GLENWOOD SPRINGS PARKS AND RECREATION –FUN FOR ALL

By

(Helaine)

Photos by Joe Van Wyk, Marketing Coordinator, City of Glenwood Springs Parks and Recreation

We’re not experts, but we are serious about fun for all. The National Recreation and Parks Association recently honored our City of Glenwood Springs Parks and Recreation department as the winner of its July magazine cover contest. This victory has brought attention to our therapeutic recreation (TR) program and the impact it is having on people’s lives.

It can certainly be overwhelming to tackle something new, but at its core, this success started with a dream. We reached for our dreams, and you can too.

Twenty-plus years ago, when I started my career as a recreation therapist in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley, I heard the stories of so many families who were desperate for activities and community for their loved ones with disabilities. I dreamed of helping people living with disabilities to participate in the epic adventure opportunities here in the Rocky Mountains.

Community for all is a driving value shared by many in our small city of just over 10,000 people. A year ago, knowing the importance of this shared vision, our City of Glenwood Springs leadership pulled together resources and started our first therapeutic recreation program from scratch.

When you have a clear vision and you ask for what you want, hang on to your hat because something big is about to manifest. Our TR program is no exception. The winning photo, captured by Marketing Coordinator Joe Van Wyk, shows one of our TR program participants, Issac Alonso, beaming with joy as he scales our community center’s climbing wall using adaptive equipment. The moments where you’re able to see sparks of the dream become real are invigorating. Collaboration has been key to getting our start Our therapeutic recreation program is in its infancy and we constantly reach out to other providers who have decades of experience in the TR space, such as the non-profit Challenge Aspen. Last year, their donation of an adaptive harness led to the creation of our adaptive climbing program.

More partnerships have followed. Garfield County Public Health department reached out to us to manage an adaptive lending library for children with disabilities in our community. In addition, we are now collaborating with local outfitters to support our Therapeutic Recreation Adventures program. Soon, many in our TR community will feel the rush of whitewater rafting down the Colorado River.

Do you have a dream to lift up people living with disabilities? An idea or spark of inspiration that won’t let go of you? That’s your signal to get started. You don’t have to be the world’s expert and have it all figured out ahead of time. Go for it. Reach for your dreams. We did it and you can too.