Recreation Department~

The mission of the Excelsior Recreation Department is to promote healthy, age-appropriate activities for all residents. We remain current and up to date on youth development trends and programming frameworks, and incorporate them into our year round comprehensive recreational activities. We constantly strive to inspire our girls to be strong, smart and healthy. Excelsior is associated with several national and community outreach groups. These partnerships include: Arc of Aurora, ArtReach, Boy Scouts of America and Burton. These groups offer opportunities for our girls to develop leadership skills, promote physical fitness and address the barriers that impede girls from realizing successful, independent and fulfilling lives.

Excelsior's Wellness Initiative

Excelsior is increasing physical wellness, improve nutritional healthy eating and offer enticing exercise opportunities for all the girls at Excelsior Youth Center.

Excelsior is implementing a campus-wide wellness initiative estimated to cost nearly $100,000. Childhood obesity, an alarmingly increasing phenomenon, is a major factor in a host of chronic, and costly, conditions from diabetes to heart disease to mental health issues (depression, suicide). Excelsior is developing strategies to help promote weight loss and increase physical activity to significantly lower risk factors for its students. Let's get our girls moving!

By emphasizing exercise, sports and nutrition to our girls, they are reaping the rewards of an active, healthy lifestyle. In addition to the fun, team-building benefits, physical activity aids in increased imagination and creativity, increased discovery and reasoning skills, thought development and improved problem solving.

In these activities our girls are challenging their bodies, while working through their emotions. Additionally, the physical benefits of exercise positively impact major health risk factors. Physical activity has been shown to decrease the risk of smoking, illicit drug use, sexual risk taking, depression and suicide factors that already threaten this unique population.

"The girls are truly motivated and working on these wellness concepts. A side effect has been the renewed camaraderie that's developed. Exercising and menu planning/eating together is a safe way to develop team work," says Marty. "And the girls are sleeping better and they are taking fewer medically prescribed drugs. We're VERY proud of their success."

Spiritual Therapy

On a noncompulsory basis, Excelsior offers a variety of religious activities and spiritual counseling. Nondenominational Sunday services, as well as regular Bible Study and social meetings are coordinated by our Chaplains.

Ron and Gail Bard

“We view ourselves as planting seeds,” says Ron Bard, who with his wife Gail has touched thousands of lives leading Excelsior’s spiritual program for the last twenty-two years. These dedicated Chaplains translate Christian-based principles into a language kids can understand, teaching love, responsibility, patience and forgiveness. Participation in this program is on a strictly voluntary basis, including a weekly Bible study class, a Sunday worship service, one-on-one spiritual counseling, bi-monthly Dunamis meetings and a weekly newsletter, The Good News Press.

Additionally, the Bards will arrange for girls to worship or connect with leaders or counselors of other religions.