Kate Weihe
OPERATIONS MANAGER/VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
kate@svasp.org
208.726.9298 x112
Kate Weihe is the Higher Ground program manager and volunteer coordinator for Sun Valley Adaptive Sports.
Since her volunteering days growing up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Kate has recognized the need and importance of community service. Her participation with local underprivileged youth centers, church school groups, and community dance programs, helped her to realize the positive effects that result from leading an active lifestyle while embracing community support.
While attending Davidson College in North Carolina, Kate volunteered her time tutoring local children with disabilities and being a member of the colleges dance ensemble. She also spent a semester studying Spanish language and culture while living in Valencia, Spain, and studying at La Universidad de Valencia. She graduated in 2004 from Davidson College with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology.
In her first couple years after college, Kate pursued many interests, most in the capacity of working with children, and working as an advocate for them. While living in Charlotte, North Carolina, she volunteered with Charlotte Reads, a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness about, and guiding energies toward, assisting those considered functionally illiterate in Charlotte-Mecklenburg County. She assisted specifically with the Faith in Literacy campaign, a partnership with the Mecklenburg County Library to provide an opportunity for faith organizations to get involved in the efforts to elevate low literacy.
In 2006, Kate made her way back to the Wood River Valley to pursue her occupational interests, while following her inner yearning for the great outdoors, and her love of Ketchum, Idaho in particular. She took a position with the Blaine County School District as a paraprofessional with the Dual Immersion program, introducing and teaching the school curriculum in both the English and Spanish languages. There she also spearheaded efforts for an after-school study program, open to any interested students for a cost-free after-school alternative.
Kate started working with SVAS in June 2008. Within a year, she increased the number of active volunteers from 150 to more than 300 by rebuilding the organizations volunteer program. With exceptional organization and communication skills, she was quickly promoted to Higher Ground Program manager.
As Higher Ground program manager, Kate and a team of SVAS recreational therapists have led the adaptive sports industry in developing one of the most respected, effective and therapeutic sports and recreation programs in the nation for injured veterans. Under her management, the program has made a number of key structural, technological, and programmatic changes to improve efficacy, resulting in more effective outcomes and a more meaningful and lasting impact on wounded service members. Many of Kates methods are being documented as best practices and will eventually be shared with other organizations and agencies helping to improve the quality of the industries serving injured veterans.
Kate utilizes her extensive dance background to teach tap and ballet classes in the area. She teaches three classes a week to four- to eight- year old aspiring dancers. She embraces all opportunities to get outside to hike, run, mountain bike, ski, and camp, among other activities. Kate also enjoys any opportunities to travel, although staying in beautiful Sun Valley, Idaho serves her perfectly!
