BREAKING THROUGH BARRIERS

Breaking Through Breaking Through Breaking Through Breaking Through Breaking Through Barriers Barriers Barriers Barriers

RACHEL HEVERON LOVES TO WATCH THOSE WITH DISABILITIES GROW

written by JULIE LOVELL photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

A LITTLE ADVICE if you ever meet Rachel Heveron, program manager for Eagle Mount Billings: don’t underestimate her. She thrives on proving people wrong. When others see limits for people with special needs, she looks for ways to break through barriers to help them lead fuller, more active lives.

“It’s kind of breathtaking to see them do things like jump off a dock if they’re scared to jump into water,” says Rachel. “It really brings tears sometimes, because it’s so awesome to see them conquer their fears and do things they didn’t think they could do.”

Eagle Mount Billings is a nonprofit organization that brings recreation, adventure and fun into the lives of about 500 differently abled individuals around our region each year. Genna Southworth, who recently joined Eagle Mount as its executive director, says Rachel understands that participants have limits, but she takes those limits with a grain of salt.

“She doesn’t let people get away with what they may think are their limits when, in her experience, they’re not,” says Genna. “So she’ll call people out, and say, ‘No, you can do that. This is what we’re doing,’ and they just do it. It’s really pretty fun to watch!”

The job is a natural for a young woman who doesn’t like to take no for an answer.

“I got into this field to see people grow,” Rachel says. “A lot of kids think they can’t do things, so being able to prove them wrong is a challenge I like to take on!” Eagle Mount Billings launched in 1988 with an adaptive ski program at Red Lodge Mountain. In the years since, the organization has expanded to include a wide variety of adaptive and therapeutic recreation adventures. Participants can now enjoy the thrill of trying activities like rock climbing, kayaking, horseback riding, bike riding and water skiing. As a certified therapeutic recreation specialist, Rachel is trained to organize and adapt activities to make them safe and accessible to all.

“One of the things I’m most impressed with Rachel is her absolute commitment, first, to the safety of our participants,” Genna says.“She has a passion for making sure our participants have a good time and have the broadest and best experiences possible, and safety is a component of that.”

Since Eagle Mount participant Anna Chairr moved to Billings a couple of years ago, she’s enjoyed a number of activities, like snowboarding, golf, summer camps and a social group. She knows Rachel really cares.

“I like that she doesn’t ever look at anyone on what they can’t do,” says Anna. “She always pushes people to do the best they can do. It’s cool how she does things. If it’s an activity, everyone can do it and she’ll find a way to make it work.“

For parents of children with special needs, it can be tough to trust others with their children’s fragile health and safety. For the last eight years, Wendy Winterholler has relied on Eagle Mount to

IT’S KIND OF BREATHTAKING TO SEE THEM DO THINGS LIKE JUMP OFF A DOCK IF THEY’RE SCARED TO JUMP INTO WATER. IT REALLY BRINGS TEARS SOMETIMES, BECAUSE IT’S SO AWESOME TO SEE THEM CONQUER THEIR FEARS AND DO THINGS THEY DIDN’T THINK THEY COULD DO. — Rachel Heveron

help expand horizons for her 17-year-old daughter, Whitney. Whitney has Prader-Willi Syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes physical, cognitive and behavioral challenges. Whitney loves Eagle Mount, and Rachel in particular.

“What I love about Eagle Mount is that Whitney gets into that environment and Rachel tells her, ‘Whitney, you can do this!’” says Wendy. “She makes Whitney feel like she can do anything, and she literally does it. She does things for her that she would never do for me.”

Wendy marvels at the activities Rachel has convinced her daughter to try, including whitewater rafting and paddle boarding.

“Whitney has some vision and depth perception issues, and any kind of uneven surface freaks her out,” Wendy says. “On the last Eagle Mount trip, Rachel got her in a kayak and on a paddle board, which is amazing!”

Rachel downplays her powers of persuasion with participants and says the key to getting participants to try a new activity is highlighting the fun they’ll have doing it.

“I tell the staff it’s about selling it and making it seem super awesome to try, and then the participants get over their fears pretty quickly,” Rachel says.

On any given day at work, Rachel juggles a half dozen balls at once, including organizing and leading social outings, adapting recreational activities like bike riding, boating and rock climbing, and cheering on participants trying new activities. Her official title is program director, but Rachel is also a teacher, a mentor to student interns and a safety coordinator. Among her most important roles is being a friend and confidence-builder for participants looking for adventure, fun and friendship. One key to success in her ever-changing job: knowing how to change activities on the fly.

“I like to think I’m very organized and have things planned, but sometimes I can’t be,” says Rachel. “Like when the weather is smoky and we can’t play soccer, having tricks and activities in the back of my head helps. The staff is so funny, because they’ll tell me an activity was well-planned when I came up with it about 30 seconds ago.”

“When something doesn’t go right, she always has a plan B, or she’s really good at faking it till you make it,” Anna Chairr says with a laugh.

Genna says Rachel has helped her tremendously as she transitions into her new position.

