SOS Outreach is one of the 30+ partners Park City Community Foundation’s Youth United proudly works with. Youth United distributes grants to the partners and, in turn, they offer scholarships and recreation programs to local youth who are navigating financial constraints.
SOS Outreach gets kids and teens involved in outdoor recreation like skiing and snowboarding, as well as helping with career development, skill building, and community involvement.
“It’s hard to articulate the reach that organizations like Youth United have,” said Erin Reynolds, the Park City Mentor Program Coordinator for SOS Outreach.
“Participating in sport isn’t just about being good at the sport — it teaches you teamwork, discipline, planning, goal setting, and all these other things that you can translate into other areas of your life.”
She added that it can also be inspiring for the kids’ families too. When a kid is pushing themself to do hard things like learning a new sport, it can rub off on their parents and siblings back home. She got to see the evidence of this at the parent ski weekend earlier this year.
First-Time Skier: Ana Corona at Parent’s Weekend
Parents of kids in the SOS Outreach programs got to participate in a two-day ski weekend with instructors from Park City Mountain to guide them. There were 16 parents split into two ski groups, and a snowboard group, which Erin got to tag along with as a snowboarder herself.
“There’s always joy in sharing something with someone for the first time,” Erin said. “Trying something like alpine skiing or snowboarding for the first time as an adult is not an easy thing to do. But I think it doesn’t really matter your age. The joy of learning a new task and challenging yourself and overcoming something that you thought was so scary is a beautiful experience.”
She said personalities come out a lot when people are trying something new and difficult. She noticed how a lot of the parents were quick to cheer on each other and themselves for victories and how willing they were to learn. She also thinks the experience helped a lot of them feel closer to their kids.
One of these parents was Ana Corona.
“Ana has such a spirit about her,” Erin said. “You can just tell that she’s feisty in the best way. She advocates for her kids. She wants her kids to succeed and wants to give them every opportunity that she can, and it was the same seeing her on the mountain.”
Ana has lived in Park City for over 17 years, but this winter, she experienced something she’d never had the opportunity to do before — skiing.
For years, Ana has ensured that her three children can participate in various sports and activities, made possible with support from Youth United. She has spent countless hours cheering them on from the sidelines as they took part in SOS Outreach’s youth programs. But this time, she decided it was her turn.
At first, Ana was nervous, concerned about her age and the risks that come with learning a new sport. However, with the guidance of skilled Mountain coaches, she took the leap. The moment she ascended the chairlift, she described the sensation as feeling like she was “flying.” And when she finally skied down the mountain, she summed up the experience in one word: “free.” It was a moment she will never forget.
As a parent, Ana finds immense joy in seeing her children on the mountain, witnessing their happiness firsthand. She is deeply grateful for the opportunities provided by organizations like SOS Outreach and Youth United, which make these experiences possible. Now, with a little skiing experience of her own, she looks forward to future adventures—this time, alongside her whole family.
“We have formed a community in Park City that feels like family, that sees us as family, and has us united,” Ana said.
Erin said she appreciates the parents, and it was nice to interact with them as their own people rather than through the lens of them as the parents of the kids in the program.
“The families that we work with are supportive and hardworking and truly the backbone of the community,” Erin said. “And they have every right to be able to experience the thrill of what’s right in their backyard.”
Sharing the Love of the Sport: Junior Mentor Emily Arvizo Olivares
Another person Erin has had the pleasure of working closely with is Emily Arvizo Olivares. Emily, 18, is a senior at South Summit High School. She’s participated in Youth United programs like RISE Boxing, Youth Sports Alliance, and SOS Outreach. Erin described Emily as articulate, punctual, communicative, responsible and hardworking. “It seems like she is always finding ways to give back to people,” Erin said. “I can’t speak highly enough of her.”
Emily has been in the mentor program with SOS since she was in middle school. She did two years of their Learn to Ride/Ski program, and then five years as a mentee. This year she was able to be a junior mentor.
“I think one of the biggest benefits of being in Youth United programs was the connections I’ve gained, whether it be through new friends or new experiences, and jobs. It’s been a whole lot of connections,” Emily said.
Through the career development program at SOS, she was able to get her first job working at Park City Mountain in retail at Legacy Sports. She worked that job for two summers after being asked to come back and this year applied to be a non-certified ski instructor. She got the job and worked 18 days of the season instructing 3- and 4-year-olds.
As a Junior Mentor she gets to teach year ones in the mentee program alongside an alumni Mentor. They go over skills like setting goals and she said it’s very rewarding for her.
“I’ve loved the interaction with the kids,” Emily said. “Having the opportunity to teach them a sport that I’ve loved doing for a long time has taught me so many things and I’m able to give that back to someone younger and explain to them valuable lessons that I’ve received through the mentor program.”
Erin said Emily has a way of letting kids be kids. “They have a group of girls who are rambunctious in a fun way,” Erin said. “She’s able to balance being patient and being fun and still keeping things moving.”
Emily said she’s going to college at the University of Utah in the fall and hopes to come back to SOS as a mentor now that she will be an alumnus of the program. Her advice to kids in Youth United is to take advantage of every opportunity while they still have it.
“Doing the programs gives you so many lessons and skills that if I could I would go back and focus more on and enjoy every moment of it,” Emily said. “Being young is so much fun and when you get older you can’t do as many things as you could when you were younger and making friends.”