When thousands of children in Fall River are out of school during the April school vacation, many spend too many hours indoors in front of a television set. The nearly 100 children who came to Community Development Recreation (CD-REC) on Bank Street found over three hours of games, (a Fun 'er 'Fest) offered by members of the F.R.E.S.H. Team. Older youth from Fall River Extends Supportive Hands (F.R.E.S.H.), a youth leadership group of Fall River teens organized under the Healthy Youth Task Force, provided supervision and instruction to children from the Citizens for Citizens after-school program, along with others from the community. Following a magic show by Thomas Blacke, children were able to test their climbing skills on a rock wall, or practice soccer moves and hula-hoop in the gym. These heart-healthy activities provided a good alternative to sedentary activities in a safe, supervised environment. Click here for pictures from the F.R.E.S.H. Team Games during the February school vacation. For more information about the F.R.E.S.H. Team, contact Fall River Youth Services Coordinator Christian McCloskey at 508-324-2419.

(Top row) Magician Thomas Blacke and F.R.E.S.H. Team member Nick Farias engage Amber Almeida in a magic trick. (Top row, center and right) Thomas Blacke produces a live dove from "thin air" much to the surprise of F.R.E.S.H. Team member Holly Santos as over 75 children watch in amazement. (Middle row, left and center) Children scale the climbing wall outside the Bank Street Armory next to the Public Library downtown. (Middle row, right) Ten-year-old Kyle Cabral gets half way up the wall. (Bottom row, left) Two-and-a-half-year-old Manuel Cabral watches intently as six-year-old Deirdre Duarte colors a mask to go with her crown. (Bottom row, center) America's Promise Fellow Ine Ogagan models her mask as children play a variety of games in the gym behind her. (Bottom row, right) Sisters Reyanne and Sieralyn Cadima work on their hula-hoop skills.