Reflections on Joining Vitality

Very few times in our lives are we truly inspired to do something greater, not only for ourselves but for others. I feel like this is the first time in my life that this has happened. I have been greatly affected and inspired by the Vitality In Action Foundation and the amazing people that work for the foundation. I know that I will forever be touched and changed by this organization.

It all began when I was working at a restaurant in Arvada. Working as a server at a restaurant, you meet all kinds of people on a daily basis. Sometimes, people come in to simply enjoy a great meal with family and friends, while others come and try to strike up a personal conversation. Anjali Arnold, the Managing Director of the Adaptive Ice Skating Program for Vitality In Action, came into the restaurant one night and changed my life.



Anjali is a regular at the restaurant and is very close with all the staff. That night was the first time I had served Anjali and her husband. As I served their food, we began talking. I had just graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder a few weeks before meeting Anjali and began telling her about my hopes for the future. Like other students fresh out of college, I had no idea what I wanted to do. Graduation day snuck up on me. I remember it was one of the “best but worst” days of my life. It meant facing reality. I started looking for jobs, and although I had an idea in my head of what I wanted to do, I was still lost and confused. I knew that I wanted to use my Communication degree to work in the Health Communication field and to do something that would help others.

After hearing about my future aspirations and how I was struggling, Anjali started to tell me about this amazing organization that she works with called, Vitality In Action. Anjali began to explain the significance of her adaptive skating program and shared some of the stories of the people that she works with in the skating program. I was in complete awe after hearing the stories of the people who have overcome such huge mobility obstacles and are pushing every day to live a better life. I knew right then that fate had stepped in and that this was an organization that I had to be involved with. Anjali and I had an instant connection and I thought to myself “if there are others like her working with the Vitality In Action Foundation, I will absolutely love this job.”

After applying for the Communication Intern position online and going through interviews with Anjali and Zachariah, I received an extremely warm welcome into the Vitality In Action team. It was immediately evident that this organization was not only established to serve a great cause, but it is also composed of some extraordinary people. I met Rusty, the Founder and President of Vitality in Action my first day on the job with Anjali. Anjali and I stopped by his house to pick up some materials for the Vitality Fair and to introduce me personally to Rusty. I was a little nervous at first, as anyone is when they meet one of their bosses. But, when he walked out of his house with a stack of posters in his hands and greeted me with a huge smile on his face, I felt instantly at ease.

We all began working together on the upcoming Vitality Fair. Glen and I started on my second day with Vitality hitting the pavement to market the fair to the community. As a team we all worked hard together to get every piece of the Fair in order before the day arrived. It took a lot of hard work and dedication right off the bat, but I gained incredible experience and enjoyed every minute of it. I was also able to bond with Anjali, Rusty and Glen while we worked. I learned a little more about each of them and the amazing feats they have overcome to get to where they are today.

The Vitality Fair that took place July 30 at the Apex Center was a success! All of the hard work and planning that everyone put into it paid off in the end. The show was beautiful and visually communicated the mission of the Vitality In Action Foundation. People left the fair in wonder after seeing the show. I felt so proud to be part of it and to be a part of the organization.

My first few weeks working with Vitality have been so eye-opening and amazing that it is hard to think of what life will be like when my internship ends in December. I know even after my internship is completed, I will remain a part of the Vitality group. It really feels like it was fate the night I met Anjali because I feel like this is where I am meant to be. I feel very happy and very lucky to be where I am today, and even plan on learning how to ice skate. After watching the show at the Vitality Fair and seeing what Rusty and everyone else can do, I realize that I have no excuse not to get out on the ice and try it out for myself.

Looking towards the future, we have started to plan for the next event that will take place in December. The Vitality Fair in July was a great success and I only hope that the event in December will be even better so that people in the community are able to be part of the Vitality In Action Foundation mission. I am so happy and proud to be part of this organization and am looking forward to good things to come in the future.