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Red Ledges offers group activities for its members that range from quiet book clubs to thrilling biking and skiing excursions

By Lauren Glendenning
Brought to you by Red Ledges

As the Director of Fun at Red Ledges, Stephanie Potempa’s days range from leading hikes around the gorgeous Heber Valley to organizing community events such as dances or Fourth of July festivities.

Her job title says a lot, but the fact that Red Ledges has such as position on its staff says even more about the type of lifestyle it encourages for its residents.

One of the biggest philosophies in Potempa’s “Fun” department is to offer a variety of different activities for members, she said.

“Not everyone wants to mountain bike or sit around and play bridge, so we make sure to offer a lot of different things,” she said. “From workout classes such as yoga, boot camp and pilates, to outdoor things like fly-fishing casting clinics, hiking, biking and sailing — we want to make sure we have something to offer for every resident.”

Meeting neighbors

Summer fun often includes group hikes or bike excursions, and members ski together at Deer Valley on Wednesdays and Thursdays during winter.

“We have private access with the Deer Crest Club in the St. Regis — our members are able to go up there and access the mountain that way,” Potempa said. “On Wednesdays, we meet early for ‘Rippin’ Wednesdays,’ and on Thursdays we meet at noon for ‘Cruiser Thursdays’ — for the people who want to start a little later when it warms up.”

These more established, popular activities have a solid turnout week after week, but Potempa is always looking for new ways to keep Red Ledges members active, engaged and socializing. She promotes the activities through social media, the online community calendar and through email blasts.

“I’m definitely away from the desk more than I’m at it, which is great for our residents,” she said.

With fun in mind, suggestions are welcomed

Not every activity involves outdoor recreation, although it’s easy to see why those activities are so popular in the beautiful Heber Valley. Potempa said there’s a book club at Red Ledges, as well as groups who get together to knit, play bridge or pickleball.

Summer activities are especially family- and- kid-friendly, such as arts-and-crafts or scavenger hunts. Winter activities include some of the above mentioned indoor activities, as well as plenty of cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and alpine skiing or snowboarding, of course.

With such an extensive list of activities available, Potempa still loves it when members suggest new ideas. She recently helped plan a community dance at the suggestion of a member. More than 60 people turned out for the occasion, which included a live DJ and an outdoor dance floor.

“Our members are what makes my job so fun,” Potempa said. “They’re good people who want to get out and stay active and meet their neighbors. They’re building a community here where people want to come out and do things together.”

The post At Red Ledges, the “Director of Fun” keeps members active, engaged and smiling appeared first on Park Record.

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By forming important alliances, rural communities have an opportunity to overcome funding and other challenges facing afterschool and summer programming

By Lauren Glendenning
Brought to you by YouthPower365®

Afterschool and summer learning programs aren’t just a place for kids to kill time while their parents work — these programs provide an environment where students can make academic gains, remain engaged in learning, stay physically healthy and active, and have access to positive mentors.

In rural communities, where one in four children live in poverty, there’s a strong desire for more afterschool and summer school programs. Where need is greatest, however, resources are often at their lowest. This finding was supported by a special report from the Afterschool Alliance called “America After 3PM, The Growing Importance of Afterschool in Rural Communities”.

These communities often struggle with low wages, unhealthy eating habits, obesity and achievement gaps in school. An upcoming conference in Beaver Creek, Colorado, could create new beginnings for rural communities that have struggled to fund and implement such programming in the past. Hosted by the leadership of the Vail Valley Foundation’s successful YouthPower365 programming, stakeholders from rural communities will share their afterschool and summer program success stories at the PwrHrs Extended Learning Conference, including curriculum best practices and innovative partnerships.

Creating partnerships

Much of the success of YouthPower365’s programs can be attributed to its unique and close partnership with Eagle County Schools, said Melisa Rewold-Thuon, vice president of education for the Vail Valley Foundation. It’s these kinds of partnerships that make programming like this possible without total reliance on public funding.

“The partnership also eliminates the need for stand-alone buildings or rental spaces, which in turn eliminates the need for capital expenditures, and increases convenience and access for students and their families,” Rewold-Thuon said.

YouthPower365 has access to the school district’s buildings, technology, data and custodial services. School districts have to be willing to do “whatever it takes” to provide appropriate services for students, said Phil Qualman, assistant superintendent of student support services at Eagle County Schools. Eagle County Schools partnership with YouthPower365 directly benefits students by continuing educational enrichment outside of the school day, he said.

“We open up our resources and budget accordingly to come to the table with some skin in the game — we don’t expect (YouthPower365) to provide it all,” Qualman said. “They’re giving us access to a huge service, and we want to show gratitude and put in work, as well.”

