Chelsea Area Friends for Recreation Readies for 2025

It may be 25 degrees, but Chelsea Area Friends for Recreation (CAFR) is planning for a warm and welcoming season of activities.

“We just held our January planning meeting,” said Kristina Martin, CAFR president, “and it feels like the sky’s the limit.”

With last summer’s TimberTown partnership with the City of Chelsea Parks & Rec Commission and Huron Waterloo Pathways Initiative a resounding success, CAFR is ready to expand their mission of creating and supporting recreational and cultural opportunities for the Chelsea area.

“The TimberTown project was such an exciting effort. With so many folks from different organizations, ages, and outlooks, it felt rejuvenating for our organization,” Martin added.

To that end, CAFR is looking to add members to their steering committee and board of directors.

“We’ve got a great core group, but as we’re amping up our plans, we know that we need more hands, heads, and hearts,” said Martin. “It’s a great opportunity for anyone who is interested in recreation, wellness, and building community.”

First on the agenda is lining up the marquee summer series, Rec It Tuesdays. 

“We’ve got the bones of it sketched out, but now it’s time to fine tune, see what we can add that’s new,” she said. “One idea that Eli Zemper, a member of our board, has been talking about is to add an art series, one that could possibly run year-round.”

“We have so many community partners that have helped sponsor events in prior years,” said Martin, “which makes it exciting to plan for 2025.”

CAFR is also handling the TimberTown Legacy Picket program. Additionally, they are stakeholders in the newly formed Community Education And Recreation Collaborative, whose goal is to explore big picture recreational ideas for the entire community as well as collaborate and coordinate partnerships between Chelsea’s larger organizations.

CAFR next meets on Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 6:30pm in the Chelsea District Library. Anyone interested in getting involved is welcome. For more information, visit www.CAFRchelsea.org or email cafrbod@gmail.com.