To read the featured article click the link below

http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20130106/NEWS/130109947/1077&ParentProfile=1058

Outdoor enthusiasts of all ages and ability levels are encouraged to tackle the 1,800-vertical-foot climb up Buttermilk Mountain. Anything goes for the race: snowshoes, stabilizers, telemark skis, or skinny skis. All participants are invited to the post-race celebration at the Cliffhouse for a pancake breakfast and prize giveaways.

To read the featured article click the link below

http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/home/155979

Responsibilities include:

• Assisting an instructor on a lesson
• Being a buddy for the day
• Skiing in a group setting during camp
• Some office administrative work required on occasion

Application deadline: Friday, August 31, 2012 – 12:00 am MDT (no late applications will be accepted)

http://www.challengeaspen.org/info/internships/

Adam Ross, a Challenge Aspen participant, carries his friend Oliver through the lazy river at the Aspen Recreation Center on June 25. The afternoon at the pool was part of the nonprofit’s Outdoor Adventure Camp last week.
Jill Beathard/Snowmass Sun

SNOWMASS VILLAGE — Snowmass Village resident Adam Ross has been participating in Challenge Aspen summer camps for many years. He doesn’t join in the winter camps, which focus around skiing, but he has developed a relationship with people at the nonprofit and has even taken a part-time job there, running errands and taking care of their mail.

“I come into the office a lot since I live in the Village,” Ross said. “(I’m a) frequent flier.”

The 27-year-old recently participated in the nonprofit’s Outdoor Adventure Camp, which is targeted toward people with cognitive disabilities, primarily autism, according to programs coordinator Sally Anne Harrell. Challenge Aspen will offer five nonmilitary camps this summer, all geared toward people with different needs — physical or cognitive disabilities — and interests, with outdoor camps as well as a music and dance camp.

Ross and the other participants in the Outdoor Adventure Camp took a Jeep tour with Blazing Adventures to the back side of Aspen Mountain on June 25, and spent the afternoon that day at the pool at the Aspen Recreation Center. Throughout the week, campers went hiking, rafting and rock climbing, as well as camping overnight at Wildness near Ruedi Reservoir.

Campers hailed from a variety of places, including the Roaring Fork Valley, Boulder and Texas.

“One of our biggest goals is to get more locals,” Harrell said, speaking particularly about downvalley residents.

Glenwood Springs resident Chris Guay participated in the camp, his first summer Challenge Aspen program to attend.

“It’s fun,” he said. “(There’s) different activities to do in the summertime.”

Guay also runs every day and plans to run in the 5K race at the Aspen Valley Marathon event July 7, part of the proceeds of which go to Challenge Aspen.

Guay and his girlfriend, Shannon, who he lives with in Glenwood Springs, will attend the Magic of Music and Dance Camp July 23 through 27. Campers will rehearse and perform “Mary Poppins” for the public at Basalt High School.

Starting at the end of July, Challenge Aspen will host a camp for teenagers ages 13 to 20 with any kind of disability.

The final camp for the summer, also the nonprofit’s newest camp, involves outdoor education and is targeted toward nonmilitary adults with physical disabilities, such as amputations.

“We realized how much we needed an adult camp,” Harrell said.

Challenge Aspen also offers several camps throughout the summer and winter for service members. The nonprofit is also taking a team of 15, five volunteers and 10 participants, to Iowa for the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, a 471.1-mile ride across the state, done in seven days in late July. The team will include five participants from the military program, according to a statement.
The nonprofit charges a fee for its camps in order to stay self-sustainable, Harrell said. However, scholarships are available and can be applied for online at www.challengeaspen.org.

jbeathard@snowmasssun.com

http://www.snowmasssun.com/article/20120704/NEWS/120709984/1064&ParentProfile=1039

2011.08.02.Challenge Aspen Vince Gill & Amy Grant Golf Classic Aspen Magazine – Images by Challenge Aspen

Aspen, Colo. (May 31, 2012) – Grammy® Award winners Vince Gill and Amy Grant, world renowned PGA Pro Fred Funk and the St. Regis Aspen are joining forces this summer to benefit Challenge Aspen, announcing the 9^th Annual Vince Gill and Amy Grant Golf Classic to be held July 30^th and 31^st, 2012 at the St. Regis Aspen and Aspen Golf Club. The annual gala evening and golf tournament supports Challenge Aspen’s mission of making possibilities for people with disabilities.

Vince and Amy will headline an evening complete with cocktails, live and silent auctions, dinner and an exclusive concert at the St. Regis Aspen on Monday, July 30^th. On Tuesday, July 31^st. They will be joined by event co-host and golf legend Fred Funk as they play the Aspen Golf Club, ranked 21^st Best U.S. Municipal Golf Course by Golfweek Magazine for 2009-2010.

