In 1985, Sandie Barnes became a Thousand Trails member. In 1996 she went to work for the company and has been Recreational Director at San Benito TT ever since. Her previous occupation was in accounting, working in that field in both the governmental and private sector.  Sandie is kept very busy since the San Benito Rec program is a year round 7 day-a-week program, including adults and kids crafts. The only exception to that rule is that the pools are closed each October until April. Everything else is up & running. San Benito Manager Dave Hopcroft says of Sandie Barnes, “She is well thought of by the members, is very organized, and goes the extra mile to make the members happy”.

Sandie has also fully embraced the Club Blazer Program with activities such as a Club Blazer Scavenger Hunt and character crafts. In addition, a different Club Blazer character is featured each month, the ones on the website, and their mirror images in nature. Each one of the character’s roles is described in the program then related to their natural lives in the wild.   A room dedicated just to Club Blazer is planned for the Family Lodge including murals of the characters on the walls. Sandie has always been interested in arts and crafts in many different fields, and in turn, has some of her oil paintings on display in the Family Lodge.

One program that really stands out is one called “Adopt A Chaplain”, and sponsors 125 chaplains in the U.S. Armed Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Each chaplain has approximately Thousand to 1500 troops under their care. The soldiers submit wish lists to the chaplains, who in turn send the lists to their sponsors. From donations from TT members, as an example, Barnes was able to purchase Christmas decorations such as Santa hats and such to send to the troops. One thing needed is said to be different types of greeting cards since there are obviously no Hallmark stores in the Middle East. SB Manager Dave Hopcroft says, “I am so proud of Sandie for taking the initiative in starting this remarkable program”. Sandie would like other Thousand Trails resorts to get involved and would like for anybody interested in finding out more to contact her at San Benito. That’s the good news… a truly noble effort!

Now the bad news, if there really is any. According to Sandie, “Satellite programming has caused attendance at park events to slow somewhat”. It seems many folks are sitting in their motorhomes engrossed in satellite TV programming. That, with the current gas prices, is really taking its toll on people participating and showing up to planned events. In this world of many technological, not to mention the many others of life’s distractions, a whole information overload is really vying for everyone’s attention in one way or another. In turn, Barnes has removed the video games from the family lodge, and has kept it to Foosball, Air Hockey, and Table Shuffleboard… games that still require some manual and physical effort.

If you are looking for any place to spend any holiday, the San Benito Thousand Trails is the place to do just that. Decorations are always in place for each holiday, including center pieces on the tables for each Saturday meal. The park is totally family-friendly for all events and holidays, and everyone has a good time, as well as creating wonderful memories and traditions. According to Manager Hopcroft, “Sandie is always planning for the future. She strives to make each subsequent event that much better than the last.” San Benito Recreation Director Sandie Barnes sees to it.  Hopcroft adds, “One of the highlights for me at San Benito is working with Sandie Barnes”.

You can contact San Benito Thousand Trails at 831-389-4479.    

Roger “Hurricane” Wilson
www.myspace.com/rogerhurricanewilson1000trails
www.hurricanewilson.com

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