How SOS Outreach brought families into the fold with a Beaver Creek ride day
After 30 years of youth-serving programs, SOS Outreach decided to extend to the families of the students it serves
SOS Outreach/Courtesy Photo
In its 30th season, SOS Outreach introduced hundreds of Eagle 久久热精品视频app students to skiing and snowboarding. However, during one of the last weekends of the season, the nonprofit did things a little differently and extended the opportunity to families and guardians instead.
“We believe in the power of the outdoors to foster connections and many of our families have felt excluded from participating in a sport so ingrained in our community,” said Courtney Walters, the program manager for SOS Outreach. “When our youth can share that experience with their families they are building stronger relationships at home that will leave them happier and more connected to this community overall.”
During one of the final weekends of the ski season, 20 parents and guardians participated in the ride weekend at Beaver Creek.
The weekend kicked off on Saturday, April 6 at Beaver Creek’s ski school. The life tickets, lessons and gear were provided for free through the partnership between SOS Outreach and Vail Resorts. While the parents received customized instruction 鈥� including Spanish translation for those that needed it 鈥� from the resort, some of the families’ kids stopped by to offer advice as well.
“It was so special to see them act how I see our mentors behave towards them,” Walters said.
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“On day two, many said that they were sore and nervous to return but they all came back and continued to improve,” she added.
The opportunity was only extended to parents of current SOS Outreach participants and filled up within two weeks, Walters said.
According to SOS Outreach, 64% of the 20 participants had never skied or snowboarded before.
Mary Ledezma was in that majority. Ledezma’s two kids have participated in SOS programs over the last decade, but the sport’s cost and a lack of time kept her from ever making it skiing herself.
“The weekend was wonderful. The first day I was so nervous and when the instructors started to teach us I felt more confident but when we went down the hill I said to myself ‘I will not do this again,'” Ledezma said. “The next day I was not confident but once I put the skis on I felt better and I liked it.”
Now, Ledezma said she would definitely ski again.
In a survey given to the participants, family members referred to the weekend as “unforgettable,” a “wonderful experience,” as well as one that was “freeing” and that connected them to the community.
The family ride day was such a success that Walters said SOS hopes to do it on an annual basis.
“If we can support our families in this way and make the mountain more inclusive, we are building a stronger community,” she said.
In addition to being introduced to the sport, it allowed the families to experience firsthand what SOS does with their children.
“Most of these parents had never experienced skiing or snowboarding before, and now they’ve had a glimpse into what their kids experience on an SOS ride day,” Walters said.
At the end of both days, they replicated an SOS ride day tradition it calls the “Circle of Love.”
“Our Circle of Love is a time to reflect on our core values and how we saw them play out on the mountain and how that is relevant off the mountain,” Walters said.
These core values are courage, discipline, integrity, humility, compassion and wisdom.
It not only seeks to imbue students with these values through its learn to ski (and snowboard) ride days but through its mentorship and alumni programs as well. Through these programs, the nonprofit connects with kids from fourth grade through to college and career. This year, the organization served just under 500 students in Eagle 久久热精品视频app. And while SOS Outreach started in Eagle 久久热精品视频app 30 years ago, it now provides these opportunities in 15 communities nationwide.
The new program was an extension of SOS Outreach’s partnership with Vail Resorts’ Epic Promise and Beaver Creek. Travis Tafoya, Vail Resorts’ senior manager of inclusive access who himself is an alumnus of SOS, said that the weekend fits within its goal of ensuring “snowsports are more accessible and inclusive across our communities.”
“Our goal is to provide Eagle 久久热精品视频app youth and families within the SOS Outreach community an avenue to experience snowsports and the mountains with their family support structures. Snowsports are often a multi-generational family activity that provides a level of connection that many sports are not able to provide,” Tafoya said.
Having the weekend helped aid families be able to experience the sport and resort together, he added.
This connection and shared experience can go a long way for the students.
“We have found through partnerships with a variety of community and youth-serving organizations that youth who are exposed to sport through connection with positive adult role models, families and their community are more likely to stay engaged in the sport long-term,” Tafoya said.