The vast majority of funding comes from YouthPower365’s efforts, Qualman said. Part of the reason donors are so willing to contribute is due to the success of the programming. Once programs deliver results, the community responds, he said.

Building successful models

YouthPower365s formula for success is a two-way street, which means school districts should look to partner with local or regional nonprofits that have complementary missions.

When kicking off a new partnership or program, Qualman advises that stakeholders recognize when programs aren’t gaining traction and respond accordingly.

“You have to be prepared to throw a few darts at the board and see which ones stick,” he said. “If it’s a strain on your system, or you’re not getting the donor dollars or buy-in from your target audience, don’t spend a lot of time trying to push a proposal that doesn’t have legs.”

Allies in the fight

Each year, the Afterschool Alliance fights to at least maintain federal funding for afterschool programs, which has been an uphill battle in recent years, said Jodi Grant, executive director of Afterschool Alliance. Rural communities need public dollars to be part of the equation, especially because federal funding can help leverage other resources, she said.

After securing federal grants, afterschool and summer programs should look to other creative funding solutions. Rural areas often have some kind of industry such as mining, ranching, railroads or skiing. Grant said groups should look to those industries for dollars, as well as nonprofits and the school districts themselves for creative solutions.

“The more we can facilitate sharing between programs and schools, the better it is for the kids,” she said.

The post How rural public schools can benefit from nonprofit partnerships appeared first on Park Record.

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Research shows afterschool and summer programming can benefit children in many ways, but a lack of resources in rural communities often prevents access to such programs

By Lauren Glendenning
Brought to you by YouthPower365®

There’s a problem facing children in rural communities: a lack of adequate afterschool and summer programming.

Research shows that quality afterschool programs can improve students’ reading and math grades, classroom behavior, attendance, academic aspirations, dietary habits, physical activity and reduce the risks of dropping out of school or using drugs, according to the federal Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs.

Quality summer programs can reduce the risk of summer learning loss — also known as the summer slide — in which children start the academic year at achievement levels lower than where they were at the beginning of summer break, according to the Brookings Institution, which has studied the phenomenon.

In Park City, successful afterschool programming exists thanks to strong community partnerships, said Todd Klarich, community education director for the Park City School District. The programs have evolved over the years, but today includes snack time, enrichment and academic support for three hours per day, and six hours on Fridays.

“When you have a quality program where the kids and the parents are getting a result, the community will support it,” he said.

These are the kinds of partnerships that the Colorado nonprofit  Vail Valley Foundation hopes to highlight at an upcoming conference in Beaver Creek, Colorado: The PwrHrs Extended Learning Conference, November 13th-15th, 2019.

“In rural communities like ours, programs like PwrHrs offer support services by extending the school day for working families, providing transportation home from programs, and providing daytime food security to all students,” said Melisa Rewold-Thuon, vice president of education at the Vail Valley Foundation. “This has both an economic impact and a social-emotional one. For little or no cost, families know that children are in a supportive, learning, quality environment, stay within their home school and neighborhood, and safely arrive home each day.”

Humble beginnings

YouthPower365 is the educational non-profit of the Vail Valley Foundation, and serves nearly 4,400 children annually in all 19 public schools in Eagle County, Colorado. The county is well-known for its local ski areas, but the majority of its population live in rural areas, and more than 40 percent of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

YouthPower365 was formed in 2012 as an affiliation of the Youth Foundation and existing education programming of the Vail Valley Foundation. The organization has been effectively supporting local families and youth through programming that includes early childhood initiatives, afterschool and summer programs for K-12, and college-and-career readiness for middle and high school students.

YouthPower365’s leadership recognized that while their programs were successful, there was a need for greater collaboration with other communities. Much of what’s worked in Eagle County can work elsewhere, Rewold-Thuon said, including the PwrHrs model for building partnerships between public schools and private funding.

“We have always tried to work with schools to utilize resources they already have in place for both the academic and enrichment components of our programs,” she said.

From the school district’s perspective, the programs are an important extension of childhood development and education.

Programs don’t have to start out too big, either, Klarich said. His advice for communities looking to implement their own successful afterschool programs is to start out small and build from there. The support — especially the funding — will follow if you have a quality program, he said.

Research

Afterschool Alliance, a national organization that advocates for robust afterschool programming, conducted a study about rural access to afterschool programming in 2016. The study found that the top challenge is securing enough funding to run and sustain these programs.

“The potential partnerships that can be formed between programs and the business and philanthropic communities are many, just as the range of supports afterschool programs provide and areas of focus are wide-ranging,” according to the study. “As rural communities struggle with food insecurity, poverty, and lack of resources, it is evident that families in rural communities are in need of additional supports that can help them thrive.”

