Junior Golf Scholarship Recipients

The Somerset County Park Commission has announced the recipients of the 2015 Dr. Michael S. Kline Youth Golf Scholarships for the Summer Junior Golf School at the Learning Center at Neshanic Valley, 2301 South Branch Road in Neshanic Station, New Jersey.

The Dr. Michael S. Kline Youth Golf Scholarships are funded by the Kline Family Foundation and are awarded to boys and girls ages 10 to 16. The 2015 recipients are Andrew Garcia of Bridgewater, Katie Walker of Branchburg and Aiden Torres of Bridgewater.

The scholarships entitle the recipients to participate in the weeklong Golf School and were awarded based on ability, sportsmanship, and dedication to the game of golf.

“We are grateful once again to the Kline Family Foundation for their support of golf in Somerset County,” stated Bob Ransone, Deputy Director, Golf Division. “The Kline Scholarships and the Park Foundation scholarships will help to get kids involved in a sport that they can play for their entire lives.” 

The Park Foundation continues to seek donations for the 2016 season to allow additional children to participate in the program. Each $150 donation will fund one child. Donations may be sent to the Somerset County Park Foundation, Post Office Box 5147, North Branch, NJ  08876. A note indicating that the donation should be dedicated to golf scholarships should be included with the check.

Golf School takes place at the state-of-the-art Learning Center at Neshanic Valley that includes a double-ended driving range with grass and mat hitting areas, a 12,000 square foot putting green, a practice facility including bunkers and three chipping greens, and two practice holes.

For information, contact Bob Ransone at rransone@scparks.org or call 908-369-1458.

Meteorologist Vists Camp Okee Sunokee

Meteorologist John Marshall recently brought “John’s Weather Tour” to campers at Somerset County Park Commission Therapeutic Recreation Camp Okee Sunokee.

“John’s Weather Tour” is a program that helps children understand the weather and the special effects that make television weather forecasting interesting and exciting. It helps children better understand the climate and weather by providing a hands-on approach to learning.  The program addresses questions including: Why is there weather; Explanation of fronts; Why are there seasons; Types of clouds and storms, and much more.  Bringing his mobile weather studio to camp, campers got to experience what it is like to be a weathercaster for a day and how green screen special effects work.

Camp Okee Sunokee is a six-week day camp for children with learning disabilities or Asperger's Syndrome, ages 7-14. Programs encourage the development of recreation and social skills and enhance self- confidence and educational growth through the participation in a variety of activities.

With this being his first visit to Camp Okee Sunokee Marshall reflected on the presentation, “The campers were so smart and I enjoyed their enthusiasm and how much they were engaged in what I had to say.” He continued, “The camp made me see how special these children are and when I left I felt extremely gratified.  The campers seemed to get so much out of the presentation, but more importantly, I got so much out of it.  I realized I taught them not only about the weather but also something about themselves, overcoming fears and seeing what they can do.”

To obtain more information about Therapeutic Recreation, call 908 526-5650 or log onto www.somersetcountyparks.org. John’s Weather Tour may be found at www.JohnMarshallWeather.com.