How an SOS Outreach graduate is working to grow opportunities for other alumni
As its initial grant funding runs out, the alumni program is finding its permanent footing at the nonprofit
SOS Outreach/Courtesy Photo
Since its start, SOS Outreach has worked with youth in grades 4-12 to introduce them to the outdoors and provide them with valuable life skills needed to unlock their potential. In recent years, however, the nonprofit organization has started to reach beyond high school and help support and provide opportunities for its alumni.
Now, SOS Outreach is doubling down on its alumni program by formalizing its full-time alumni liaison position.
Fernanda Landeros will continue to lead the alumni efforts in the liaison role. Landeros started with SOS in fourth grade at Beaver Creek and remained in the program until graduating high school. Throughout the eight years participating in SOS, Landeros was in the mentor program for five years and was a junior mentor herself for her final two years of high school.
“Throughout my time in the program, I learned many skills that I have been able to apply to college, my personal life, and my professional life. But the one that I deem to be the most impactful for me is the skill of communication,” Landeros said. “Through SOS, I learned how to grow out of my shell and talk to more people because as a kid, I was always sky and didn’t like talking to people. But, through SOS I have been able to grow past that and develop my communication skills.”
The position and the alumni program were initiated in 2019 thanks to a three-year award from AmeriCorps. The program started initially as a way to network and share career opportunities but has grown to find ways to engage SOS graduates year-round.
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When the award ended, the organization saw the program as valuable enough to expand it, and in November announced it would formally integrate the liaison position into its staff full-time.
“In just three years we have witnessed how integral this role is to our organization and the industry at large,” said Seth Ehrlich, the executive director of SOS Outreach, in a press release. “Mentorship does not stop when the program does. Our graduates need support beyond high school and we have the opportunity to foster those connections. Now, we have a dedicated person who they can turn to for questions or assistance as they pursue their next opportunity.”
Over the past three years, the alumni program and liaison role have grown with the goal of offering engagement and growth opportunities to SOS program graduates, Landeros said.
“The time after high school can be challenging for a young adult and we don’t want our support to stop there so we’ve been sharing career resources, jobs and scholarship opportunities with them and offering guidance along the way,” she said.
Within the last year, the program has hosted two alumni get-togethers — an on-snow ride day and a hike — offering alumni to come together and meet with their peers from different graduation years.
“We’ve also had older alumni connect with younger alumni who are interested in their career field to answer questions and share about how they got there. We’ve found that their connection over SOS has made these conversations less intimidating for our younger alumni,” Landeros said.
The success of the program thus far is seen in the sheer number of alumni who want to come back to SOS as volunteers or mentors.
“As of the 2022 to 2023 winter season, we have roughly 50 alumni as volunteers, mentors, board members and staff,” Landeros said.
SOS hopes to continue offering new opportunities for its graduates as it expands the program into the future.
“My hope for the future of the alumni program is to increase our number of alumni that are involved in any capacity and to continue to allow for these meaningful connections to happen and grow,” Landeros said. “As alumni move forward in their lives after the program, it is important to have a place for them to come back to and to support them through college and in the workforce.”
Landeros said that it is an honor to have the opportunity to advance the initiative, particularly as an alumna herself.
“It is so great to see how many alumni want to stay engaged in the organization in any way they can and I know it’s so inspiring for our current participants to be able to connect with alumni. It’s amazing to see these stories come full circle,” she said.
One way Landeros is hoping to grow is with the help of local businesses — either those with career opportunities or resources to support SOS Outreach’s alumni. For those local businesses interested in teaming with SOS, Landeros asks that you reach out at flanderos@sosoutreach.org.
