The Snowboard Outreach Society (SOS) builds character in youth through the sport of snowboarding. The Colorado based organization is a nonprofit group that provides snowboarding instruction and community engagement opportunities to at-risk and under privileged youth from around the nation.

The largest and most fundamental program that SOS offers is Learn to Ride. It is an outdoor, mountain adventure experience designed for youth with risk factors in their lives. In concert with learning how to snowboard, students are introduced to SOS's five "core values" - courage, discipline, integrity, wisdom and compassion. Each participant will apply the values daily during the five-day course on the slopes.

Upon completion of the program, participants are invited to participate in SOS University, a four-year program where they develop a deeper understanding of the core values through the mentorship of a "Sherpa," snowboard instruction and increased community involvement.

In addition to striving toward their goals on the mountain, the kids are responsible for participating in community service projects, ranging from cleaning local rivers and neighborhoods to volunteering for Red Cross food drives and assisting building projects with Habitat for Humanity. Now in its 13th year, SOS has proven successful at 26 mountain resorts nationwide, with several of them establishing University programs.

The program is not only flourishing, it's growing, enabling a handful SOS University graduates to apply the values they've learned by giving back to the program. University graduates are returning to serve as junior mentors during the 2006/2007 season.

During the 2006/2007 season, SOS will serve 40 Utah participants at Snowbird and Brighton. They will complete all Learn to Ride requirements and look to their first year of University next season.

SOS’s success would not be possible without the support of the community. Five hundred volunteers support our programs each season, and donations of gently used equipment and cash go a long way to support our growth.

Learn more -- To find out more about SOS and to get involved today, log onto www.sosoutreach.org or 970.926.9292.

Join in on the fun with the SOS!