Our Stories

The American Blind Skiing Foundation received a $525 grant to support its 2025 event at Alpine Valley, in Troy, WI for Chicago Lighthouse, which serves people who are blind, visually impaired, disabled, as well as veterans. 

The Chester Bowl Improvement Club received a $1,000 grant for its Girls Shred program at Chester Bowl, a municipally owned snowsports area operated by the Chester Bowl Improvement Club.

A $1,000 grant subsidized transportation to Crystal Mountain, Thompsonville, MI, provided by B.O.A.T. (Bus for Outdoor Access and Teaching), a Milwaukee-based nonprofit. In total, 16 students, six teachers, plus individuals from local outdoor-oriented nonprofits departed from Hamtramck High School for a three-day trip with two days on snow.

Leland Gliders Ski Club in rural Michigan received a $1,000 grant to purchase cross country ski equipment. The club is an after-school program founded by Leland Public School teacher Karen Kirt, a PSIA Level 3 Certified Nordic instructor and Children’s Specialist Level 1.

Lincoln Park High School received a $700 grant to bring 25 students to Mount Brighton Resort in Brighton, MI for a day of skiing. The grant paid for transportation and lockers, enabling an affordable experience for participants from a school where 79 percent of the student body is economically disadvantaged.

Midwest Adaptive received a $1,000 grant to support a group of students from a school in Seneca, KS to take a field trip to Snow Creek Ski Area, Weston, MO, in January 2025. Without the grant many students would not have been able to attend.

Munson Healthcare Foundations received a $1,000 grant for its Chill Out for Winter Safety program. The foundations distributed 327 helmets in January 2025 and also held helmet safety programs at schools and ski clubs throughout the Traverse City area.  Munson Healthcare Foundations also established a Helmet Loaner Program at Holiday Hills, Traverse City, MI.

University Prep Academy, a nonprofit charter school serving disadvantaged and underrepresented youth in Detroit, received a $1,000 grant for transportation so the high school students could participate in a five-session SOS Outreach program at Mt. Brighton, Brighton, MI.

Greta Bortscheller, who teaches at Buck Hill, Burnsville, MN attended the Alpine National Academy, April 13-18, at Big Sky, Montana.

Abigail Matone, an instructor at Perfect North Slopes, Lawrenceberg, IN, attended the Rider Rally held April 21-24 at Copper Mountain, CO.

Boardslide Mission a nonprofit dedicated to enriching the lives of historically marginalized (black/indigenous/people of color, girls, LGBTQ+) communities through snowsports, received $750 to support its 2023-24 Winter Camp for All at The Rock Snowpark in Milwaukee.

A $500 grant supported the Chill Out for Winter Safety program provided by Munsen Healthcare Foundation, Traverse City, MI. Winter safety was the topic at six Helmet Clinics held throughout northern Michigan.

St. Francis DeSales High School, Columbus, Ohio, received $1,500 to offset participation costs for two scholarship students. The club has more than 66 members. About 20 were first- and second-year participants.

Grant recipient SOS Outreach is a Colorado-based nonprofit that works with Vail Resorts to introduce snowsports to at-risk youth by providing lift tickets, lessons, clothing and gear, and meals. An ASEA-CEF grant of $500 helped support an end-of-year party for mentors and participants to celebrate their achievements.

Adaptive Adventures, serving children and adolescents with disabilities in Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin, received $1,000 for programs held weekly at Wilmot Mountain in Wisconsin.

The Bellaire Youth Initiative (BYI), a non-profit organization offering after school opportunities, in Bellaire, Mi, received a $1,000 grant that allowed
Bellaire Middle School students to enjoy a snowy day on the slopes of Schuss Mountain.

Boardslide Mission received a $1,000 grant for Boardslide’s Inaugural Winter Camp for All at The Rock Snowpark in Milwaukee, WI.

Hamtramck High School received a $1,000 grant to support a trip for students from Metro Detroit to a destination snowsports resort, Crystal Mountain.

The Loppet Foundation received a $1,000 grant to purchase equipment for its Minne-Loppet program, offered free to 1,000 fourth and fifth graders attending 10 schools in the North Minneapolis area.

Watch the video to see the impact of the foundation’s work!

We can’t wait to help even more grantees next season!

Crystal Community Ski Club, of Thompsonville MI, received a $2,000 grant, which funded three programs involving more than 100 young people.

Leland Gliders Nordic Club in Leland, MI received a $1,000 grant to purchase five junior cross country ski equipment packages.

Midwest Adaptive Sports, of Weston, MO, received a $700 grant for its winter sports programs.

Sagawau Environmental Learning Center in Lemont, IL, part of the Cook County Forest Preserve District, received a $500 grant for a day of Nordic skiing.