Refugees get to experience snowboarding and skiing in Ohio

CLEVELAND — If you’re from northeast Ohio, you’re probably used to the winter weather and snow. But some refugees who moved here from other parts of the world experienced it for the first time, and learned to enjoy it, thanks to a partnership with Alpine Valley Resort.

Mayada Zakaria is from Sudan and came to Cleveland almost 10 years ago to escape political unrest in her country.

“Technically, our dad brought us here. He’s been in America for like 13 years and thought this was a life he wanted for his family, so he brought us here,” she said.

Zakaria said she never experienced snow in her birth country, but she’s learning to enjoy it here, hitting the slopes for only the second time in her life.

“These are just my clothes that I changed right now. So we got gloves,” she said.

Corner 65, part of Resource Cleveland, helped bring around 20 kids to Alpine Valley Resort and taught them to snowboard. Becky Trout Ashenfelter, director at Resource Cleveland, said this was essential for their wellbeing.

“Keeping kids active and engaged after school makes a big difference for their mental health and also teaches them different valuable skills they can take on later in life,” she said.

Ashenfelter said experiences like this help kids who’ve never seen snow before acclimate to their new homes.

“That’s the whole point of our program is to welcome people into Cleveland, build community and build up their confidence. To me, that is what community is all about and I’m happy to be a small part of it,” she said.

Zakaria said she’s not just learning to snowboard, she’s learning life lessons

“It teaches you patience, confidence, and to be brave in what you do. If you make a mistake, you’ll crash into the woods or worse,” she said.