The City of Thibodaux Recreation Department has joined forces with the community organizers, parents and service agencies in this area to create a new program, TREC-UP, that began this month. The goal of the project is to create recreational activities that are fun and accessible to people with disabilities, yet also welcome the participation of people without disabilities.

The program has been getting a lot of attention. Tracey Westernman, a Program Director from GCTFS Houma, started sitting on the board about two months ago and thought it was a great idea. She came back to the Houma office and gathered up several volunteers to help her take over the class. GCTFS Houma began last week holding dance classes on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM. Participants are so excited that they come to the class early and leave late. The majority of the Houma staff has supported this program, including other directors like Kim Adams and Amy Lagarde. The classes have been physically demanding, and leave everyone tired afterwards; but sharing the joy with the participants has been extremely rewarding.

You can view a video of the dance sessions on the The Daily Comet's website as well as pictures of the class on the City of Thibodaux's photo gallery (in the 2008 Summer Programs Pictures, pages 3 through 5).