Happy March! We hope your month is off to a great start. Spring is right around the corner and daylight savings is even sooner (did someone say vitamin D?)!
Over here in the world of SOS, we’ve been busy as ever with ride days, events, and workshops happening across all 15 of our communities. What’s more is that our youth have been spending a lot of time out in their communities lending a helping hand.
Through our Mentor Program, one of our three primary learning objectives is to develop character through core values and community service. And did you know that last year alone, SOS youth dedicated 2,820 hours to serving their community?! Pretty awesome if you ask us.
As youth progress through the program, they eventually choose a community issue to focus on. During this process, they identify the issue, research it, meet with stakeholders, and ultimately come up with solutions to address the problem. Our participants have covered everything from sustainable tourism to drug use to public health, mental health, and more!
These service experiences are monumental when it comes to the growth of our participants, because not only do they develop character, it demonstrates to them that through their actions, they can affect positive change in their communities.
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, stronger youth leads to stronger community. Our young people prove it to us time and time again.
We hope that you’ll take time this month to get involved in your community and make a difference!
But in the meantime, have a scroll to see what’s happening inside the circle and don’t forget to…
Spread the Love!
North Tahoe, CA – North Lake participants had an amazing behind the scenes experience at the US Ski Team
The day started off by riding the tram with the incredible folks from the Scotty Lapp Foundation for a first tracks experience.
Following that, participants got to tour the media trailer and hear from US Ski staff about the media & event productions, as well as career opportunities in this field.
The day wrapped up with spectating some amazing races and a little more riding. What a great day!
Eagle County, CO –Year 5 participants volunteered at Beaver Creek’s iconic “Thursday Night Lights”.
They helped with registration and then of course grabbed some glow sticks and hit the slopes!
Park City, UT – Year 1 participants chose to help out at Sage Mountain Farm Animal Sanctuary for their service project.
They loved meeting all the animals, getting to feed them, and help clean the sanctuary.
Seattle, WA – Year 1 participants decided that their school was in need of a little TLC. So they headed out with pickers and trash bags to clean up the campus.
They initially just wanted to focus on one area, but they all worked together so well that they decided to clean the whole school!
Join us on March 16, for a day of demo’s from Elevate Outdoor Collective (EOC) Brands (Line, Volkl, Tubbs, & more!). There will be a variety of raffle prizes provided by EOC and SOS partners, plus a number ski/snowboard films from Ride, K2, and Line!
Event proceeds benefit SOS and all donations will be matched by Elevate Outdoor Collective up to $10,000 – meaning for every $1 you give, SOS gets $2!
Meet Mitzi!
Mitzi first began SOS Outreach in North Lake Tahoe in 4th grade when a teacher introduced her to the program. Despite living in Truckee, snowboarding in the mountains felt far out of reach. “I would’ve never learned to snowboard if not for SOS,” she reflects, “it just wasn’t something my family did”. However, after her first day on snow, she was hooked. Mitzi stayed with SOS until she graduated high school.
Upon graduation, Mitzi moved to attend school at UC Berkeley. After completing her undergrad, she served in Americorps for a year, and now is planning to attend graduate school to study social work. Mitzi partially credits her experiences in SOS to pursue this career path, “SOS taught me a lot about the value helping other people. It’s something I want to continue doing for the rest of my life.”
We are so excited to see where Mitzi’s journey takes her next!
Want to be featured in the next alumni spotlight? Email Fernanda at flanderos@sosoutreach.org to be highlighted!
7 Organizations Making Skiing More Inclusive for BIPOC (SKI Mage) – “Over the last few years, the ski industry has begun to have some long-overdue conversations about making skiing more inclusive for BIPOC. It’s no secret that skiing is expensive, with the price tag of participation being a key barrier to the slopes.“…read more.
Jamie and Jace, SOS Mentor and Mentee, on Fox 31 Denver – watch here.
Azul Latin Kitchen raises $17,000 for SOS Outreach
(Tahoe Daily Tribune) – “Azul Latin Kitchen, located in the Heavenly Village, recently awarded a check for $17,000 to the SOS Outreach. Every year the team at Azul selects a local nonprofit that supports kids and families.”...read more.
SOS Outreach in Colorado uses skiing to change young lives (Axios) – “One after another, Juan Carlos, Jamal, Chase and Jair slowly descended a black diamond ski run at Beaver Creek, navigating huge moguls and a steep pitch as they struggled to stay upright on snowboards in a foot of fresh snow“…read more.
Seth Ehrlich on the Ross Kaminsky Show (KOA) – listen here.
