When Kerry Morgan sent out a press release last week, she was inundated by the immediate responses of a community wanting to help.
Morgan, in her first full year as program director of the “Get Out & Play Program” with the Youth Winter Sports Alliance (YWSA), said after she hit the “send” button asking the community to donate winter gear for the children in the program, the reaction was overwhelming.
Just a week following the release, Morgan said the program had received an abundance of donations for the more than 800 elementary-school students involved in the two-session program designed to get young kids out on the snow. This year, students from five local elementary schools are participating in the program: Jeremy Ranch, McPolin, Parleys Park, Trailside and the Weilenmann School of Discovery.
Kids can choose skiing or snowboarding at Park City Mountain Resort or Canyons, cross-country skiing at White Pine, or even head up to the Utah Olympic Park and choose between Nordic jumping, freeride or freestyle skiing.
Originally, the program was known as the Friday afternoon school program for elementary school students in Park City. Morgan said four years ago the YWSA approached the local schools with a plan to offer an expanded program of winter recreation opportunities for youngsters.
Fast-forward to today, and Get Out & Play is as strong as it ever has been, Morgan said.
“This is really a huge year for us,” she said. “This year was the largest number of scholarships we were ever awarded. In the past, we maybe could offer 60 to 70, but thanks to PCMR, Canyons, local ski shops and individuals in the community and YWSA, we were able to offer 120 scholarships.
“Most of these kids are financial-needs kids, and the scholarship includes the lift tickets, lessons, gear and any clothing needed to make the experience a good experience. Jacket, pants, helmet, socks, we find everything they need.”
Morgan added that both Park City Mountain Resort and Canyons combined to offer 50 scholarships toward the Get Out & Play Program this year.
“The thing that repeatedly amazes me is the community effort,” she said. “The resorts are working for the kids and the community is coming together. There are three local ski shops who have stepped up to offer free equipment rentals, too.”
Six years ago, Morgan was just a parent volunteer associated with the afterschool winter recreation program for the local youth. Now, as the program has continually evolved, Morgan is the district program manager for the YWSA, and she said the one constant over her six years involved is the support of the community to help youngsters have fun on the snow.
“I see that now we can always support our kids with scholarships,” she said. “I also think there’s great opportunity to expand.”
For more information on the Get Out & Play Program, contact Kerry Morgan at [email protected] . Donations may be dropped off at the Youth Winter Sports Alliance office building (1351 Kearns Boulevard, Suite 110-F) until Jan. 13.