On the afternoon of Sunday, July 14, 2019 staff transported participants of the Awesome Alumni Activities Club to Bowman Orchards located in Rexford, NY. This site has long been a favorite location for apple picking in the autumn months, although we happily discovered this location also bears strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries throughout the entire summer.
Rob, Jessica, and Rachael chose to go on this trip preceded by a quick stop at Jimmy’s Egg Diner in Clifton Park, NY. Jessica and Rachael are featured in this photograph (from left to right) showing off their burgeoning collection of blueberries while Rob foraged for strawberries in an adjacent field.
Ripe berries are conveniently abundant at any of the local Market 32 grocery stores. But there is still something very satisfying about seizing a pristine summer day to collect them from nature itself one berry at a time.
We are looking forward to planning many more trips and taking advantage of as many summer weekends as possible. Rob has suggested a kayaking trip next weekend, and we are looking at a company in Lenox, Massachusetts called, Berkshire Canoe Tours.
The Alumni Activities Club is led entirely by the alumni who brainstorm about potential excursions with staff mediating the activities and providing transportation for adventures that are not accessible through the CDTA bus system. The club has been to Wildwood Crest, NJ; New York City; the Walkway Over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie; Lake George; Splashdown Beach and Water Park; Lake Compounce; Proctors Theatre; Foxwoods Casino; ice skating at the Empire State Plaza; and plenty of other locations.
The Awesome Alumni Activities Club is also accessible for all alumni regardless of whether they are still continuing with services provided by Living Resources, Inc. as a post-graduate. While it is not possible to make every single idea come to fruition, we will do our absolute best especially in the very limited amount of time that a beautiful and fleeting summer will provide!
What comes after graduation? Many College Experience students, in fact most, choose to remain in Albany. They maintain friendships with their fellow and former graduates, form romantic partnerships, and some get married.