Saturday, July 23rd to 25th, 2011
Hello Friends and Family of Tom and Hilary,
Many of you were generous to support us in the Sierra Cycle Challenge last year with Sarah, Matt, and Michaela. Well --- Hilary and I are going to do it again!!
Our update on Mammoth and Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra is that we lived a full 6 months in Mammoth this winter enjoying the 54 feet of snow that fell from November through May. Between the two of us, we volunteered over 300 hours in Alpine and Nordic activities of the disabled sports program. We personally provided great experiences for dozens of disabled children and adults.
Overall, the program provided over 3000 ski lessons through the winter to students with cognitive and physical disabilities - 50% of which were provided at no charge through the support of donations to the program. Special programs included two Wounded Warrior weeks, Nordic race clinics, Ski PE for the local school districts, Mono-ski Madness clinic for paraplegics, Junior Race clinics, a biathlon, a "Springtacular" week for 60 students in April, and numerous other targeted activities.
I (Tom) passed the exam in May to become certified by the U. S. Professional Ski Instructors Association in Alpine and Adaptive (disabled) skiing - maybe this is a second career for me!! In between we both spent many days enjoying the snow while Alpine and Nordic skiing, dog walking, getting to know a lot more people in Mammoth, and becoming more committed to the disabled sports program.
This summer we are again participating in the Sierra Cycle Challenge fund raising ride of 150 miles with vertical climbing of over 8000'. It is a ride like no other! I should note that virtually 100% of contributions go straight to the disabled sports program - the minimal support resources associated with the bike ride are almost all donated by volunteers/individuals, non-profit organizations, and businesses in Mammoth Lakes. Last year the bike ride contributed over $40,000 to disabled sports, and our team contributed over $7000 of that through contributions from you and others.
Outdoor challenges change lives, and Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra is doing just that through their year-round program of winter and summer sports for athletes with physical and cognitive disabilities. The freedom and exhilaration that is felt after skiing the top of a mountain, cycling over a rugged pass or catching a Sierra trout is unrivaled!
We need your help! The funds we raise for The Sierra Cycle Challenge go directly toward supporting students with individualized instruction and adaptive equipment, so they can enjoy the same sports that you do. Your donations will allow an autistic student to take his or her first runs down Mammoth Mountain or a Wounded Warrior from the Iraq/Afghan war to remember that life is still worth living.
For our team of the two of us, Hilary and I have a goal to raise $4,000 this year. Please help us reach the goal with a tax-deductible donation to Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra. We will be climbing our way through the Eastern Sierra for three days and thinking gratefully of all our supporters along the way!
Day One: Mammoth Lakes to Benton Hot Springs: 55 miles, 1,500 ft. elevation gain!
Day Two: Benton Hot Springs to Grant Lake: 60 miles, 3,600 ft. elevation gain!
Day Three: Grant Lake to Mammoth Lakes: 35 miles, 2,900 ft. elevation gain!
A donation of any amount is appreciated. Even if you decide not to make a donation, a note to one of us wishing us well would also be great (tom.schroeder@alum.mit.edu, hilaryks@pacbell.net)
Many thanks to you either way.
DSES accepts checks through the mail, and credit cards online or over the phone.
For online donations, to sponsor Hilary and Tom, make a donation from this site.
If you send a contribution directly to DSES directly, indicate it is to support Tom and Hilary’s ride:
Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra
P.O. Box 7275, 1 Minaret Road
Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546
760.934.0791
For more general information about the Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra program, go to
www.disabledsportseasternsierra.org
Thank you so much for your support!
Tom and Hilary