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We are able to offer free parking in Lot 80 which is just behind the School of Social Work on campus. An area will be reserved for facility buses and vans and the remaining spaces will be available on a first come basis. There are no other free lots. Pay Parking is available in the Manor and Trinity Garages.

Please note: Dependent on the size of vehicle you are transporting your residents in, you will be sent instructions for your drop-off point. If you have not received your instructions prior to Friday 23 March, please contact Donna Shelton at 512 422-9123.

If you are dropping off a participant in your car or small van, we recommend you exit IH-35 at the MLK Exit. Then continue West on MLK and take a right on Trinity (this becomes San Jacinto). Participants can unload at the corner of 20 1/2 street or on the sidewalk of San Jacinto in front of the Rec Center and just past the guard station. Please do not stop in the bus stop area.

Heading North on I35:

• From North-bound IH-35, just past the 15th Street exit, move to either of the left 2 lanes to take the lower deck.
• Take the Manor Road Exit (exit 235B)
• Go West on Manor Road towards the UT Campus.
• Cross Red River and continue to Robert Dedman Drive.
• Turn left on Robert Dedman Drive.
• The Manor Parking Garage is on your left.
• The RSC is on your right. Pull into the alleyway or alongside the curb, depending on instructions from Parking Officials.
• If you are dropping off a participant in your car or small van, we recommend you exit IH-35 at the MLK Exit. Then continue West on MLK and take a right on Trinity (this becomes San Jacinto). Participants can unload on the sidewalk of San Jacinto in front of the Rec Center and just past the guard station. Please do not stop in the bus stop area.

Heading South on I35:

• From South-bound IH-35, just past the 51st Street exit, move to either of the left 2 lanes to take the lower deck.
• Take Exit 235B which is the Manor Road exit
• Go West on Manor Road towards the UT Campus.
• Cross Red River and continue to Robert Dedman Drive.
• Turn left on Robert Dedman Drive.
• The Manor Parking Garage is on your left.
• The RSC is on your right. Pull into the alleyway or alongside the curb, depending on parking official instructions.
• If you are dropping off a participant in your car or small van, we recommend you exit IH-35 at the MLK Exit. Then continue West on MLK and take a right on Trinity (this becomes San Jacinto). Participants can unload on the sidewalk of San Jacinto in front of the Rec Center and just past the guard station. Please do not stop in the bus stop area.

EMS PARKING
Two EMS vehicles will be parked in the alley once all buses have unloaded.

PARKING FEES
The UT Garages do not have a cashier at the weekend. You will need to take your ticket to the cashier station, insert it and pay, then the ticket will be given back to you. Use this ticket to exit through the barrier.

Do not park in the lots directly behind the RSC or you will receive a citation.

PARKING OFFICIALS
We will have volunteers directing traffic to the pay parking lots and to the unloading areas. Please follow all instructions given as the area will be congested and we want to minimize your wait time.

METERS
All parking along San Jacinto through campus is permit only.  There are meters on the other side of San Jacinto (across MLK) and also on Trinity. If you park here, just walk back along San Jacinto to RSC – it’s on the right, just past the School of Social Work (approx 8-10 minute walk).

Nursing home residents prepare to play: kxan.com

Everett was born on Main Street in Oklahoma City in 1917. He met Betty when she was 18 and although he had no hesitation in asking her to marry him, the wedding didn’t take place until she turned 20. “I wasn’t going to marry a teenager”, Everett jokes. Their wedding was held on Betty’s 20th birthday.

The city dweller and his country girl Betty remained in Oklahoma for over 40 years. After a move to Colorado they came to Austin where they lived in a cottage adjoining their son’s home.

In 2011 they moved to Stonebridge Health Center where they remain devoted to each other. When Activity Director Meri Pritchett invited them to join the Stonebridge Volleyball team, they were cautious at first but have become great fans of the game. They now practice weekly – Betty in the ‘attack zone’ on the front row and Everett playing defense in the back.

Betty says she has never regarded herself as an athlete. She was too busy on her parent’s farm when she was young, and then took care of raising her four children. It still surprises her that at age 93 she will be taking part in the biggest competition of her life. But she isn’t fazed: “Life gives you so many surprises, good and bad,” she says.  “You just have to keep your mind active and your faith strong.”

Ask Betty what first attracted her to Everett and she describes his confidence and his presence. Ask Everett the same question about Betty and he says “she is as beautiful as ever. That, and I loved her cooking!”

Everett and Betty will be going to the Games for Life as part of the Stonebridge Knights Volleyball team.

Vincent remembers the euphoria among the residents, staff and family members back at Govalle. “We were still talking about our win weeks later and were ready to start practicing again so we could go back and defend our title.”But that never happened. On February 23, 2011, the Govalle nursing home in East Austin was abruptly shut down, leaving more than 60 shocked residents less than 12 hours to find a new place to live.

