At this job, it’s all work with plenty of play

Mildred Spicer has a ball at work.

No, really. She has a ball at work; it’s big and blue like those used in therapeutic exercise classes for stretching and other healthy physical activities, and is parked at her desk in the Charlottesville Parks and Recreation Department for use instead of a chair.

“I like it,” she laughs. “It’s comfortable and it’s better for you than just sitting all day in a chair. I guess it kind of fits in, doesn’t it?”

Indeed, it does. For the past 30 years, Ms. Spicer has led the city’s therapeutic exercise curriculum, developing it from scratch and turning it into a major player with arts and crafts courses, yoga, dance and golf.

The department and the Independence Resource Center, which for 25 years has supported people with disabilities in Central Virginia, will hold a joint celebration from 2:30 to 5 p.m. on Aug. 15 at Pen Park. Festivities will feature music, table games, jugglers, face painting, animal balloons and a dancing horse.

Started from scratch

It’s been a long road from a desk, an office and no programs to a celebration of three decades of programming. Ms. Spicer left her job at Workshop V — now WorkSource Enterprises — when she saw the city job offer back in 1979.

“I really enjoyed my job at WorkSource, but I was looking for something more challenging and I still wanted to work with the same clientele,” she recalled. “I jumped at the chance to apply and was surprised when they hired me.”

With no programs in the queue, Ms. Spicer consulted with advocates for the disabled and those with disabilities to determine what they wanted. Her first program was a basketball league.

“That program was very successful and still is,” she said, “but we had a lot of folks show up who were interested in the competitive aspects of basketball and others who had different challenges and wanted to play recreationally. Tom Vandever [now with the Independence Resource Center] stepped in and took it up and has done a great job with it.”

That program has since turned from a local wheelchair basketball recreation team into a national competitor, the Charlottesville Cardinals.

Something for everyone

With help from groups such as ARC of the Piedmont and Region 10, the city has changed its program slate as the community’s needs have changed.

“We used to offer a lot of athletic programs and exercise programs, but about 15 years ago we started offering more arts courses,” Ms. Spicer said. “That has enabled us to reach a more diverse population of people with different disabilities.”

Some are physically challenged. Some are intellectually challenged. Others’ challenges arise from mental illness. Art courses from ceramics to watercolors and classes in writing and poetry have provided outlets for all.

“Some people just aren’t into sports or don’t have the ability or the interest, but the arts have given just about everyone an outlet and an opportunity,” she said. “It’s amazing to see some of the artwork or to read the stories and poetry.”

Going from zero programs to 30 in 30 years took a lot of work, Ms. Spicer admits. Still, she’s looking forward to going from 30 to 60.

“I wouldn’t mind working another 30 years,” she said. “It’s been a great job and I’ve loved it. I have no desire to give it up.”