Power through the Powder!

Annie (a co-worker!) and me!

 

Like I have mentioned before, the Dale House really loves to be able to give the residents opportunities to do things that they may never have had or may never have in their lives. One of those opportunities is made possible through the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center (BOEC).

“The Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center (BOEC) is a national leader in outdoor adventure education serving all people, while ensuring that the outdoor adventure is accessible to those with disabilities and special needs.” (taken from boec.org)

BOEC offers all sorts of outdoor activities (skiing, snowboarding, fishing, hiking, etc.) at super low prices to kids with disabilities and their chaperones! Even better…all of the BOEC guides are volunteers!! Pretty cool, huh?

So while the kids at the DHP aren’t technically “special needs,” we were somehow able to qualify for BOEC’s programs! Each resident that wants to go only has to pay $45 for a full day of snowboarding/skiing, rentals, and a personal instructor! What  a deal! And its awesome for me, because each resident also has to have a chaperon…which is where I come in!

I would not consider myself a skier, (I am slowly learning to not just pizza the whole way down the mountain!), but I was able to go and “chaperon” “Sarah.” I use quotes because she did NOT need me! She did so great at her first time on a snowboard! By the end of the day she was beating me down the slopes and barely even falling! Our instructor (who was from England by the way…free day of skiing with a British instructor? Yes please!) was so impressed by Sarah!

It was so much fun to get to be with Sarah and do something adventurous together. The kids really loved it too. My favorite part of the whole day I think, was the ride home. After all the talk of how great the day way, all the residents fell asleep. The car was quiet. I didn’t just like that the car was quiet, but I liked what the quiet represented. It just seemed so peaceful, like they had a great day and were able to sleep soundly after it. 

Sarah rocking it on the board!