Viking Magazine - May 2015 - 35

Ski for Light Locations
2015: Granby, Colo.
2013: Bellaire, Mich.
2010: Provo, Utah
2007: North Conway, N.H.
2004: Green Bay, Wis.
1999: Anchorage, Alaska
1996: Spearfish, S.D.
1993: Brainerd, Minn.
1989: Bozeman, Mont.
1986: Duluth, Minn.
1980: Traverse City, Mich.
1975: Frisco, Colo.
Looking Ahead
The next Ski for Light
International Week will take
place from Jan. 24-31, 2016,
in Bellaire, Mich.
Learn more at sfl.org.
The week culminates in two events:
a 5K rally and a 10K timed race. " We
promote these events as opportunities
for disabled skiers and their guides
to celebrate their partnership and the
accomplishments of the week, " says
Ski for Light, Inc.'s current president,
Scott McCall. For the 2015 Ski for
Light week, he says the 10K race was a
particular highlight: " This year, seven of
the top 15 racers completed the course
within three minutes of one another! "
Notably, the 2015 Ski for Light, held
in Granby, Colo., was the organization's
40th anniversary year. " In recognition
of the occasion, we presented a Ski for
Light history minute at each evening's
dinner, " says McCall. " Individuals
who had attended a Ski for Light
event in each decade since the 1970s
told a story from that time. " McCall
adds that several pioneers from Ski for
Light's early days made it to the 2015
week too, including a participant who
attended the first ever Ski for Light in
1975, and a long-time guide who was
volunteering for his 37th consecutive
year.
A BRIGHT FUTURE
For McCall, who is blind himself, 2015
marked his 30th year participating as
a skier. Looking forward, he hopes
there will be many more years to
come. He says Ski for Light's future
goals are threefold: " To attract more
visually and mobility-impaired skiers
and volunteer guides, continue creating
an environment where the focus is on
ability, inclusion, and full participation
by all, and to expand our fundraising
efforts in order to sustain this one-of-akind
program. "
A long-term sponsor, McCall notes, is
Sons of Norway. " Since the first Ski for
Light event to today, financial assistance
continues to come from individuals,
lodges and the Sons of Norway
Foundation, " he says.
In recent years, nearly 100 lodges
have provided financial support to the
organization, says Sons of Norway
International President Jon Tehven.
" Sons of Norway is a proud partner
with Ski for Light, " Tehven says.
Many Ski for Light guides and
volunteers are Sons of Norway
members, including Erlene Stevenson
(Edmonds 2-130), who participated in
seven of the last 12 Ski for Light events.
Over the years, Stevenson says she
worked as an event volunteer, while her
late husband, Bob Stevenson, worked
as a guide. " Like Sons of Norway, Ski
for Light is a family, and a very unique
support group, " Stevenson says. " Their
motto is, 'If I can do this, I can do
anything!' This is a life lesson for
all of us. "
sonsofnorway.com VIKING MAY 2015 35
Watch This!
Check out an inspiring
six-minute video about the
organization, produced
during the 2013 Ski
for Light event held in
Michigan: vimeopro.com/
mynorthmedia/ski-for-light.
PHOTO BY JIM STEELE
http://www.sfl.org http://www.vimeopro.com/ http://www.sonsofnorway.com
Viking Magazine - May 2015

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