Vincent Hernandez was among them. He remembers gathering his possessions while saying goodbye to friends and tearful staff, calling his family to tell them the news and trying to remain positive about his future.

After hospitalizations and a stay at another nursing facility, Vincent came to Gracy Woods II Nursing Center in Northwest Austin. He says he finally feels settled. In less than two months he’ll be going back to the UT Recreational Sports Center to compete in the Games again. This year, he will proudly wear his Gracy Woods II Barracudas shirt.

It’s no surprise that he’s most looking forward to being on the volleyball team. “We’ve been practicing a lot and we’re a really strong team,” said Vincent. “Of course I want the win for my team, but I also want it for my old Govalle teammates. This year has definitely been a challenge but I feel like I’m finally coming back.”

Austin’s Elderly Get Ready for Games: MyFoxAUSTIN.com

All our sponsors, advertisers and donors are essential to the success of the Games for Life. The money we raise goes directly to the Games. It enables us to purchase the highly prized medals and trophies; the adaptive equipment that enables everyone to participate; and the provision of specialist transport for those with special mobility needs.

Read more about Harden’s involvement.

Harden Healthcare Proudly Sponsors the Games for Life
Austin-based Harden Healthcare, a leading provider of senior healthcare services, is a proud sponsor of the Games for Life. Harden serves the entire post-acute continuum of care with services including assisted living, skilled nursing, rehabilitation, home health and hospice care. The company strives to provide the best care for its patients and a sense of pride and purpose for its associates. In fact, Harden was named a “2011 Top Workplace” in the Austin area based on employee feedback. Today, Harden’s family of companies serves nearly 40,000 patients a day in 14 states.

As a provider of long-term care, Harden supports the Games for Life and values the opportunity the Games bring to assisted living and skilled nursing residents. The event offers a fun environment with friendly athletic and intellectual competitions tailored for long-term care residents. Camaraderie, team spirit and sportsmanship are shared by participants, volunteers, and family and friends alike. Harden is proud to support this annual event!

Lois Tiner was 100 years old when she first participated in the Austin Games. This will be her fourth year racing against other women in her 100+ category, as well as competing in the shot-put and discus events. At 103 years old, she expects to be the oldest resident but still plans to bring home medals.

Back at Gracy Woods II Nursing Center, one wall of Lois’ room is filled with medals from her past wins, together with photos of her beloved family. Lois came to Gracy Woods II in 2009 and with the help of her daughter Mary Ellen, she has remained active and involved in the activity program. She often has to be persuaded to take a nap, especially if it’s before one of her favorite crafts activities or bingo!

Lois was born on September 4, 1908 in Arkansas. At the time, Theodore Roosevelt was president and construction of the Titanic was underway. As a young woman, Lois was a school teacher in a one-room schoolhouse where she taught children of all grade levels. Later, she received her beauty operator license and ran her own beauty salon. She can still tell a good manicure!

Lois remains humble about her Games for Life wins and says she likes being part of the action at UT—seeing all of the people and the team decorations and listening to the cheers. But just watch her when the announcer starts the race. Lois will never be too old or easily beaten!

Happy 30th Anniversary to the Games for Life – Austin. Below are the dates for each city’s games.

Austin – March 24, 2012

San Antonio – April 28, 2012

Temple – September (Exact date to be posted once confirmed)

This incredible event for residents of long term care continues to be more popular. Last year in Austin and San Antonio we had over 500 combined participants from 33 facilities. It was amazing to see everyone compete, cheered on by our fantastic volunteers, staff and spectators.

We can’t wait to see what this year holds. And we’re especially excited to bring the Games to Temple for the first time. We are tentatively scheduling the Games for Life – Temple for September.  We are waiting to hear back from a couple of venue selections. More updates will be coming. In the meantime, take a moment to watch our short promotional video from the 2010 Games.

The Fun has just Begun!

Games for Life: A CASACA Event from Chase Casanova on Vimeo.

The games are fast approaching and we have had some early commitments from last year’s competitors.  This year we will again have a good number of teams participating and all of them have their eyes set on the Grand Champion Award.  Our volunteer positions are posted on the website for anyone in the community who would like to help.  We would like to thanksto Tammie Cavanaugh for returning as our Games for Life Chairperson and encourage anyone who would like to be next year’s chairperson to sign up to be the co-chair to learn the ropes. Here are the details for the games.

Location:

Virgil T. Blossom Athletic Center

12002 Jones Maltsberger Rd

 San Antonio, TX 78216

Driving directions

Event Time:

10:00 am – 2:00 pm

You can download photos to your computer or order prints directly through the Picasa site. Feel free to forward the link to staff, family members, residents or anyone else that might enjoy seeing them.