From left, Tally Ritter, Ruby Hueber, Shelby Elliott, Lisa Keeton, Rachael Gaynor, and Cora Hueber. Ruby and Cora are the daughters of Darrick and Hettie Hueber, who nominated the SLiCE Adaptive Swim program for the Fort Collins Mayor’s Award. Photo courtesy SLiCE.
Fort Collins’ Commission on Disability selected Colorado State University’s Student Leadership, Involvement & Community Engagement (SLiCE) Adaptive Swim as “Service Provider of the Year” during the annual Mayor’s Awards 2015, held Thursday, Oct. 15. This year’s nomination came from Darrick and Hettie Hueber, parents of an Adaptive Swim participant.
The Adaptive Swim program is over 30 years old, making it the longest-running program at SLiCE. The program pairs volunteers with community members of all ages and with varying levels of disabilities for an entire academic year. Each volunteer/participant pair meets once a week at Edora Pool Ice Center (EPIC) to swim at any level the participant would like, creating a fun, low-key recreational environment.
As part of the program’s Service Learning objective, volunteers attend weekly reflection sessions where they are able to discuss their experiences, hear from other programs that serve persons with disabilities in Fort Collins, and connect with other volunteers to better serve their swim partners. SLiCE Adaptive Swim charges participants a nominal fee to cover pool admission, but has scholarships available courtesy of gracious donors.
With a variety of leadership and community engagement programs, SLiCE at Colorado State University provides an important link between students and their surrounding communities.
SLiCE brings together student organizations, student leaders and student volunteers under one umbrella; making the CSU campus a better community and a more involved place. Being involved in SLiCE programs allows students to enrich their academic and social experiences at CSU. With 14 highly committed professional staff members and 35 student staff members with a variety of expertise, SLiCE is not only a source for involvement of all kinds, but also a valuable resource.
