2023: Year In Review
Season’s greetings! Let’s rewind and reflect on Rise On Ice’s journey throughout the year as 2023 comes to a close.
Celebrating Our Work
Over the course of 2023, Rise On Ice team members have been busy, coming together to organize many events revolving around our values of community, equality, and guidance.
Special Olympics Maryland (SOMD) Donation Drive: Collecting 'gently used' skating equipment supported dozens of local figure skaters under SOMD.
SOMD Skate-A-Thon Bake Sale: Rise On Ice hosted a delicious bake sale during the Special Olympics Skate-A-Thon event. Over $400 was raised and donated.
Stretching Sessions: Five stretching sessions were hosted over the summer. Skaters came together to demonstrate their routines, stretch, and chat.
Rise On Ice Aspiring Skater’s Scholarship: Our first scholarship made its exciting debut this year. Sponsored by GiantClean Products, an award of $500 will be given to help offset skating expenses like lessons, equipment, or travel fees.
Diversify Ice Bake Sale: We hosted yet another bake sale to support the Diversify Ice Foundation. Over $500 was raised to donate and support competitive minorities in figure skating.
Blogs: Rise On Ice published blogs from multiple writers to provide insight into the lives of figure skaters and firsthand guidance about the sport.
Celebrating The Community
Everything we did this year centered around an overarching goal: supporting aspiring figure skaters. This mission drove us to connect and engage with the vibrant community of skaters.
Rise On Ice to Figure Skaters
Rise On Ice consistently connected with figure skaters through our events. The donation drive and bake sales allowed us to meet many skaters, helping us understand their aspirations and challenges. Our stretching sessions provided a unique way for our team to connect with those who joined, whether it was providing guidance through stretching routines or just having fun chatting. Furthermore, many of our team members volunteered and helped out with Special Olympics Maryland at their practices, fostering meaningful bonds through lessons and guidance.
Rise On Ice to Other Organizations
In addition, we worked alongside other organizations. Through communication, reaching out, and collaboration, we were able to lend support and achieve shared goals. We partnered with Special Olympics Maryland to set up a bake sale and organize a donation drive. We connected with Diversify Ice to donate profits from a bake sale. Moreover, we secured a sponsorship from GiantClean Products for our scholarship.
Rise On Ice to Rise On Ice
Not only did we connect with those around us, Rise On Ice team members also fostered closer bonds with one another. Our shared values and experiences bring about a sense of unity. This year, we have grown closer not only as we worked alongside each other through countless meetings, but also as we gathered to celebrate our accomplishments.
Celebrating growth and learning
Taking It Personally - a note from co-president Emily Zhu
I am proud of everything Rise On Ice has accomplished this year. Writing this blog has allowed me to reflect and recognize the significance of our efforts. It has also made me realize the lessons I have learned through our work.
This year has taught me a lot. I learned how to reach out to others without any hesitation. I learned how to reach out to my team with ease. I now understand I can seek assistance from a team member whenever help is needed. I know that I can share ideas with them whenever there is inspiration. What I learned also extends to connecting with those around us. I gained the confidence to ask people for donations, reach out to local rinks to help advertise our scholarship, seek advice from coaches, and contact other organizations.
Our journey this year was marked by new ambitions with lots of growth along the way. It has been a fun and fulfilling experience, and we hope to build upon this in 2024. Thank you to everyone for your support. Cheers!
