Matteson Community Center — Local services in Rich Township

I am a parent of two children, ages 6 and 11, who recently attended Matteson Community Center’s summer camp. Yesterday when I woke my daughter up for camp she did not want to go. When I asked her why, she told me that kids have to do wall squats when they are bad at camp. I asked her what a wall squat was and she was able to get out of bed and bend her knees with her hands stretched out in front of her body. I immediately woke up my older daughter and asked her about wall squats. She told me if the counselors did not know which camper was bad, the entire group had to do a wall squat. In addition, she said she had to do a wall squat once because the counselor thought that she was talking during quiet time. The program manager, Eddie Smith, called me shortly after I arrived home about my concerns. I was upset and told him that my daughters explained that campers have to do wall squats when they are bad and that I was never informed. I mentioned the parent information packet that we were required to sign and the parent orientation I attended prior to the beginning or camp, which never mentioned any physical punishment. He told me the camp counselors came to him because the kids were not listening and that is what they came up with in lieu of a write up. I told him again that I was never informed and said that other parents needed to be informed of the practice so they are able to make a decision whether or not they wanted to enroll their children in a program where they receive physical punishments. He was unable to tell me how long students have to hold in a squat position, but said that they are not harmful to kids. He said his background is in physical education and he knows others who have a fitness background and they also said it is not harmful to kids. I mentioned again that parents are not informed and he said that parents call him and tell him to give their kids more jumping jacks. He admitted that it is not listed in the parent guide and said if I would stop talking and cutting him off he would tell me why. I told him my husband would like to speak with him because he drops off my girls and was wondering why this was never mentioned to him at drop off. I also told him we would be coming back to the center. At that time he said we were free to come to the center and he would be there and he ended the call. I visited the Matteson Village Hall. Upon arrival at the village hall I spoke to Lorie Webster, Director of Recreational Services and Community Engagement. She told me she was new to her position and unaware about the policies of the summer camp. I explained all the events and information that took place before I arrived at the village hall. She gave me her phone number and told me to call her once I safely picked up my girls and to let her know if I spoke with anyone. The director, Lisa Hall called me shortly after I left the center. I shared with her the conversation I had with Mr. Smith and let her know that he abruptly hung up on me, refusing to speak with my husband. She apologized and told me that she was unaware of any physical punishment for campers. She said she needed to conduct an investigation. She told me she would get back to me at the latest next week with an update. Later that evening Ms. Hall called to tell me that she had spoken with human resources and she was planning to work with Mr. Smith to provide a training for camp staff. She said the camp would provide campers with a verbal warning and call parents if students did not follow camp rules. She said going forward the camp would not be using physical punishments and would allow parents to provide consequences to their children. To date, there has been no information shared with parents to inform them about the physical punishments that campers were subjected to this summer. As a parent, I feel that other parents need to be informed about the practices utilized at Matteson Community Center summer camp this summer and allowed to make an informed decision about whether they would like to enroll their camper again...

Matteson Gym/Fitness Center Office staff exceptionally rude and very unprofessional. My son has been going there for nearly 4 years. My credit card on file expired and I handed the older accounts receivable lady my new card, This was about 5pm after work and I was dropping my son off. My son cones back to the car and says the office said my card was expired. I informed her that I need to call and have it activated, and if she could let my son play in the gym, and that either my husband or myself will stop in the morning and give her the new card to put on file. She was extremely nasty and rude, saying that they can't wait, no one gets in without paying and they have a business to run. Seriously, my son only goes 1 to 5 times a month, and the times they have double rented the gym from the kids, and they certainly don't offer a credit. If they would treat people with a respectful, 'good afternoon, how can I help you.? Sure, no problem, I know your getting off work and I see your card expired, you've been paying faithfully for over 5 years, sure let him play in the gym and we can update your card in the morning. Thank you for being the best part of our rec center. If my son didn't like the center, I would have cancelled a 5 year membership. Matteson learn how to treat your residences with respect and treat you self with class. Don't hire your...

I've been living in matteson for 28yrs, that being said this is a step up from last Rec center. But for the amount of money that was put into it ( I.E. Taxes etc) they could have done a whole lot more, especially with the weight room area. No were near enough machines,(no hammer strength at all)so you have to plan your workout around others cause u could be waiting. This facility is used mostly for party's (which I don't get). The basketball courts are mostly consumed bye other events, so you hardly get to use them. The staff is ok, some work some don't and just look at you workout, try to talk to the women or look at tv. I have a lot more to complain about since I've been waiting for something like this for a while, but I'll just say this had potential but they dropped the ball. If your serious about bodybuilding/weightlifting/ training, this is not the spot for you because of limitations. But if your a novice or old then yes it's probably...