Written by Mark Smith (Club Member) and photos taken by Alena Lintz (Club Member)
In the month of July, San Diego Kite Club volunteered three times for the City of San Diego Parks and Recreation Department.
These events were focused on helping the Therapeutic Recreation Services Department fly kites with their attendees. Here are some of the general details.
When: July 7th, July 9th and July 31st.
Where: Mission Point Park in San Diego
Why: To help people with different rangers of ability enjoy new experience.
The volunteers for July 7th were Bob Crawford, Rick Spurgeon and Enola. The volunteers for July 9th were Dave Soutar, Bob Crawford and Erin Quin .The volunteers for July 31th were, Robert Freed, Carol Freed, Ron Lintz, Alena Lintz, Bob Crawford, Ziggy Santa Maria, Mark Smith, Maria Smith
San Diego Therapeutic Recreation Services Department Day Camp Event was held by Michael V. Rodriguez and Taylor Askil. Both camps were well off with these two in charge and it was a joy to hear all of our club volunteers had a great time.
Should have have questions about other events or how to get involved. you can contact both individuals at the following emails:
MichaelR@sandiego.gov
TAskil@sandiego.gov
A day of flying with the Therapeutic Recreation Services Department
On July 31st, 2026, the San Diego Kite Club was delighted and honored to be selected as a participating group for the City of San Diego’s Therapeutic Recreation Services Department Day Camp at Misson Point Park in San Diego. This day camp provides numerous unique outdoor opportunities for people with various abilities, people that might not otherwise experience in their day-to-day lives. And how does the San Diego Kite Club fit into all of this? Kite flying itself is a joyful experience, a pure joy difficult to put into words. Sharing this joy with others is a way of giving back to the community, which is what the San Diego Kite Club is all about. And all the San Diego Kite Club volunteers are grateful for the positive energy from all the San Diego Therapeutic Recreational Services workers. Their infectious energy and the leadership of Taylor Askil was amazing, all these people were so helpful and enjoyable to work with.
In the early morning, when the San Diego Kite Club people first arrived, they were astounded by how calm it was. Barely a twig was seen moving in the surrounding trees. The sky was overcast. Would kites really fly today? The answer is a resounding YES!!! But wait a minute, before you fly a kite you must assemble it, right? Dozens of kite kits were brought to this event. These were white kites with colorful tails. The volunteers patiently taught people the anatomy of a kite and how all the parts come together. Some of these kites flew well but some did not. There were bridle and tail adjustments to be made, so here was another learning experience on how to adjust a kite to make it fly better! There was pure joy and satisfaction on the faces of these disabled people as they flew kites that moments earlier were merely assorted parts in a bag.
But the kite kits were only part of the fun. There were other things happening and many opportunities to fly kites or observe the San Diego Kite Club volunteers with their own kites. Robert Freed was flying a colorful one-line kite. Ziggy was taming the wind with his blue two-line stunt kite. Ron Lintz flew a colorful diamond kite and a sporty parafoil. Mark Smith, with the help of his wife Maria shared a yellow cool eddy kite with a young man (TRS participant who was the gentleman with the really cool looking black hat) who seemed to really be enjoying himself. And NO ONE doubted the wind direction or intensity with Ron Lintz’s fluorescent orange windsock to show us the way to success!
In conclusion this was a wonderful experience for all who attended. The San Diego Kite Club is honored to be a part of this event and is looking forward to attending this same event, and many others, in years to some. When all these people come together to share something special like this, it leaves us with fond memories and a true sense of warmth and satisfaction. Satisfaction of what the Human Spirit can do when working together towards a positive goal. That warm fuzzy feeling has a name: it’s altruism!
The following acknowledgements must be made, thank you to:
Taylor Askil and her dedicated, enthusiastic crew at the San Diego Therapeutic Recreation Services Department for putting on such a well-organized and rewarding event. The volunteers from the San Diego Kite Club that selflessly shared their kites, kite flying and enthusiasm with this wonderful group of people with various abilities:
Here are the photos we have gathered from the 3 events.
