After an employment contract with the YMCA fell through, the Woodmen Hills Metropolitan District hired Shana MacDonald to head up the parks and recreation department.MacDonald said she has worked with families and youth programs in the nonprofit arena for about 22 years. Most recently, she worked as a case supervisor for Court Appointed Special Advocates, a nonprofit organization in Colorado Springs that trains and supervises volunteers, who advocate within the court system for children in child abuse and neglect situations, she said. ìI supervised 37 advocates who are all volunteers,î MacDonald said.She attended college in Grand Junction, Colo., at Colorado Mesa University, formerly Mesa State College, MacDonald said. She moved to Colorado Springs in 1996 and then to the Falcon area in 2005.ìIt (Falcon) is a small community, and I think that there are many benefits to a small community,î MacDonald said. ìI know it really well, and I think itís a good fit.ìOne of the reasons I wanted to work here was that I hadnít had much contact with families and kids in the past few years, and I really enjoy working with people. Iím a good people person, and I wanted to get closer to my community.îWith a sports-oriented family and her own passion for sports, MacDonald is excited about programs like soccer and T-ball. ìI went through college on a full-ride basketball scholarship,î she said. ìBeing able to bring the community back together through youth sports programs is exciting.ìWe just got the youth soccer program off and running. T-ball registration is starting in early May. Flag football registration is in late June. Weíre going to have our very first adult sand volleyball league. Weíre going to look at starting a running club. At the end of the running club training period, hopefully in August, we want to host a 5K run for those who have been participating or others who just want a challenge.îMacDonald said she is looking forward to new programs and utilizing more of the facilities. ìIím just thrilled with my decision to come to Woodmen Hills.î
