The beginning of another school year is here and everyone is fitting into their places. Coaches are on the football field with their team of boys. Teachers have their rooms ready and their curriculum prepared. The school’s administrators have updated their records. Lunchroom workers are preparing menus, janitors worked during the summer and are on duty, and bus drivers have memorized their routes.
Each person fits into their role and will participate in the child’s education, holding a sacred place in the community — influencing the hearts and minds of our children. What an awesome task they’ve been called to do. Some are on the front line; others are behind the scenes. It takes everyone to help a young child to find their place in the world of their dreams.
A picture of Al and Allison Wylie was emailed to me — Al in a Pagosa Springs High School letterman jacket and Allison in a Pagosa letterman sweater, given to them by the Pagosa Springs Athletic Booster Club. They were honored at the booster club meeting for their 17 years of service. In 2014, after their boys graduated, they stayed on to work with the program.
They started this journey when their two boys, Slade and Creede Wylie, were in middle school sports. As volunteer parents, they moved up and supported them during their high school years. Al and Allison were a big part of the booster club for the young athletes, and continued until they retired this year, 2025.
When people are passionate about something in their lives and share their gift with others, they usually are not aware of how important they are in another person’s life. They are doing what they love and others benefit.
As we dined with our children one evening, eight different young men came into the eating establishment. These young men have all grown up, gone to college and entered the work force, but they had not forgotten Al and Allison. With excitement in their eyes, with great warmth and appreciation, they stopped, hugged and talked together like old friends.
Al and Allison remembered each of these young men’s names. They watched them on the field, never missed a game. Al’s voice was louder than anyone’s as he cheered for the whole team. They worked the concession stands, and hung banners in the gym and on the fence along the football field.
That evening, I enjoyed watching the exchange among them. I remembered out-of-town trips to football games. The Wylies were up at four in the morning preparing burritos. When they dropped off their boys at the football field, there were 100 steaming hot breakfast burritos packed and ready to go for all the guys on the bus.
I heard my daughter say, “I couldn’t just send two burritos with my boys when I knew all the boys were hungry; many of them hadn’t eaten breakfast.”
Over their 17 years of service, they worked with the coaches, leaders, parents and others, all pouring love into the kids of this community. They were writing love on the kid’s hearts.
Al and Allison worked different positions with the booster club, Al mainly as secretary, Allison as president. They worked with others to make sure the athletes in all the sports had the best uniforms and sports equipment and the same advantage that the bigger schools offered.
The Wylies faced a hard decision when they decided to retire from the booster club. But there were already those who came along side to carry the ball for another generation. Just a note to encourage the next parents to stay in the fight for their kids — there are great rewards.
Final brushstroke: Teachers and leaders are giving young people a way to achieve their dreams. Don’t discount your influence in a child’s life. You might not see it until someone, with excitement in their eyes, remembers you years later and tells you how thankful they are that you were there for them.
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