Malden Recreation Department programs fuel our community in striving for fitness and health

  There are many programs, presentations and other offerings – one-time or continuing – underway in the Malden community at any given day or evening, hosted by the office of Mayor Gary Christenson and the many municipal departments under his direction.

  While there are many opportunities and destinations available for our diverse community for residents of all cultures, origins and walks of life, their ever-expanding needs and interests make for a formidable challenge for our municipal staff to meet. The Malden Recreation Department, under the direction of Program Coordinator Joe Levine and his assistant Laura Perez, is one of many departments answering that call. Under their leadership, Malden Rec has developed a multifaceted, year-round, expansive array of programs and offerings that address our community members’ needs and interests while continuing to be on the lookout for more additions, using community input as a guide.

  One of the most remarkable aspects of the Malden Rec program list is the age range it covers. Its fitness and sports programs, whether they are for competition or simply instructor-led self-improvement sessions, have had participants as young as three years old, to the most senior of Malden’s senior citizens, some well into their 80s.

  The expansions and additions have also led to the addition of “creative health” classes in media, such as writing, drawing and other artistic endeavors, all of which have had great response, according to Malden Rec staff and other city officials. Some of the most popular of the programs are the youth basketball leagues, which are respectfully named after former Malden icons from the past, such as Arthur P. Boyle Sr., the former double-Tech Tourney champion Malden High basketball coach and principal, and Mac Singleton, Golden Tornado Hall of Famer, not to mention the Al Locke League, which just completed its 83rd season in the Malden community. Add to all of this the nearly year-round volunteer program that Malden Rec coordinates using high school-aged young women and young men to assist in the operation of leagues and events, honing their leadership and social skills. Also, Malden Rec hosts a very popular day camp for sports and other activities for Malden residents in grades K-5 at Macdonald Stadium each summer. Throughout the year Malden Rec coordinates with the Malden Public Schools in assisting in the operation of middle school athletics as well as setting up collaborations with MPS coaches in providing instructional clinics in a variety of athletic activities, such as swimming, baseball, softball, wrestling, lacrosse, volleyball, football and tennis.

  Additionally, Malden Rec is the hub for supervision and assignment of all the access and use permits for all of Malden’s many parks and recreational spaces and alerts to our municipal departments for enforcement of city regulations and ordinances at these facilities.

  All information on the many programs both presently under way and planned for the coming months is available at https://maldenma.myrec.com/info

  Here’s a “Hats off!” to Program Coordinator Joe Levine, Laura Perez and all of their staff throughout the year, on behalf of the hundreds and hundreds of Malden residents who benefit from the efforts of the Malden Recreation Department and the strong support received from the Mayor’s Office.