Katie O'Leary Celebrates her 1 Year work anniversary as the search begins for a Newburgh-based program coordinator.Katie O'Leary talked with me recently about her tenure at Beautiful People and what it means to her to be part of this team. Happy one-year Katie! Our Program Coordinator, Katie O'Leary, has been a part of Beautiful People since 2010. She started by assisting the Miracle League baseball teams and her passion for Special Education was ignited by that experience. She pursued her degree, earning her Master of Science in Special Education, and has been dedicated to our cause ever since. She knew she had to apply when she came across a new opportunity to work for Beautiful People in 2023. She was delighted to be selected for the program coordinator position. Being with the Beautiful People athletes is a highlight for Katie. Her role also encompasses communication, social media, volunteer, and site coordination on non-program days. She is excellent at inspiring volunteers. Her photography skills are an asset at work; she captures the essence of our community through her spirited lens on game days. Beautiful People Adaptive Sports has a transformative power that Katie has witnessed firsthand. It has profoundly changed the lives of countless athletes and volunteers for the better. "I always tell (volunteers) the point of BP is to break out of your comfort zone. No one will walk in with 100% confidence, but you get much more out of volunteering than you give." She enjoys seeing the volunteers enthusiastically return once they realize how incredible it is to work with BP athletes. "When you work with these athletes, you become excited and understand yourself. You learn to be patient and that it's not as big a deal as you may think it is. We're a family, and you'll want to keep coming back for years." Katie's BP adventure is just one of many that shows Beautiful People is a place to return to year after year, an accomplishment that reflects a culture that celebrates community. If you are interested in joining the Beautiful People team, check out our Program Coordinator opening. The position will be based in Newburgh and complement our efforts towards county-wide expansion.
4 Comments
We have really big news. Like really big. And we can't share just yet. So close! So, for now, our spring sports registration is OPEN and those sign -up pages are a hot commodity! Be sure to register by March 29th to ensure you get your specially made baseball jersey. We also have scholarships for New Windsor baseball thanks to a grant from the Orange County Youth Bureau - so if you're not sure if it's for you, sign up and give it a try! Contact me for more information, all inquiries will be kept confidential. Coaches (training is available) and buddies are needed! Thanks to many of you who have already sign up to help - including Coach Andi K. from Beacon Varsity Cheer. Andi wrote: "I am SO excited to begin! I think the program is absolutely amazing and am grateful to be a part of it." Look for our New Windsor cheer announcement this week! And, there's much more to come in 2024! Our volunteers make BP the incredible place that it is. Buddies range from teenagers (age 12+) to helpful, friendly adults who work with our athletes on the field, court, and wherever they are to provide assistance and encouragement. The matching of buddies to athletes creates an inclusive setting that promotes acceptance and compassion. Our buddies are one of the best things we have going! Yes, sometimes parents work with their kids instead, and that's okay, too! Just as we invest in things that enrich our lives, volunteering offers its own rewards. It's about more than just lending a hand; it's about embracing new experiences, finding purpose, and true friendships. "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart." IYKYK! New to BP? Not sure how to proceed? Our simple online form will expedite the process. We provide convenient training sessions to equip volunteers with the knowledge and skills needed to make a difference. Joining our community is easy: sign up, attend a zoom training, and become part of something truly special. Support is always available whether you're a seasoned volunteer or just starting out. Together, we're weaving a tapestry of impact in Orange County, giving back to our communities and uplifting those in need. Reach out to us today to learn more about how you can get involved. Every volunteer hour counts, every act of kindness matters. Together, we can fulfill the mission to build a bridge between children with disabilities and their families and the broader community. I often contemplate the myriad of hardships lined up like billboards in the lives of people on this journey called life. Circumstances, diagnoses, unforeseen challenges, invisible obstacles, intersectionality, there are so many factors pulling at us on any given day. Our individual journeys are vast and varied and trying to imagine someone else's experience invites in empathy. It also takes time. Like so many complex issues, special needs caregiving is a space all its own. It comes with many different names, phrases, needs and challenges. Enduring all of that can be isolating. The idea that we're all in this together was commonly referenced during the pandemic. It reminded us that what we did and did not do as a society, neighbors and humans had a veritable impact on other people's lives. Knowing the condition that is isolation with this level of intimacy serves us. Now we know that it's in the ways we come together, in whatever capacity we can, that we find strength and healing. In that way, we are more than a program, we are a community. Beautiful People Adaptive Sports is a stunning turf field in Warwick, a court at BOCES, a multipurpose room at the Newburgh JCC, a grassy field in New Windsor, the dome at Hudson Sports Complex, the indoor field at Newburgh Armory, a bustling bowling alley in Middletown and Warwick, the stables at Winslow Theraputic Riding - partnership-based sites where we all can come together. To enter our program at any of these locations is to walk across a bridge, as our founders imagined, and find yourself surrounded in a space that is joyful, welcoming, accepting and inclusive. We come together as athletes, families and volunteers from different areas of the region and for our own individual reasons. What we find when we arrive is strength in ways we didn't know we had and healing we didn't know we needed. Yours in Community, Stefanie Kostenblatt, Executive Director We all make mistakes. When things don't go exactly right in the parenting department, I apologize to my children. I want them to know that no one is perfect and that is OK. I usually say, 'Mommy is still learning how to (fill in the blank).' or I model calming breaths and invite them to try. I want them to know we don't have to have it all figured out today.