“As a new director, without having someone who can really anchor the programs, hold the parts together and do the planning and implementation of programs, I would have been way in over my head,” Genna says.

To stretch the limits in those she works with, Rachel relies on her training as a recreational therapy specialist to design programs that are not only fun, but therapeutic, helping participants move forward in their development.

“How do we help them gain confidence?” Rachel asks. “How do we plan activities that are designed for fun, but also to have an outcome?”

It’s clear that Rachel loves also to advocate for those with special needs. Her mother, Beth DelVecchio, says even as a child, Rachel was determined and driven to help others.

WHEN SOMETHING DOESN’T GO RIGHT, SHE ALWAYS HAS A PLAN B, OR SHE’S REALLY GOOD AT FAKING IT TILL YOU MAKE IT.

— Anna Chairr

Live IN THE MOMENT!

she doesn’t kill us first, we’re going to get to watch her change the world,’” Beth says with a laugh. “She’s changing the lives of so many, and I’m so proud of her.”

Rachel’s strength and ability to care for others comes naturally. Her mom is a registered nurse in Massachusetts. This summer, Beth flew to Billings to provide volunteer care for Eagle Mount campers on a trip to Idaho.

“My mom has definitely taught me to be strong and tackle things day by day and not be afraid of anything you might encounter,” she says.

“She’s very determined and nothing’s going to stop her,” Beth says. “Don’t tell her you can’t do it, because she will prove you wrong. That’s what I see her doing here. Every obstacle, she’s like, ‘No, we can change that.’”

Growing up in upstate New York, Rachel was close to a cousin who has special needs, but she says her real introduction to the world of disabilities came during college, when she worked in group homes. She says she loved working with people who were so honest and happy, and she decided to major in recreational therapy.

“I really saw the need for older people with disabilities to have access to recreation,” Rachel says. “People don’t stop wanting to recreate when they turn 21.”

After earning her degree at the University of Northern Iowa, Rachel landed an internship at the National Abilities Center in Park City, Utah. It’s one of the top adaptive sports centers in the country, and she learned valuable lessons about working successfully and safely with people with disabilities. In 2018, Eagle Mount hired Rachel. The hours are long and the challenges can be great, but Eagle Mount participants are great role models for Rachel.

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“I’ve learned that it’s OK to push myself harder than I think I can, and some things are really scary, and it’s OK,” says Rachel.

In the last few years, she has also learned how to handle the stress that can come with her job.

“I used to sit here 12-13 hours a day and stress myself out about what’s going to happen next week,” she says. “Now, every day I just wake up and tackle it, and I’ve learned to play it day by day.”

Late last year, Rachel’s desire to learn and grow in her field led her to take a new job at a rehabilitation institute in Minnesota. The news of her departure hit many Eagle Mount participants and parents hard.

Within a few months, however, Rachel realized the new position wasn’t a good fit, and she missed the Eagle Mount community. By

March of this year, Rachel was back at Eagle Mount, getting programs and activities back on track.

“I learned a lot at the Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute in Minnesota and was able to come back with a lot of new ideas, including ideas about working with volunteers and using new equipment and technology,” Rachel says. She’s thankful for the supportive Eagle Mount community.

“The most rewarding part of my job is being able to impact new people, whether it’s participants, parents or volunteers,” she says. “Being able to have an impact on 12- to 16-year-old volunteers is also super awesome. I love that they can take what they’ve learned about working with people with disabilities and bring that inclusivity back to school.”

As she looks to the future of the nonprofit, Rachel has practical goals, including adding more adaptive equipment, making current programs the best they can be and expanding the activities Eagle Mount offers.

She’s excited the organization recently hired a volunteer coordinator, and she hopes more people will volunteer their time and talents.

“Volunteers are pretty crucial to what we do,” Rachel says. “We couldn’t run the majority of our programs without them. I really want to focus more on volunteers and how we can train them, how we can appreciate them and how we can make them feel comfortable helping with our programs.”

Her long-term goals are loftier, including helping raise the funding Eagle Mount needs to purchase a building and move from its leased office on 16th Street West.

Rachel also hopes to do more out-of-state trips with Eagle Mount campers who love the independence and fun that come with being on the road with friends. This summer’s trip to Lake Coeur d’Alene in Idaho was a big hit. “The amount of excitement they get from what we might see as a small activity is awesome, Rachel says. “When we went over the pass into Idaho and saw the lake, one of the campers said, ‘Wow! Idaho is so much cooler than Chuck-ECheese’! It was the best thing. So awesome and funny.”

Experiences like that make Rachel even more motivated to expand horizons for the participants who make her work so fun and rewarding. One participant at a time, she is changing lives.

“If you want to meet a person who can change the world,” says Anna Chair, “she’s a really good person!” ✻

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TO LEARN MORE ABOUT EAGLE MOUNT BILLINGS

and the programs it offers, visit eaglemountbillings.org. You can also click on to their site to learn more about volunteering with the nonprofit’s many programs.

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406-534-1133 • 116 N 29TH ST • STE B

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