Difference Maker: Lydia Eger

By Nick Krishnan: Marketing and Events Manager

For many people, finding a job that allows them to pay their bills is all they can ask for in their careers.  If we’re lucky, we might find a career that allows us to work in a field that we’re passions about.  For a fortunate few, their career not only aligns with their passions, but is a perfect fit for who they are as a person, in short, it’s where they belong.  This sentiment holds true for Lydia Eger, the Eagle County Program Manager for SOS Outreach.

Like many others, Lydia moved to Eagle County in 2024 in search of mountains, rivers and a multitude of outdoor activities our valley has to offer.  Born and raised in the bay area of California, Lydia began skiing at five years old, when her family would drive up to Tahoe.  After high school, Lydia moved to the Netherlands to study pre-law and art history at Utrecht University. 

Upon completion of her degree, Lydia moved to Eagle County, looking to ski as much as possible.  In her pursuit of the ski bum lifestyle, Lydia found a job with SOS Outreach, where her passion for skiing opened up an opportunity for her to have a positive impact on hundreds of local kids.

Lydia’s role with SOS Outreach consists of coordinating the logistics of acquiring ski passes and planning ski days for participants with Vail Resorts, communicating with parents and managing the mentors that take the kids skiing and snowboarding.  While all of these functions are critical to SOS Outreach’s work in Eagle County, Lydia truly shines the most when she’s directly interacting with the kids that are a part of SOS Outreach’s mentorship program.

Lydia has the unique ability to be able to communicate with kids on their level while allowing them to voice their own opinions.  In a world where kids are often told where to be and what to do by a variety of adults in their lives, Lydia gives SOS participants the opportunity to have their voices heard and help determine what their programming will look like.  What’s most important in these situations is that Lydia has earned the trust of these kids, they not only feel comfortable telling her their opinions, but they also have faith that she will incorporate their feedback when making future decisions.

In talking to Lydia about her motivation for working for SOS Outreach, it’s clear there’s a lot more to it than just skiing and a free pass.  Lydia recognizes the wealth disparities that are a part of the landscape of Eagle County and wants to do what she can to ensure that “local kids have the same access to outdoor opportunities as adults who move here”.

Lydia’s passion for the outdoors, working with kids and her recognition of inequities with the vision create change make Lydia the perfect person for her role at SOS Outreach, she’s a true Difference Maker and the Eagle County community is lucky to have her.