Wounded Warriors Family Ski Week 2011
Final Report
The 4th annual Ski Week was held from April 10 to 17 in Breckenridge,
Colorado. Judging from the participants' comments made during the Week, the event was
a smashing success.
Ten families participated in the Ski
Week for a total of 45 guests. The families came from around
the
USA including TX, CO, VT, IA, GA, FL, and MO. All the service
members were wounded in the Iraq War within the last 6 years. Their injuries
are many and include amputations, serious injuries to the back, abdomen,
arms and legs; paralysis, burns, traumatic brain injuries and post traumatic
stress disorder. Seven of the ten soldiers have been medically retired
while three continue on active duty.
The Week included four days of snow skiing and snowboarding
under the direction of the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center (BOEC) and
their adaptive ski instructional staff.
There were six hours of a "Building Family Resiliency" Program conducted
for all adults. And there was a Youth Discussion Program for all
children over the age of six.
We are pleased to report that all of the needed lodging
at the Grand Timber Lodge was donated and Southwest Airlines donated
airfare for all the families flying to Denver for this Event.
All the families participated fully in this Wounded Warriors
event. They enjoyed family enrichment experiences,
shared time with others who have similar challenges, they enriched their
marriages, and the warriors developed a new skill which they previously
thought was unattainable
because of their disability.
A few quotes from the April 2011 participants included:
It was a top notch program. We feel blessed to have experienced all that was provided.
We had a blast ice skating as a family... we hope to continue this as a family activity.
The couples' sessions, the childrens' sessions, and the teens' sessions were all very good.
Skiing was on the top of our most memorable experiences. We also enjoyed painting the family mural about our week's activities.
We loved being able to do stuff as a family. This will be something we as a family will remember for the rest of our lives. Thank you, thank you.
