I hope most of you are off on Monday. DM overlooks some holidays when there is work to be done, but this weekend I am headed out to Breckenridge to see my sister and friends (and ski if it warms up) and Shannon is headed home to see friends and family. Of course since it is MLK weekend one is theoretically supposed to make Monday a day of service. I am feeling a little guilty that I am not. To make myself feel a teensy bit better, I figured I would take this post to promote the program that my sister works for during the winter - The BOEC (Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center), in Breckenridge, CO. She has the day off Monday, and doesn't need to feel guilty about it because she spends the rest of her days teaching adaptive skiing. She'll kill me when she reads this, but every day is really a day of service for her - I often find myself bragging about her to other people, and I can't help it.
The BOEC is a not for profit organization started in 1976. As they describe on their website they serve "people with physical, cognitive, and sensory disabilities, people from low-income backgrounds or disadvantaged environments, people looking for more team unity in their workplace, people learning English as their second language. . . the list goes on and on. Courses are custom-designed for specific agency groups and individuals are welcome to sign up for our open-enrollment programs... A wise bumper sticker once read: "Attitudes are the real disabilities." The BOEC endorses that sticker and welcomes all who are interested to become part of a very unique family." They have dedicated employees and interns who work for next to nothing, and a slew of volunteers that come from far and wide in Colorado to assist on lessons. The stories Jen is able to tell me day in and day out about the fascinating people she is able to teach or assist is awe-inspiring. In fact, she is the one who should have a blog because if we all heard about these amazing people and families more often, we would be shamed by our daily trivial concerns. I won't attempt to repeat any of her stories because second-hand and this small amount of space won't do them justice. Maybe she'll be a guest writer on Monday :).
I'm lucky enough to say I wish I was more like my sister and am lucky to have her as an example in my life. Check out the BOEC if you're interested in using this organization as a way to give back, and enjoy your long weekend.