The Original golfer’s package includes golf with PGA Tour Pros, celebrity friends and Challenge Aspen VIP disabled golfers, two tickets to the Monday night gala, personalized instruction from PGA Tour Pros, VIP gifts and complimentary food and beverages during all tournament functions. Cost is $2,000 per player or $8,000 per foursome. Individual gala seats are available for $750. Please contact Challenge Aspen for additional registration opportunities.

Challenge Aspen will be honoring women of the military as special guests of Challenge Aspen Military Opportunities (C.A.M.O.). Also recognized: Title Sponsors Dr. Michael Morykwas and Christine Thornton; Presenting Sponsors Tom and Molly Bedell; Honorary Chairs Jack and Donna Brittingham and Tom and Wendy DiVenere; and Auction Chairs Pamela Ross and Ken Grabow.

For more information and online registration, visit www.challengeaspen.org/golf, or contact MJ Wolfe Faas at 970-923-0578 or mj@challengeaspen.org.

About Challenge Aspen

Since 1995, Challenge Aspen has provided adaptive recreational and cultural opportunities to thousands of individuals with disabilities from around the world. Based in Snowmass Village, Colorado, Challenge Aspen is an internationally established charitable organization. As a leader and innovator in the adaptive recreation world, Challenge Aspen offers participants safe, expert instruction in an encouraging and educational environment. Challenge Aspen also provides outstanding summer therapeutic art and drama camps to children with physical and cognitive disabilities and creates adaptive wilderness experiences for veterans with disabilities. Critical partnerships with sponsors like Aspen Skiing Company, combined with the generous support of the Founders’ Circle, National Council members and annual fundraisers, provide the funding necessary for Challenge Aspen to empower all participants through its outdoor and cultural experiences, regardless of financial status. For more information, visit www.challengeaspen.org.

Find helpful guidelines for writing about disability at www.lsi.ku.edu/~lsi/aboutus/guidelines.shtml.

About Vince Gill and Amy Grant
Vince Gill has sold more than 26 million albums and earned 18 CMA Awards, including Entertainer of the Year in 1993 and 1994. He is a member of the Grand Ole Opry, with 20 Grammy® Awards to date (more than any male country music artist) and was inducted into the prestigious Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007. An avid golfer, Vince helped create the annual Vince Gill Pro-Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament (The Vinny) in 1993 in order to help support junior golf programs throughout Tennessee. Amy Grant earned her place as bestselling Christian music artist of all time, with over 30 million albums sold worldwide. She is best known for her Grammy® Award winning contemporary Christian and pop music, and recently received acclaim as a New York Times Best Selling author on her first try, Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far, which debuted at #25 on the New York Times Best Sellers List. As of 2007, Grant is a six-time Grammy® Award winner, 26-time Gospel Music Association Dove Award winner, a member of the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame and was honored in 2006 with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

About Fred Funk
Fred Funk is one of the most recognizable names and personalities in professional golf. He has both charmed and impressed galleries in a professional career spanning almost 20 years. Fred’s career boasts many victories, including a 2005 victory at what most golfers deem the toughest playing field in professional golf, The Players Championship. Fred is also proud to have been a member of the 2003 and 2005 President’s Cup, and the 2004 Ryder Cup. In addition, Fred is only the second player in PGA history to have won in both the regular and Senior PGA tours in the same year. Fred looks forward to continuing to play and remain competitive on both tours. Although he plays a very full schedule, he always finds time for charitable endeavors and speaking engagements.

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Download 2012.05.31.Vince Gill & Amy Grant Golf Press Release

Kennedy has volunteered with Chllenge Aspen, along with his son Cameron, since 2001. Challenge Aspen is an organization that makes possibilities for people with disabilities in Snowmass Village. Last year Kennedy initiated a fundraiser for the organization which sells benches in the base village of Snowmass Ski Area for $3,500 with the funds supporting Challenge Aspen.

Most benches are dedicate as a memorial with a custom plaque. To date, Challenge Aspen has raised $39,500 through the sale of 12 benches.

The Snowmass Rotary Club, of which Kennedy is a contributing member, has chosen to dedicate a bench in honor of his service to the community through Rotary and with Challenge Aspen.

The bench honoring Kennedy will be presented on March 28, following the weekly Rotary meeting.

Outdoor enthusiasts of all ages and ability levels are encouraged to tackle the 1,800-vertical-foot climb up Buttermilk Mountain. Anything goes for the race: snowshoes, stabilizers, telemark skis, skinny skis, or heavy metal. All participants are invited to the post-race celebration at the Cliffhouse for a $5 pancake breakfast and prize giveaways.