Current YouthPower365 research, in partnership with Colorado State University, is looking at the PwrHrs kids’ social-emotional and academic performance during the regular school year. The research suggests that policymakers should consider the following when designing this type of programming:

• Center the program around evidence-based curriculum.
• In addition to academic content, include hands-on or recreational activities.
• Ensure that program structure enables sufficient time on task, with policies or incentives that encourage consistent attendance.
• Invest in hiring the most effective teachers.

Finding success

Successful programs offer wide-ranging curriculum topics, from sports to robotics to coding to academics. Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant said kids in rural areas may not have a sense for the opportunities out there, and these types of programs can help them find a path that’s right for them.

“Every program tends to be unique, based on the community and its resources,” she said. “Kids need a place to feel safe, where they belong, and where they can build positive relationships with kids and positive adults.”

Organizations like YouthPower365 can help public schools determine how to best tap into private funding, while at the same time helping earn grants from regional and federal governments. Education experts on staff can help develop engaging curriculums, all of which help young people and families find a brighter future, while at the same time increasing teacher pay. This last aspect – teacher pay – is a very beneficial biproduct of  YouthPower365 programming, and can be a boon to rural communities where teacher recruitment and pay lag behind urban areas.

All of the above are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to improving local education initiatives via models like YouthPower365. The positive impacts of such programs have a cascading effect, raising quality of life for everyone by ensuring that afterschool and summer programming is keeping kids on the right track now and into the future. In November, communities with – and without – such programs will share expertise and knowledge at the PwrHrs Extended Learning Conference, helping foster the development of breakthrough ideas for funding and programming.

The end result could have a profound ripple effect: helping ensure that all kids across America have access to education and developmental opportunities that put them on the path toward a bright future.

The post Quality afterschool programs needed in rural communities across America appeared first on Park Record.

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Red Ledges aims to be place where everybody knows your name

Written By Anna Moore
Staff: Park Record contributor

“Sorry to interrupt, but Mrs.Taylor would like the salad you made her yesterday,” says a soft-spoken server at the Juniper Grill of Red Ledges Clubhouse.

Although Daniel Thompson, the restaurant’s head chef, serves more than 500 members of the private community, he remembers each ingredient in Mrs. Taylor’s special salad and lists them off.

“Yes, I remember she’s on a diet, make sure there’s absolutely no cheese,” says Thompson, who prides himself on remembering his patron’s tastes.

Although clubhouse dining can carry a reputation for being boring and uninspiring, Thompson and his staff aim to never stop improving and personalizing the Juniper Grill menu. At the age of 33, Thompson is in his 10th season at the golf-centric private community in Heber City, and constant innovation is the main ingredient in his success.

Born in Panama City, Florida, (a.k.a. the Redneck Riviera) Thompson was raised on buttery grits, hand-picked tomatoes and catfish fresh from the pond. As a child, his mother taught him how to cook Southern comfort food with love. To this day, his mother’s yellow squash still tastes like home.

When Thompson traded Florida sand for Utah snow in 2009, Red Ledges was still under constriction. It’s hard for him to believe that he “began cooking out of a trailer on the golf course,” as he sits in the swanky dining room of the Juniper Grill, overlooking the Wasatch mountains.

In this increasingly mechanized world, Thompson is passionate about taking the time to personalize service. By greeting guests by name, they feel like an “extension of family,” he said. It’s important because, “my kitchen is their dining room,” he added.

Each year, 50 to 60 percent of the Juniper Grill’s dishes are tweaked to keep the flavors fresh and members enticed. Making traditional dishes fit into the outdoor lifestyle of club members is key.

“Our house burger is actually in a wrap, so guests can take easily take it golfing,” Thompson says.

He said 95 percent of what is served is made on sight, or sourced locally. The kitchen buys produce from Lee’s Grocery Store down the street, and Pierre French Bakery in Salt Lake delivers fresh bread each morning.

Another way Red Ledges aims to innovate clubhouse dining is by holding special programs and themed dinner parties. Whether it’s a Saint Patrick’s Day party with green beer and corned beef, or a sampling of curries from around the world, there’s always a reason to celebrate food. Last Fourth of July, for instance, Thompson traded his kitchen garb for a Colonel Sanders costume while preparing a fried chicken picnic for 600 guests.

“Guests love a reason to get together in costume,” he says. “It’s just a fun place to be.”

Peering out onto the frosted peak of Mount Timpanogos, the lunch crowd at the Juniper Grill quietly chats and clinks their salad forks to their white plates. There’s a calm welcomeness that permeates the room.

“Dining is about enjoying the finer things in life,” says Thompson as he sits among the sunny tables. “It could be a PB and J as long as it makes you feel good.”

The post A new spin on clubhouse dining appeared first on Park Record.