Meet our Early Stage Recreation Team!

As our Early Stage Reconnections program has expanded to Fairfax, Sterling, and virtual options, Insight is so lucky to have an amazing team of recreation staff leading a variety of activities at each program. Whether it’s a lively discussion, cornhole trivia, an artist spotlight, or a virtual program with the Smithsonian, our rec team provides engagement for each participant based on their interests and abilities. As we celebrate Recreation Therapy month, meet the early stage team!
 

Our Early Stage Team at a paint night!
from left to right: Selena, Nancy, Mary, Lindsey, Liv, Melissa

Mary Ager

Early Stage Activity Assistant, Virtual Programs

What are your favorite activities?
Exercise, spending time with my children, going to concerts, walking the various Fairfax County trails with my labs, and reading.

What is your favorite activity to create or lead in Reconnections?
Finish the Lyric and Name that Tune. I think activities involving music are also a favorite of the participants. I love to hear them say “Oh, I remember this song” and then sing the lyrics or name the artist etc. It is so rewarding seeing them singing, smiling, and laughing!

What do you enjoy most about Reconnections?
Getting to know the participants and their families! I love getting to spend an hour with them providing purposeful activities that not only make them feel a bit challenged (at times) but also successful. I also love the time I spend at In-Person Reconnections.

What is something that you want others to know about you?
I love my job! It brings me so much joy! I spend a lot of time thinking about ways to keep my activities and virtual program fresh and fun!
 

Nancy Bishop

Early Stage Activity Assistant, Fairfax

What are your favorite activities?
Spending time with our family is always on top on my list. We try to get up NY as often as we can. I love to listen to music, we always have music playing in our home, we also love to listen to live music and go to concert as often as we can. I also enjoy spending time with my pups. Our family loves spending time in the Berkshires as well, relaxing by the lake is the best.

What is your favorite activity to create or lead in Reconnections?
I love to create power points to share with our participants. I also enjoy creating and leading the brain fitness activities.

What do you enjoy most about Reconnections?
I enjoy being part of this community, getting to know each participant. We really laugh and have fun every day. It feels good to contribute to their lives and give them the opportunity to be social.

What is something that you want others to know about you?
I love to learn, and here I am learning every day.
 

Selena Pagan

Early Stage Coordinator, Sterling

What are your favorite activities?
In my free time I like to focus on doing art projects and discovering new art techniques. Specifically, I like to crochet, rug tufting, and a beginner to sewing. If I am not doing something creative then I hang out with my dogs- Bella and Nova. Bella is a standard poodle and Nova is a Siberian husky, so they definitely keep me on my toes!

What is your favorite activity to create or lead in Reconnections?
I enjoy activities that focus on cognitive stimulation alongside physical activity. A fun one that the participants enjoy is corn hole trivia. Not only can they work as a team to promote socialization but also give each other confidence and encouragement.

What do you enjoy most about Reconnections?
That it is a safe space for all the participants. No matter what anyone is going through they can come to us in a judgement free zone and gain that confidence within themselves.

What is something that you want others to know about you?
I am really interested into doing special effects makeup on my free time that I have been doing for a few years at the moment. Needless to say I love Halloween time for that reason.
 

Melissa Para

Early Stage Coordinator, Fairfax

What are your favorite activities?
During my free time, I enjoy laying low. I enjoy a nice evening in with myself and my dog, Sebastian, by providing some “me-time” at home alone. If not taking time for myself, I am usually spending time with my friends and family. My niece and nephews are a huge part of my leisure time.

What is your favorite activity to create or lead in Reconnections?
It is tough to choose just one activity, as different activities are created and facilitated for different participants and their interest levels. But I most enjoy activities that encourage and promote team building skills and social interactions. I will observe participants engaging with one another with positive effects and interactions. Seeing their smiles and laughter provides me with joy of seeing other having fun.

What do you enjoy most about Reconnections?
The relationships that you build with your participants. As a facilitator, we do have a leadership role within the program, but during operation hours and while engaging in activities, we all feel as a whole which makes my job more enjoyable.

Secondly, the joy the participants have while engaging in our program. Being able to observe the participants enjoy their time within the program and with new peers, delivers the satisfaction the program provides for the participants and for myself.

What is something that you want others to know about you?
I have a passion for dogs. I grew up with 6 dogs in our household and would do it again if I could. My mother actively volunteers at a shelter in Alabama and fosters dogs any chance she gets. I aspire to be able to do the same and help as many dogs as I can.
 

Liv Powell

Early Stage Activity Assistant, Sterling

What are your favorite activities?
I love to sew, craft, hike, go to concerts, read, travel, and try new cultural dishes whenever I get the chance!

What is your favorite activity to create or lead in Reconnections?
That’s a tough one! I think my favorite activity to lead is shuffleboard trivia or guess the song trivia (in which we will play music and we will all sing).

What do you enjoy most about Reconnections?
I enjoy the connections I make with the participants and their loved ones. I also love that we have a lot of independence when it comes to developing exciting, interesting, and stimulating programs/activities for the participants. It’s not only exciting for the participants, but for me as well since I constantly learn new things to share with them.

What is something that you want others to know about you?
I am a proud Michigan Wolverine fan (sorry not sorry OSU fans)!

Still curious about what Recreation Therapy really is? Read more in It's Recreation Therapy Month...what exactly is rec therapy?

And get to know our Day Center Recreation Team!