeting; staff noted some grant support (Sequoia Healthcare District) and ongoing efforts to secure additional funds for vehicles and facilities work.
