April 19, 2025 • 8 mins
There are many ways to promote healthy aging, including getting enough sleep, eating well, and taking your medicine properly. Also important: staying active and connected with your community! For many seniors, loneliness and isolation can take a big toll on mental and physical health. Now that the weather is warmer, Boston Parks and Rec is rolling out its "ABC Forever Young" program, offering local seniors the opportunity to come together and play some fun games! Damien Margardo, Program Manager at Boston Parks and Rec, talks with Nichole about what they have to offer.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England Weekend.
Each and every week we come together right here we
talk about all the topics important to you and the
place where you live. Thanks for joining us again this week,
and Happy Patriots Day. I'm Nicole Davis. Your doctor will
tell you this. I don't have to but eating well,
getting sleep, taking your meds on time, all of those
(00:28):
are vital for healthy aging. Something else your doctor might mention, though,
is staying active and also staying connected with your neighbors.
For many seniors, loneliness and isolation can take a big
toll on their health. And we're not just talking physical,
we're talking mental too. Now that the weather is warmer,
the Boston Parks and Wreck Departments says it wants to
take advantage of the spring temps, the lack of snow
(00:49):
and get seniors outside to have fun together. It's a
program called ABC Forever Young, and each session is all
about getting active and meeting people and maybe just maybe
getting good at something new. Damian mcgardo is a program
director with the Boston Parks and w Rec Department. He's
here on the show to talk about it with us.
So Damien, thank you. For your time. Tell us a
(01:09):
bit more about this program and how it came together.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Here at Bolso Parks of Wreck.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
We started out this program with a It was a
simple archery program that we just reached out to some
of our other city partners and it just kind of
evolved into them asking if we could play botchi, if
we could do cornhole against other you know communities to
(01:34):
go back, we had a little competition.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Grace was there with us taking pitches. It was great.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
It was at the Curly Community Center BCYF Community Center
in South Boston. It was Chiles down against South Boston
and it was an archery competition.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
And it was great.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
They joked with each other, they had fun, and these
were people that had really never met each other before.
So it was like great to bring two communities together
of you know, older adults that typically don't leave their community.
So it just we sent out some survey cards at
that event. They asked for botchi, they asked for a
(02:12):
corn hole, possibly pickleball.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
There's already a ton of great walking clubs.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
They asked for that stuff too, And we just felt
over here that older adults sometimes get overlooked with a
lot of stuff, especially with outside events and stuff like that.
So it was you know, it was just a great
like we just saw an opportunity, had to offer it
to them, a little friendly competition across the city.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Well, and it's important too, I think because for many seniors,
a lot of their family might not live nearby. They're
trying to find ways to socialize and meet new friends,
and it seems like these are going to be great
programs and great opportunities for people to come together and
maybe meet each other from neighborhoods that aren't you know,
the same people that they see every so often. So
it really is kind of a great excuse to get
(03:01):
together and not just get out there and get active,
but also meet new people and enjoy that part of
their lives.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Yeah, definitely, it was a like the just a social connection.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
And you know, again, you know, I say it all
the time, Boston we're very competitive, right, Like I mean,
where the City of Champions. We're proud of that, and
that had to come from someplace, you know, and it's
it's those generations before us that kind of made us
that competitive. So it's, uh, it's great, like they again,
(03:32):
like I'm thinking about how great it was that day
and a bunch of our other colleagues here we're down
there with us, and we couldn't stop talking about it
for a few weeks, how like they had so much fun.
And so again when we saw this opportunity, we were like,
all right, let's start in the spring with you know
what they want to do, the bochi, the the corn hole,
in the.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Archery, and then come fall we'll do some more archery.
We might throw pick a ball in the mix.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
Okay, do you know a different more of a like
what do they call it, like a field bouchie. So
it's a little different than traditional botchie that we'll be
doing in the North End. We're just going to offer them,
you know, and we're just going to keep doing these
surveys with them and see what they want to do next.
