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Show Skiing at Park West means success and self-esteem for handicapped youngsters The Newspaper Thursday, February 18, 1982 Page All ig & S by Morgan Queal There's a very special group of ski instructors and students at ParkWest on Thursday mornings, and the warmth and caring that flows among them makes you want to cry. 1 The students are mentally handicapped youngsters from Salt Lake, Summit and Wasatch counties the kind of kids who miss out on many of the basic pleasures and freedoms of life. But the people at ParkWest are making sure skiing will not be one of them. Retarded children are constantly con-stantly having to deal with their own differences inadequacies, in-adequacies, some might say and self-esteem often is something they don't have a lot of. But the ParkWest volunteer volun-teer instructors are giving every child a totally successful success-ful experience. "It's a no-fail situation," says Bev Carhart, chief organizer of the handicapped ski program. "When those kids come down the hill, they're just as good as anybody." Carhart, herself the parent of a handicapped daughter now grown and married, saw how skiing brought out the best in her own child. As supervisor in the ParkWest ski school, she started the handicapped program six years ago and remains totally sold on its merits. Skiing, she said, brings on a lot of changes in the lives of both the children and their families. Teachers find that after a day of skiing there's a lot more energy coming from the kids. Behavior problems seem to disappear there's less boredom and frustration. They're not just sitting in the classroom and failing. v Bill Nicholson of Jordan Valley School is all smiles at the end of his lesson with ParkWest instructor Nelleke Meuzelarr. Bill is a star student in ParkVVest's handicapped ski program. "And parents find that for the first time their child has something to talk about. They're out meeting new people, making new friends, just like normal teenagers." This year's Thursday program pro-gram draws children from Jordan Valley school in Salt Lake, the Wasatch Training Center in Heber and Developmental Devel-opmental Disabilities, Inc., in Park City. Granite School District in Salt Lake sends children from its special education program on Wednesdays, Wed-nesdays, and a group of mentally handicapped adults comes on Sundays from a residential center in Salt Lake. Jim Donner, director of There's lots of help available from ParkWest instructors who teach handicapped youngsters on a one-to-one basis, as Julie Coleman of Heber is learning from Jim Donner. :Vi Megan Felt, 3, is the littlest member of the ParkWest program. She's getting a head start on skiing with her instructor, Sue Reed, of Salt Lake City. LETTERHEADS BUSINESS CARDS FLYERS BROCHURES FORMS POSTERS ADVERTISING PMT VV DO ESETTINC DESIGN BUSINESS CARDS BROCHURES FORMS FLYERS LETTERHEADS POSTERS ADVERTISING LABELS LOGOS MAILERS PMTS TYPESETTING DESIGN BROCn n DESK r l I N T I WSINC LETTERHEADS BUSINESS CARDS FLYERS BROCHURES FORMS POSTERS ADVERTISING LABELS LOGOS MAILERS PMTS TYPESETTING DESICN FLYERS BROCHURE 6 4 9 - 9 0 7 4 ERHEADS POSTERS MAII FRS PMTS ADVERTISING DESIGN LOCOS LABELS TYPESET! NC the Wasatch center and himself a ski instructor at ParkWest, is an enthusiastic advocate of skiing for the mentally retarded. "It's a chance for success," he said, "and it's a skill they can develop and use for the rest Special Olympic meets with medals and ribbons. Special Olympics, financed fi-nanced by the Kennedy Foundation, is a nationwide program of sports competition compe-tition for retarded children and adults. Local, regional "Seeing my daughter come down the hill with a big grin on her face gives me more pleasure than anyone could possibly imagine," one mother said. of their lives." Skiing, he said, does wonders for their self-image, especially when they can come back from and state meets are held winter for skiing and in spring for track events and swimming. In Special Olympics, everybody is a winner. Each competitor takes home, if not a gold, silver or bronze medal, at least a ribbon that says, "I tried." Both Carhart and Donner would like to see more parents take advantage of the ParkWest program. When it comes right down to it, it's the parents' decision whether or not the child skis. The program is either free or nominal in cost, but many parents especially if they don't ski themselves worry about safety and supervision. super-vision. "Seeing my daughter come down the hill with a big grin on her face gives me more pleasure than anyone could possibly imagine," one mother said. "Sure, she might get hurt, but the only way to avoid that is to not let her do it, and that would be unthinkable." All instruction is on a one-to-one basis by a group of dedicated and loving volunteers, many of them instructors from Park City and Deer Valley, who come out on their days off. There's a lot of reaching out and touching, Carhart said, and not everybody can do that. But for those who can, it's a memorable experience. The ParkWest program still is in need of volunteers. They should know how to ski, but on-the-job training is provided. In January Park West and Special Olympics officials put on a three-day seminar for a group of volunteers who paid out of their own pockets to learn how to work with handicapped handi-capped youngsters. Next year, ParkWest will offer a season pass to volunteers who can give six hours a week to the program. Some volunteers are students stu-dents in special education from the University of Utah who can instruct and get college credits at the same time. "People don't believe these kids can ski," Carhart said. They may not be able to read or write; most of them have speech problems, even trouble walking. But they can ski, and they do it as well as anybody. For most of the kids, if not all, that two hours on Thursday morning' is the high point of their week. On the mountain they are working work-ing hard, being successful and, best of all, taking part in some of the pleasures of the normal world. China (Riige Restaurant Open 7 days a week, 11:30 a.m. -11:00 p.m. y LUNCH SPECIAL Monday - Friday 11:30a.m. -3:30 D.m. Egg Roll, Chicken Chow Mein, Pork Fried Rice $2.95 Take out available mini battle service. PARK CITY PROPERTIES I LOT IN OLD TOWN This is the only single family lot in Old Town near the resort. Burned home on property. There is a possibility of restoring home on this valuable piece of land. $57,500. Short term contract. Call Dick Shoff at 649-881 6 or CENTURY 21 Park City Properties, 649-7900. 649-7900 (Park City) 363-2141 (Salt Lake City) P.O. Box 2399, Park City, Ut. 84060 (Across from Holiday Inn) First Securi I me 14 on avings pi im I l r fa . . . and my contributions can be made automatically. At First Security, you don't have to pay the entire annual sum in one payment, although that is certainly an option. You can also make periodic deposits every month, or double up on deposits, whatever is most convenient for you. Monthly, by payroll deduction or automatic transfer. The more you save, the more interest you'll earn. We can arrange it your way. AND IT'S ALL TAX-DEFERRED Every dollar you contribute to your IRA fund each year can be deducted from your Federal Taxable Income. And all the interest that First Security pays you is also tax-deferred until you withdraw the money. Open your account today 14 per annum, current fixed rate, for a period of 18 months. Minimum opening deposit of $500. Additions in any amount, or choose from three other IRA savings plans. SEE HOW YOUR IRA SAVINGS GROW You pay no fees and your funds are insured. There is substantial interest penalty for early withdrawal. At 14 the total Number of Total Deposit Principal Plus Years at $2,000 per year Interest would be 5 10,000 15,398 10 20,000 46,038 15 30,000 107,004 20 40,000 228,313 25 50,000 469,694 30 60,000 949,990 35 70,000 1,905,678 40 80,000 3,807,296 These tables are based on the assumption that one contribution of the amount specified is made annually at the beginning of each tax year and that the interest accumulates and is compounded quarterly. DOUBLE the dollar figures above for married couples (if both work) who together contribute $2,000 each ($4,000 total) annually. INCREASE amounts by one-eighth for a married couple (with a non-working spouse) who contribute $2,250 annually. Each affiliate bank of First Security Corporation is a member of FDIC. Each depositor's account is insured to $100,000 by FDIC. |