The Daily - January 31, 2020 - 65

S P O N S O R E D CO N T E N T

Investing in the Next Generation

Vail Resorts announces a major charitable initiative to get underserved
youth on the mountain. By Tracy Ross
IN 2019, VAIL RESORTS ADDED 17 SKI

areas to its portfolio near major urban
centers across the U.S. Now, it's harnessing this new reach to get underserved kids on the slopes. From New
York City to Cleveland to Seattle, Vail
Resorts' new youth access initiative
will focus on launching programs at
more than a dozen resorts. This is an
expansion of the company's current
efforts. For years, Vail Resorts has
worked with nonprofit partners like
SOS Outreach to engage underserved
youth at many of its resorts, including
those in Colorado, Utah, and Tahoe.
Backed by a $10 million donation
from Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz
and his wife, Elana Amsterdam, the
company plans to get the new programs up and running by next season.
The Daily talked with Nicky DeFord,
Vail Resorts' director of community
investment, for insights on why these
efforts are so important.
Why is it so important to get kids
outside and why is Vail Resorts
making this investment?
You see a difference the moment a kid
connects with the outdoors. It's powerful.
Even if it's just for a day, it can change
her perspective of the world. It's important to our company-and for our indus-

FROM TOP: COURTESY VAIL RESORTS, SOS OUTREACH

Founded on Vail Mountain, SOS
Outreach is entering its 26th year
of partnership with Vail Resorts.

Park City Mountain Resort

try-that we broaden engagement in our
sport and inspire the next generation of
skiers and riders. What we've learned,
however, is that there are some pretty
big barriers to getting underserved kids
on snow. As a mountain resort company
with 34 resorts in North America, we are
uniquely positioned to provide kids and
teens with these experiences. Across Vail
Resorts, we've committed to providing
free lift tickets, ski school, equipment
rentals, and other services to local nonprofits who are working with us to bring
these programs to life.

But these programs are more
than just free on-mountain access.
What role do the nonprofits play?
We believe it's so important to partner
with youth organizations that are passionate about the benefits of getting kids
outside. Together with the on-mountain
access we provide, these organizations
provide youth mentorship, which creates
a one-of-a-kind, enriching experience.
In addition to expanding our current
programs, this initiative involves launching new ones. Our CEO, Rob Katz,
is providing a significant amount of
funding to these nonprofits to help with
transportation, gear, and other needs
necessary to run successful programs.
What impact do you hope to have?
Our goal is to have a significant impact
quickly. By next season, we plan to
have a program in place at each of our
resorts, expanding those we currently
have and launching new ones at our
resorts to serve youth in Baltimore,

Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, Minneapolis-St. Paul, the greater
New York City area, Philadelphia,
Seattle, Washington, D.C., and Whistler. We expect to double the more than
$5 million per year that we currently
donate through in-kind charitable
contributions so that we can grow the
number of underserved kids we reach
from 4,500 to 10,000 annually.
How can people and
organizations get involved?
We look forward to working closely
with many of our existing partners,
including SOS Outreach, as well as
other organizations already focused in
this area to truly make a difference in
the lives of kids and teens, and within
the sport itself. We're currently in the
process of identifying nonprofit partners in key regions. Organizations that
work with underserved youth should
reach out to info@katzamsterdam.org for
more information.

The Daily - January 31, 2020

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