And we're all about it.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
Yeah, And it's not like this is anything that costs
a lot of money or really pulls a ton of
resources from the city. I'm sure there's already bochi courts
up there and cornhole It takes what twenty bucks to
get a set of boards or whatever and some bean bags.
So this is really a low cost solution to help
people get healthy. And fit and enjoy themselves. So win win.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Yeah, it's definitely a win win. And it's it's uh,
you know again like you said, the low cost. We're
all trained in our tree over here in the Recreation
Department of Boston poxh Wreck and you know that comes
with a two year you know, it's good for two
years we're trained. We apply for grants to get a
lot of the equipment, which is another great thing. And
(04:59):
for it's you know, people are all about it, like
hearing that you have you know, older adults out there
do an archery.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
People are amazed. Pictures they send them.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
To their kids, Like you said that their family's not
from around here, and they're sending pictures to their kids
that are in you know, whether they're in Florida, South
Carolina or wherever they are, and they're kids like you
do an.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Archery up there, Like so what are you doing, you know.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
To have what do we have?
Speaker 3 (05:26):
At one point, I think we had twenty you know,
older adults out there, and I mean we had we
had a few women in their eighties out there, you know,
on the field to an archery.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Yeah, taking pictures and it was wild. They really enjoyed it.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
That is so fun. I love that. Okay, so let's
talk about the specifics then. Do people have to pre
register for these classes or can they just show up?
Speaker 3 (05:49):
So it's kind of right now, we're just going with
the show up and hopefully we're not overwhelmed, or maybe
it would be great for overwhelmed, so we'll.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Figure it out. But right now it's more of a
just you know, show up.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
We have a schedule setup for We kind of broke
it down so that we have cornhole for the month
to April. Then we'll go over to Bachie for May,
and then as it gets warmer, we'll do archery just
because of the location that we are. And then Charlestown
is right on the water there, okay, so you know,
it gets a little cool there, a little cold, so
(06:21):
we were like, let's wait till June to do the
archery there. And that's really I mean, and again we're
welcoming everybody across the city.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
We're really looking forward to it.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Yeah, you don't have to live in just Charlestown or
the North End to enjoy this. Even though they are
based in Charlestown in the North End, you can get
a ride over there. You can take the tea, take
a walk, and it's pretty accessible to get to.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Yeah, it definitely is.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
And moving forward, we're hoping in the fall that we're
gonna head on over to South Boston, the South End
and then possibly Jamaica Plane for you know, I mean,
we're thinking about maybe doing pick a.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Ball in Jamaica Plane.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
I know there's a huge older clientele over there that
love pickleball, so we know, again we want to people
that haven't played pickleball before come on out and play
pickleball with us.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
It's the new hot thing. I've never played, but I
know that like a lot of people really love pickleball.
So that's going to be a really solid offering I
think if you can make it work. So Okay, Wednesdays
from eleven to one. So again, April is cornhole and
where is that again?
Speaker 2 (07:25):
That is at Edward's Playground ten Eden Street and Charlestown, Okay.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
And then you've got Batschi from May. Where can people
find that?
Speaker 3 (07:33):
That's at Llangolm Park and that's on five nine Commercial
Street in the North End.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Okay, easy enough. And then you've got like you mentioned,
archery in the summertime all through June again every Wednesday,
eleven to one, and that's back in Charlestown.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
Correct, back in Charlestown at Barry Field and that's on
one ninety Chelsea Street.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Phenomenal. Okay, So I know that sometimes when listening to
the radio, you might be in the car and think,
oh my gosh, I want to write this down, but
it just it happens so fast. So if people have
questions or they want to find out more, they want
to maybe get info for their parents or themselves, where
can they learn more about this?
Speaker 3 (08:09):
I'm Boston dot CoV backslash Parks. Come out to the
fields and play with us. That's really it. I mean,
you know, we'd like to say we bring the fun
over here in Boston parks and recreations.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Well somebody has to, so yeah, all right, Well, thank
you so much, Damien for being on the show, and
enjoy your sessions here. It's going to be a lot
of fun. I hope they're well attended.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Thank you so much for Coole.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
Have a safe and healthy weekend. Please join me again
next week for another edition of the show. I'm Nicole
Davis from WBZ News Radio on iHeartRadio.
