Volunteering with the National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD) in Winter Park, CO

This is my fourth year volunteering with the NSCD as an instructor to disabled folks.  Over these four years I've skied with lots of different folks from a 6 year old girl with developmental delays to a 50 year old and with Downs Syndrome, to severely autistic teenagers to visually impaired folks.  This year I volunteered on 16 days and finished off my time with 4 days in a row volunteering with a group based in California called Extreme Mobility that brings visually impaired people from across the country (mostly in their 20's) to Winter Park Resort for a week, where they downhill ski for two days, go cross country skiing, tubing and snowmobiling.   I love (well mostly love, occasionally there can be a challenging student like the 11 year old on the autism spectrum that tended to have periodic meltdowns) all of my students, but I particularly enjoy working with the visually impaired.  My Aunt Esther and Uncle Tracy were both legally blind and our family was real close to them growing up, then Donna has worked for the past 6 years at the Anchor Center for Blind Children in Denver, and I just have an affinity for these folks.  I have worked with everyone from a young man who was totally blind (worked with him 3 years ago as his first instructor, and he's come back every year and told me he loves skiing) to people who have some limited vision.  Three of my four VI students this year had guide dogs - all really great animals.  I did 16 days of volunteering this winter my new record - I am committed to a minimum of 10 times a season.  Lots of fun, very rewarding, definitely challenging, and one of the best things I've done (way better than working for corporate America).    Here are a few shots and videos from this season.