What is Beautiful?

Stepping into the Executive Director position at the beloved adaptive sports organization Beautiful People has been exhilarating! In my inaugural month, I reflected on the history of Beautiful People and pondered the question: What is beautiful?

Katie O'Leary, our program coordinator extraordinaire, and I met to discuss the challenges and successes of the last six months. Jan Brunkhorst filled me in on her tenure and Mary Williams walked me through the previous four years filled with the hard work and dedication of so many. The high-energy and well-established people component of Beautiful People is so evident and poignant. We are a core community represented (this past year in particular) by 200 volunteers, ten coaches, and hundreds of athletes participating with a raging river of joy running through it all. 

Further, I contemplated: What is beautiful? 

I have never seen beauty as clearly as I do from this perch. The beauty of volunteers standing at the check-in on a frigid Sunday morning, smiling at each friend and athlete as they enter the field. The tenacity of our coaches, standing close by and at the ready and family members and fans excitedly watching from the sidelines. The whole room fills with joy when our cheerleaders raise their pom poms with ear-to-ear smiles, and our Board members walk through the event corridors with pride as they relish in all the hard work and achievements. 

As 2023 nears an end, the definition is crystal clear. Every person who joins the effort—each giving in the ways of their time, talent, dollars, and energy- brings something beautiful. The hard work our athletes put forward every practice, the friendships that have formed over the years, and the community brewing in every corner of the county (with some traveling great distances to be together) are a sight to behold.

Thank you for the warm welcome and the shared history, thoughts, and ideas to date. I am so excited about the work we will do together. It's an honor to be here standing next to you. 

And, if no one told you today, you are beautiful. 
​
Warmly, 

Stefanie Kostenblatt, Executive Director
Phone Number: 845-401-7576

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