From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England Weekend.
Each and every week we come together right here we
talk about all the topics important to you and the
place where you live. Thanks for joining us again this week,
and Happy Patriots Day. I'm Nicole Davis. Your doctor will
tell you this. I don't have to but eating well,
getting sleep, taking your meds on time, all of those
(00:28):
are vital for healthy aging. Something else your doctor might mention, though,
is staying active and also staying connected with your neighbors.
For many seniors, loneliness and isolation can take a big
toll on their health. And we're not just talking physical,
we're talking mental too. Now that the weather is warmer,
the Boston Parks and Wreck Departments says it wants to
take advantage of the spring temps, the lack of snow
(00:49):
and get seniors outside to have fun together. It's a
program called ABC Forever Young, and each session is all
about getting active and meeting people and maybe just maybe
getting good at something new. Damian mcgardo is a program
director with the Boston Parks and w Rec Department. He's
here on the show to talk about it with us.
So Damien, thank you. For your time. Tell us a
(01:09):
bit more about this program and how it came together.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Here at Bolso Parks of Wreck.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
We started out this program with a It was a
simple archery program that we just reached out to some
of our other city partners and it just kind of
evolved into them asking if we could play botchi, if
we could do cornhole against other you know communities to
(01:34):
go back, we had a little competition.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Grace was there with us taking pitches. It was great.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
It was at the Curly Community Center BCYF Community Center
in South Boston. It was Chiles down against South Boston
and it was an archery competition.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
And it was great.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
They joked with each other, they had fun, and these
were people that had really never met each other before.
So it was like great to bring two communities together
of you know, older adults that typically don't leave their community.
So it just we sent out some survey cards at
that event. They asked for botchi, they asked for a
(02:12):
corn hole, possibly pickleball.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
There's already a ton of great walking clubs.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
They asked for that stuff too, And we just felt
over here that older adults sometimes get overlooked with a
lot of stuff, especially with outside events and stuff like that.
So it was you know, it was just a great
like we just saw an opportunity, had to offer it
to them, a little friendly competition across the city.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Well, and it's important too, I think because for many seniors,
a lot of their family might not live nearby. They're
trying to find ways to socialize and meet new friends,
and it seems like these are going to be great
programs and great opportunities for people to come together and
maybe meet each other from neighborhoods that aren't you know,
the same people that they see every so often. So
it really is kind of a great excuse to get
(03:01):
together and not just get out there and get active,
but also meet new people and enjoy that part of
their lives.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Yeah, definitely, it was a like the just a social connection.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
And you know, again, you know, I say it all
the time, Boston we're very competitive, right, Like I mean,
where the City of Champions. We're proud of that, and
that had to come from someplace, you know, and it's
it's those generations before us that kind of made us
that competitive. So it's, uh, it's great, like they again,
(03:32):
like I'm thinking about how great it was that day
and a bunch of our other colleagues here we're down
there with us, and we couldn't stop talking about it
for a few weeks, how like they had so much fun.
And so again when we saw this opportunity, we were like,
all right, let's start in the spring with you know
what they want to do, the bochi, the the corn hole,
in the.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Archery, and then come fall we'll do some more archery.
We might throw pick a ball in the mix.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
Okay, do you know a different more of a like
what do they call it, like a field bouchie. So
it's a little different than traditional botchie that we'll be
doing in the North End. We're just going to offer them,
you know, and we're just going to keep doing these
surveys with them and see what they want to do next.
And we're all about it.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
Yeah, And it's not like this is anything that costs
a lot of money or really pulls a ton of
resources from the city. I'm sure there's already bochi courts
up there and cornhole It takes what twenty bucks to
get a set of boards or whatever and some bean bags.