I want them to know, I'm still learning. Aren't we all? One term in particular within the disability community references this so well. Inchstones are the gradual and intermittent accomplishments within the broader frame of developmental achievements as opposed to milestones which are larger targets. This term is not discoverable in an official dictionary. It's powerful nonetheless, and for parents who are watching for small changes and progress, inchstones are exciting. It can look like pronouncing a sound that has been hard to come by or a change in how a pencil is grasped. In physical education it might be standing on one foot a few seconds longer or letting go of a hand that was needed for balance. It's learning to cross a ball on the field without a prompt. The in between moments deserve to be recognized. It's OK if you didn't do this thing yet, look what you can do! Each small step towards individual goals is marked with cheers and celebrations as a milestone might be. Children with disabilities are working exceptionally hard at accomplishing what others might find easy. The varying degrees of difficulty are tied to each student's diagnosis and specific goal plans. Each of these, no matter how large or small, is a wonder to behold, and we celebrate our children as their hard work and dedication result in inchstones. I'm declaring Inchstones the word of the year for 2024 and we will be there watching for these moments and working with you to help achieve these exciting goals for your athletes all year long! See you in 2024!!! Stepping into the Executive Director position at the beloved adaptive sports organization Beautiful People has been exhilarating! In my inaugural month, I reflected on the history of Beautiful People and pondered the question: What is beautiful? Katie O'Leary, our program coordinator extraordinaire, and I met to discuss the challenges and successes of the last six months. Jan Brunkhorst filled me in on her tenure and Mary Williams walked me through the previous four years filled with the hard work and dedication of so many. The high-energy and well-established people component of Beautiful People is so evident and poignant. We are a core community represented (this past year in particular) by 200 volunteers, ten coaches, and hundreds of athletes participating with a raging river of joy running through it all. Further, I contemplated: What is beautiful? I have never seen beauty as clearly as I do from this perch. The beauty of volunteers standing at the check-in on a frigid Sunday morning, smiling at each friend and athlete as they enter the field. The tenacity of our coaches, standing close by and at the ready and family members and fans excitedly watching from the sidelines. The whole room fills with joy when our cheerleaders raise their pom poms with ear-to-ear smiles, and our Board members walk through the event corridors with pride as they relish in all the hard work and achievements. As 2023 nears an end, the definition is crystal clear. Every person who joins the effort—each giving in the ways of their time, talent, dollars, and energy- brings something beautiful. The hard work our athletes put forward every practice, the friendships that have formed over the years, and the community brewing in every corner of the county (with some traveling great distances to be together) are a sight to behold. Thank you for the warm welcome and the shared history, thoughts, and ideas to date. I am so excited about the work we will do together. It's an honor to be here standing next to you. And, if no one told you today, you are beautiful. Warmly, Stefanie Kostenblatt, Executive Director Phone Number: 845-401-7576 |
AuthorStefanie Kostenblatt, Executive Director Archives
March 2024
Categories |