May 02, 2007

Touch of Nature to host Family Vacation Night

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois University Carbondale's Touch of Nature environmental center will host a Family Vacation Night May 7. The public is welcome and it's all free.

The event kicks off at 5 p.m. and includes a barbecue dinner, live music, paddleboat rides and swimming action on the Touch of Nature beach. Before it wraps up at 8 p.m., participants will enjoy s'mores, fun and games and door prizes. Families do not need to make reservations.

Organizers said the goal of the Family Vacation Nights program is to offer opportunities for families to spend time together enjoying positive, meaningful activities. The May 7 event is the finale for this year's program that included a family team building night led by the Boys and Girls Club of Carbondale, a visit by the SIUC improvisational group Flossing with Community Floss, and "Around the World in 90 Minutes" hosted by the Bowen Gym Multicultural Center.

Touch of Nature, the Adolescent Health Center in Carbondale, Bowen Gym Multicultural Center, Boys and Girls Club of Carbondale, Kohl's, Southern Illinois Regional Social Services, Big Brothers Big Sisters Program, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Carbondale and The Women's Center are community partners in the program. Sponsors for Family Vacation Nights include the Illinois Violence Prevention Authority and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints of Carbondale.

For more information about Family Vacation Night call Kara at 618/529-4042 or Melissa at 618/529-2621, ext. 125.