So this is really a low cost solution to help
people get healthy. And fit and enjoy themselves. So win win.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Yeah, it's definitely a win win. And it's it's uh,
you know again like you said, the low cost. We're
all trained in our tree over here in the Recreation
Department of Boston poxh Wreck and you know that comes
with a two year you know, it's good for two
years we're trained. We apply for grants to get a
lot of the equipment, which is another great thing. And
(04:59):
for it's you know, people are all about it, like
hearing that you have you know, older adults out there
do an archery.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
People are amazed. Pictures they send them.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
To their kids, Like you said that their family's not
from around here, and they're sending pictures to their kids
that are in you know, whether they're in Florida, South
Carolina or wherever they are, and they're kids like you
do an.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Archery up there, Like so what are you doing, you know.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
To have what do we have?
Speaker 3 (05:26):
At one point, I think we had twenty you know,
older adults out there, and I mean we had we
had a few women in their eighties out there, you know,
on the field to an archery.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Yeah, taking pictures and it was wild. They really enjoyed it.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
That is so fun. I love that. Okay, so let's
talk about the specifics then. Do people have to pre
register for these classes or can they just show up?
Speaker 3 (05:49):
So it's kind of right now, we're just going with
the show up and hopefully we're not overwhelmed, or maybe
it would be great for overwhelmed, so we'll.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Figure it out. But right now it's more of a
just you know, show up.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
We have a schedule setup for We kind of broke
it down so that we have cornhole for the month
to April. Then we'll go over to Bachie for May,
and then as it gets warmer, we'll do archery just
because of the location that we are. And then Charlestown
is right on the water there, okay, so you know,
it gets a little cool there, a little cold, so
(06:21):
we were like, let's wait till June to do the
archery there. And that's really I mean, and again we're
welcoming everybody across the city.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
We're really looking forward to it.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Yeah, you don't have to live in just Charlestown or
the North End to enjoy this. Even though they are
based in Charlestown in the North End, you can get
a ride over there. You can take the tea, take
a walk, and it's pretty accessible to get to.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Yeah, it definitely is.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
And moving forward, we're hoping in the fall that we're
gonna head on over to South Boston, the South End
and then possibly Jamaica Plane for you know, I mean,
we're thinking about maybe doing pick a.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Ball in Jamaica Plane.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
I know there's a huge older clientele over there that
love pickleball, so we know, again we want to people
that haven't played pickleball before come on out and play
pickleball with us.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
It's the new hot thing. I've never played, but I
know that like a lot of people really love pickleball.
So that's going to be a really solid offering I
think if you can make it work. So Okay, Wednesdays
from eleven to one. So again, April is cornhole and
where is that again?
Speaker 2 (07:25):
That is at Edward's Playground ten Eden Street and Charlestown, Okay.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
And then you've got Batschi from May. Where can people
find that?
Speaker 3 (07:33):
That's at Llangolm Park and that's on five nine Commercial
Street in the North End.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Okay, easy enough. And then you've got like you mentioned,
archery in the summertime all through June again every Wednesday,
eleven to one, and that's back in Charlestown.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
Correct, back in Charlestown at Barry Field and that's on
one ninety Chelsea Street.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
Phenomenal. Okay, So I know that sometimes when listening to
the radio, you might be in the car and think,
oh my gosh, I want to write this down, but
it just it happens so fast. So if people have
questions or they want to find out more, they want
to maybe get info for their parents or themselves, where
can they learn more about this?
Speaker 3 (08:09):
I'm Boston dot CoV backslash Parks. Come out to the
fields and play with us. That's really it. I mean,
you know, we'd like to say we bring the fun
over here in Boston parks and recreations.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Well somebody has to, so yeah, all right, Well, thank
you so much, Damien for being on the show, and
enjoy your sessions here. It's going to be a lot
of fun. I hope they're well attended.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Thank you so much for Coole.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
Have a safe and healthy weekend. Please join me again
next week for another edition of the show. I'm Nicole
Davis from WBZ News Radio on iHeartRadio.
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