Share Winter only
provides grants
to non-profit ski
areas, youth serving
organizations and
public school programs
focused on snow sports
participation in the
long run.
for everything from programming
to snowmaking.
“We couldn’t do it without the support
of Share Winter,” Malliet said. “(The
foundation) provides resources to help
us to support the program-side to get
more kids there and to keep them coming
back.”
Partnerships in action
One thing that sets Share Winter apart
from other foundations is its collaborative
approach to grantee relationships.
Beverley says being open to learning allows
both organizations to benefit.
“We want to help people work within
their communities,” she said. “We listen,
we collaborate, we vet, we come to
plans together – there is no universal
way of doing things.”
SOS Outreach has been offering yearround
outdoor programming for at-risk
youth ages nine to 18 for the past 25
years. During the winter, it runs learn
to ski and snowboard mentorship programs
for about 4,500 kids in Chicago,
Minneapolis, Detroit and Park City
through a partnership with Vail Resorts.
The organization partners with
schools and youth agencies in those cities
to identify kids who aren’t on a path
to high school graduation for any number
of reasons. Participants start out
learning the technical skills of the sports
and then are paired with a mentor who
works with them on the mountain and
gets them involved in community outreach
through volunteerism.
“We’re able to take a traditional mentoring
relationship and accelerate it
because of the power of the outdoors,”
SOS Outreach Executive Director Seth
Ehrlich said. “It’s the most powerful
platform that exists.”
By the time they age out of the program,
the participants have gained
20 Jan/Feb 2019 | snowopsmag.com
/snowopsmag.com
