District 10 Spotlight on....

Thomas Pohlen
Community Services Specialist - Youth and Adult Sports
City of Brea 

A brief description of what you do: 
Working for the City of Brea, I oversee all youth sports and program all of the adult sports that are offered through the city.  The youth sports we offer are outdoor soccer, basketball, indoor soccer, an introduction to youth sports class and baseball.  The adult sports we offer are Basketball, Volleyball (both Women’s and COED), COED Softball, and Flag Football.

Tell us about you away from work. (family, hobbies): 
I am 22 years old, and am a full time student at California State University, Fullerton, majoring in Finance.  In May, I will be getting married to my high school sweetheart, Amanda Kuboyama.  I enjoy playing basketball, golfing, and hanging out with friends.  My family consists of my dad  John, my mom Cindy, an older brother John and my sister Jeanette. 

What made you pick Parks and Recreation as a Profession?
I chose the parks and recreation field because I really enjoy working with children and adults alike, and enjoy sports very much.  When I was 17, I was hired by the City of Brea as a youth basketball coach and quickly developed a liking for the Parks and Recreation field.

What do you like the most about this Profession? What do you like the least?My favorite part of this profession is the people that I work with.  I feel that the parks and recreation field is very unique.  There are not too many jobs where you can work with a young child teaching them baseball in the morning and a grown man managing his basketball league at night.  Although general work is similar day to day, the personalities that you work with are not, and that is what keeps this job fresh.

One of the most exciting things what you have accomplished, been a part of or created in Recreation?
Probably the most exciting thing I have accomplished is the start of a flag football league.  It is a five-on-five flag football league where everyone is an eligible receiver.  We started this league with four teams about a year ago and it expanded quickly.  During our next season we had eight teams, then 12 teams in our last season.  It has been a challenge starting a league from the ground up, but it has been a success.

Tell us something that someone would never guess you have done, accomplished or participated in.
I love to travel and when I went to Barbados in the Spring of 2008, I had the opportunity to do a little skydiving.  It was absolutely amazing jumping out of a plane over a little island in the Caribbean.

If you had $5million dollars to spend for your Park and Recreation Department how would you spend it and why?
If I had five million dollars to spend on the Parks and Recreation program in the City of Brea, I would probably spend it on creating a program for the citizens of Brea who want to play on a field with lights on weekday nights.  In our city, we have around a dozen lit basketball courts for anyone to use at their convenience. However, we have zero fields for people to use to play football, baseball, or soccer on because of the need for fields by our user groups.  There is a large demand for field space from people interested in playing over the line, ultimate Frisbee, etc. and this money would be able to cover the staffing, maintenance, and field preparation. 

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Pam Krug MA, CTRS-RTC
Senior Rehabilitation Therapist
Community Hospital of Long Beach 

A brief description of what you do:
I work in the Behavioral Health Unit of Community Hospital of Long Beach with adult psychiatric patients in a locked facility.  I manage recreation, music and dance & movement therapists.  I develop and implement therapeutic groups and conduct assessments, and work on recreational and therapeutic discharge activities.  I am involved in volunteer activities at the hospital such as the employee foundation committee and others, as a way to educate employees about mental illness in attempt to decrease stigma.   

Tell us about you do away from work.   I love movies, painting and exercise.  I just saw The Blind Side and Precious.  I use acrylics and textures to create my “art.” On Saturday mornings I walk with the Bixby Knolls Strollers.  We begin at 7:30 AM with a strong cup of coffee and each week we have a different four mile route.  I am also a member of the CPRS Therapeutic Section and the Chair of the Therapeutic Recreation Pre-conference Institute (Tuesday, March 9, 2010).  We have exciting sessions and workshops and will wrap up the day with a not-to-miss celebration. 

What made you pick Parks and Recreation as a Profession?  
I knew that I wanted to work in the medical field but did not want to be someone that patients would fear like a nurse taking blood; therefore I picked a career that offers treatment in a non-threatening way. 

What do you like the most about this Profession?
I have the freedom to be as creative as I want to be.  But mostly I get to be one of the staff on the unit that patients are eager to see each morning.

What do you like the least?
No matter how many times I tell people what I do, they still look puzzled. 

One of the most exciting things what you have accomplished, been a part of or created in Recreation?  I am a member of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) and have participated in every NAMI walk.  I’ve been able to  invite  NAMI speakers and those living with mental illness to present a talk  at our hospital to educate the Long Beach residents on mental illness. I am also one of the therapists who has been honored to have helped develop and now facilitate an aftercare group for our discharged patients. The support group began one year ago and is very successful. 

Tell us something that someone would never guess you have done, accomplished or participated in. 
I was a “non-traditional” undergrad and grad student following a career as a nightclub singer.   

If you had $5 million dollars to spend for your Park and Recreation Department how would you spend it and why? 
Since I am a Recreation Therapist with adults who have mental illness, I would develop a transitional program for clients just discharged from the hospital who need addition support for substance abuse, homelessness or further management of their psychiatric symptoms.  I believe this program would reduce recidivism which is prevalent in every psychiatric facility. 

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