Hermon Mountain ski program seeks volunteers

loading...

The other day, Kam Atwood, volunteer coordinator for the Hermon Mountain Adaptive Ski Program, visited my office to report the program needs volunteers, whether you can ski or not!

Back in 1998 I first wrote about Hermon Mountain’s adaptive skiing program, which was then called, “I Can Ski.”

I am very pleased to know the program is continuing to offer individuals with disabilities the opportunity to learn to ski.

And don’t let the fact that there is no snow on the ground bother you. Hermon Mountain does have snowmaking, so you can ski there.

Atwood told me volunteers are needed not only to help individuals learn to ski, but nonskiers also are needed for everything from “helping participants keep warm inside” to “fundraising, organizing, scheduling and transportation,” which she said is a barrier for some who would like to take up the sport.

For those who might consider becoming a volunteer in the Adaptive Ski Program, Atwood explained that the optimum experience would include five people per participant, “to safely run one skier down the mountain.”

“That’s two blockers up front, to let people know we’re coming,” she said.

“Then there’s the tetherer, who helps the skier maneuver and teaches the skills, and two blockers in the back.”

However, due to the small number of volunteers currently with the program, Atwood said, “we are having to use just three people per participant,” which she would prefer not to do.

Another problem the program is facing due to the lack of volunteers is that fewer people are able to enroll.

“We have a lot of people who have participated in the past, and are interested now, but they aren’t calling because they got turned away due to lack of volunteers,” she said.

The program runs from 3 to 9 p.m. Mondays, but if more people volunteered, “we could extend that to Tuesdays and Sunday mornings,” Atwood said.

Volunteers simply need to fill out the necessary paperwork and sign any pertinent releases, she said.

The program offers volunteers the opportunity to train at Sugarloaf/USA in Carrabassett Valley “once a year and practice with tethering,” Atwood said.

She also reminds potential volunteers that if you “are not comfortable with the skiing part, then we can find other things” for you to do.

Adaptive skiing is a great program, and is worth your consideration.

If you can help, call Atwood at 299-7994.

You are invited to a “Roadside Party” to celebrate the Grand Opening of Liberty Tax Service from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 13, at Liberty Tax Service, 849 Stillwater Ave. in Bangor.

Proprietor Robin Case, assisted by Mary Lee Mottram, will provide free tax advice, as well as a free lunch, music and lots of fun at this event.

One important request from Case is that, if you have one, bring your used cell phone to the opening so it can be recycled through the Cell Phones for Soldiers organization, which provides calling cards for members of the military.

Liberty Tax Service, with more than 2,000 offices in the U.S. and Canada, provides free tax advice and free checking of self-prepared tax returns at each office.

Its offices are open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. during the tax season, and you can donate your used cell phone at any time.

For more information, call Case at 262-5829.

Here’s the inside scoop from Sandra Johnson of Orono about an upcoming River City Cinema showing.

“All you crossword puzzle aficionados will delight” in viewing “Wordplay,” Johnson wrote of the film that begins at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 13, at the Bangor Opera House on Main Street.

“From celebrity solvers to Will Shortz building puzzles [Shortz is the editor of the New York Times crossword puzzle] and even a quick look at the National Tournament, it will be a fun-puzzling evening,” Johnson wrote.

Admission is just $5.

Your contributions of yard sale items are needed for the Christmas for Families Giant Indoor Yard Sale and Country Concert planned for 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, March 25, at American Legion Post 207 in Trenton.

To contribute, or to receive more information about this event, call Tommy Dean, 667-0525 or 479-7506, or Linda Griffin, 565-2180.

Proceeds from this fundraiser benefit Christmas for Families 2007, a program sponsored by American Legion Post 207.

Joni Averill, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402; 990-8288.