News
ENLARGE
It's easy to take a day of riding for granted when you live in the mountains.
But for a group of 45 students from the Mapleton Expeditionary School of the Arts in Thornton, eight hours on the hill at Loveland represents a reprieve from an environment rife with opportunities to get into trouble. The students rode Friday for the first time this season through nonprofit SOS Outreach's University program, and it was a welcome diversion from the high-risk environment they experience every day.
“These kids had a classmate who recently got run over by a car and beaten to death with baseball bats,” said Sergio Danelo, an adventure fitness teacher from the school who encourages students to enroll in SOS Outreach. “Many of them can't believe there's an environment where people leave thousands of dollars worth of gear and equipment laying around while they eat. Hopefully they can take the idea of a safe environment back home and help each other out in their daily lives.”
SOS Outreach aims to instill its core values of courage, discipline, integrity, wisdom and compassion in students while teaching them how to snowboard and ski responsibly. Through donations from individuals in the community and companies like Sims Snowboards, students are given the opportunity to ride for free. Loveland even provides University students with free season passes.
“I've been able to improve my skill and get involved with the community,” said Jose Vergara, a senior at Mapleton Expeditionary School of the Arts and third-year University member.
It's not all fun and games for the students enrolled in SOS Outreach. The third-years dream up and enact a community service project. For instance, seniors Athena Lakobong, Stevy Rae Trevino and Dylan DeSilva are working with the school to make the cafeteria waste-free.
From the first day of school, the students look forward to the start of the SOS Outreach season. They will return four more times this year through the program, but with their season passes, they can come up and ride or ski any day of the week.
“We have students who come back to school specifically for this program,” Danelo said. “I tell the folks from SOS Outreach that they're saving these kids lives, and I mean it.”
The sherpas — SOS Outreach mentors — provide a consistent adult presence for students who may not have one in their lives. Danelo said many of the students come from non-traditional families, and the support of the sherpas makes a “huge impact” on the student's lives.
“The number one thing I've learned from SOS Outreach is that when you fall, you have get yourself back up again,” Trevino said. “Not just when you're snowboarding, but in life, too.”
This year the kids not only rode with staff and volunteers from SOS, but professional, Sims-sponsored rider Seth Hill of Breckenridge. Hill gave tips to the kids while Sims marketing staffer Carly Williams finally got to witness students riding on the boards the program provides.
Loveland has been supporting SOS Outreach for the past four years with free passes for University and Learn-to-Ride students.
“Loveland has always supported us as much as they can,” said SOS program manager Brian Phipps. “When we asked for more passes this year, they happily obliged.”
SOS Outreach works with students all over the country, including in Summit County through the Frisco office. The program works with kids from all background — underprivileged or not — to instill the core values and produce good stewards on the mountain. For more information about SOS outreach, visit www.sosoutreach.org.
But for a group of 45 students from the Mapleton Expeditionary School of the Arts in Thornton, eight hours on the hill at Loveland represents a reprieve from an environment rife with opportunities to get into trouble. The students rode Friday for the first time this season through nonprofit SOS Outreach's University program, and it was a welcome diversion from the high-risk environment they experience every day.
“These kids had a classmate who recently got run over by a car and beaten to death with baseball bats,” said Sergio Danelo, an adventure fitness teacher from the school who encourages students to enroll in SOS Outreach. “Many of them can't believe there's an environment where people leave thousands of dollars worth of gear and equipment laying around while they eat. Hopefully they can take the idea of a safe environment back home and help each other out in their daily lives.”
SOS Outreach aims to instill its core values of courage, discipline, integrity, wisdom and compassion in students while teaching them how to snowboard and ski responsibly. Through donations from individuals in the community and companies like Sims Snowboards, students are given the opportunity to ride for free. Loveland even provides University students with free season passes.
“I've been able to improve my skill and get involved with the community,” said Jose Vergara, a senior at Mapleton Expeditionary School of the Arts and third-year University member.
It's not all fun and games for the students enrolled in SOS Outreach. The third-years dream up and enact a community service project. For instance, seniors Athena Lakobong, Stevy Rae Trevino and Dylan DeSilva are working with the school to make the cafeteria waste-free.
From the first day of school, the students look forward to the start of the SOS Outreach season. They will return four more times this year through the program, but with their season passes, they can come up and ride or ski any day of the week.
“We have students who come back to school specifically for this program,” Danelo said. “I tell the folks from SOS Outreach that they're saving these kids lives, and I mean it.”
The sherpas — SOS Outreach mentors — provide a consistent adult presence for students who may not have one in their lives. Danelo said many of the students come from non-traditional families, and the support of the sherpas makes a “huge impact” on the student's lives.
“The number one thing I've learned from SOS Outreach is that when you fall, you have get yourself back up again,” Trevino said. “Not just when you're snowboarding, but in life, too.”
This year the kids not only rode with staff and volunteers from SOS, but professional, Sims-sponsored rider Seth Hill of Breckenridge. Hill gave tips to the kids while Sims marketing staffer Carly Williams finally got to witness students riding on the boards the program provides.
Loveland has been supporting SOS Outreach for the past four years with free passes for University and Learn-to-Ride students.
“Loveland has always supported us as much as they can,” said SOS program manager Brian Phipps. “When we asked for more passes this year, they happily obliged.”
SOS Outreach works with students all over the country, including in Summit County through the Frisco office. The program works with kids from all background — underprivileged or not — to instill the core values and produce good stewards on the mountain. For more information about SOS outreach, visit www.sosoutreach.org.
