With life changes that happened in 2022, already working full-time remote, I was gifted the opportunity to relocate, essentially anywhere, in Oregon.  My mind was made up before the idea board got off the ground, I was yearning for work life balance, driven by the need to grab ahold of my health, and find a community that aligned with my forming passions.

 

The house went on the market, and as soon as it sold, I packed up all my stuff into a craigslist rented cargo trailer, and lived in my van for a month before a rental house opened up and I found myself living in Bend, Oregon, October 31st, 2022.  Knowing a handful of people in town from various places in life, I reached out.  Connections were made, but that sense of belonging wasn't falling into place.  

 

Having made many trips over to participate as an athlete with Oregon Adaptive Sports over the last five years, I connected up with the outreach team and started volunteering at events, attended trainings, signed up for and attended as many ski sessions as I could get away with, volunteered with community adaptive cycling events, trained up and earned certification as a mountain bike instructor.  

 

New friends are being made. More purpose than I’ve ever known, is forming.  I am finding a deep sense of belonging and this community made up of others pursuing the same interests,, goals, passions, as me, just keeps getting better and better the more I lean into it with my own contributions.

 

Oregon Adaptive Sports exists and operates, with all of us giving to their mission.  In the coming weeks, I’ll work on sharing some more spots of my journey over the last year and I invite you into this community, feel the stoke, and please join me in fundraising through this years Ski For All!

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On Saturday March 16th, 2024, I will be participating in the 7th annual OAS Ski for All!
Oregon Adaptive Sports is a premier adaptive sports organization, providing life-changing outdoor experiences for individuals with disabilities.

Every dollar contributed will advance OAS' work in breaking down barriers to the outdoors for individuals with disabilities. This includes obtaining and maintaining state-of-the-art adaptive sports equipment, providing hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships, and training and retaining the world's greatest volunteers!

I believe in the importance of OAS' work and invite you to support my efforts in this year's Ski For All fundraiser.
Let's keep the OAS stoke going!