I've volunteered with them for many years because of the people - students, families, volunteers and staff. People who were all working together for a common and important purpose. During the height of COVID, everyone pivoted so we could keep working on our mission as safely as possible. We came out the other side with a better program too.
Vermont Adaptive has the staff, training, equipment and volunteers to provide top-notch lessons and activities for people with almost any disability. Please consider taking a lesson, volunteering or donating.
Previous Stories
I've been a volunteer with Vermont Adaptive for decades and it just keeps getting better. They offer fun, education and safe (as possible) active programs in the outdoors. Vermont Adaptive's primary focus is on the client, those who want a great outdoor experience with support for their disabilities. But the staff also highly values and supports their volunteers and supporters - providing training, encouragement and support. They even did a great pivot when COVID messed everything up. Some of my best friends are current and past volunteers and clients. Their fundraising events are also a ton of fun for participants and volunteers.
I have volunteered with VT Adaptive for 14 years in both the summer and winter programs. It is fun and rewarding to be part of an organization dedicated to assisting adaptive athletes to participate in sports and outdoor activities. VT Adaptive really lives up to its motto of "Sports For Every Body". It also does a great job supporting its volunteer staff as proven by how many of us return year after year
Interned here last year and loved it so I have come back to volunteer. The environment is so positive and welcoming and I love being able to engage with everyone.
Many years of volunteering have helped me qualified to say this is a great nonprofit organization. Now retired I volunteer in the summer and winter with VT Adaptive and find it the perfect retirement job. I surround myself with positive individuals, get some exercise, and am able to help clients enjoy my loves…biking, kayaking, and skiing.
Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports is an inclusive organization dedicated to serving their athletes. As a new volunteer I have felt welcomed and included immediately. Their in person and online training is top notch.
Vermont Adaptive impacts hundreds of athletes over thousands of outings annually — all this impact with a dedicated and lean staff. The organization and its employees are committed to its vision and exemplifies what a non profit should be in words and actions.
Absolutely wonderful program! The Volunteers who make the program possible are some of the most kind and talented individuals, I had an overall amazing experience working with the Vermont Adaptive Program.
Such an amazing program that goes above and beyond to help those with disabilities learn to ski. The volunteers really made a difference to teach my daughter to ski.
I have been volunteering with Vermont Adaptive for 31 years. Over that time the program has greatly expanded offering actiivities year round. I have watched many of our participates grow up and some have become volunteers themselves . Vermont Adaptive has opened up so many oportunities for individuals with disabilities. The community is like family. I look forward to each oportunity to help out.
As a volunteer ski instructor and board member I have had the opportunity to see first hand how this organization impacts the lives of everyone involved. The Vermont adaptive community brings people together to enjoy the outdoors in impact the lives of everyone involved.
Previous Stories
I have been a volunteer with Vermont Adaptive for over 10 years. When I first started with the organization, I was unsure of what to expect. I quickly learned that it is more than just going out for a day here and there to volunteer. It is a community that supports each other in every way. Days on the ski slope or on the mountain bike trail are enjoyable for everyone involved. Working together to overcome new challenges is always rewarding.
After 5 years as a volunteer, my involvement shifted to joining the board. It has been an incredible experience to help the organization grow to even more into one of the most recognized adaptive sports organizations in the country.
I LOVE Vermont Adaptive! The staff is all so friendly, and all the equipment is wonderful and very well taken care of!
How many ways can a person say that this is a wonderful organization that offers amazing opportunities to EVERYbody with disabilities. I started volunteering about 15 years ago and I have to say that what I get from the program feels like it's more than I give. I started volunteering at Sugarbush and over the years have also been at summer bike and boating lessons and special events. It's skiing, it's sports, it's the dance party at VT Special Olympics, fun with partner organizations and it's everyone enjoying amazing time together.
I want to share my story with vermont adaptive. I visited vermont in the fall of 2021. The program helped me get back into mtn biking and inspired me to get back into the outdoors. It was so great I came to visit in the summer of 2022 and I have come back again in the winter of 2023. These folks are inspiring and down to earth.
Vermont Adaptive Testimonial Fall, 2023
Our involvement as a VASS family began 17 years ago on a cold, snowy day at Mt. Ellen. It was our daughter’s Erin's first time skiing and the weather couldn’t have been worse: wind- driven snow and the temperature around 15 degrees. It didn’t help that the snow guns were blasting away on the GMX chair, making our ride up the mountain even colder. Erin’s two hour lesson in a bi-ski with our volunteer, Will, was wonderful, and when we stopped at the end of the lesson to go in as Erin had frozen eyebrows, she emphatically shook her head “no” with a big smile on her face when she was asked if she was ready to go in and warm up. She was hooked! Since that amazing day so long ago, our family has gone on to become VASS volunteers, we ski at different mountains as a family with our own bi-ski, and Erin is involved with VASS year-round with cycling and water programs. This organization finds a way to assist everyone to enjoy the fun and experience success with all facets of outdoor recreation in so many different ways, meeting the unique needs of participants of all ages, challenges, and in many different locations across Vermont. The volunteers are well-trained folks of all ages who love to share their time having fun on the slopes, trails, and lakes, all the while being sure everyone is safe and using the proper equipment. VASS is a group with a shared vision of looking beyond disability to find ways for everyone to enjoy the feeling of achievement, no matter how much effort it takes to find that avenue. Thank you, Vermont Adaptive, for all you do, and for creating a safe, happy, and fun environment to enjoy the great outdoors!
I was first introduced to Vermont Adaptive in 2020. It pulled at my heard strings like nothing else. To give everyBODY the opportunity to play means everything!! Independence, empowerment, fun...who doesn't need this in their lives. This is exactly what Vermont Adaptive does. They offer programs to all ages, all disabilities. My whole life has been surrounded by Sports and Recreation. I couldn't imagine my life without it. So when I was introduced to this organization...this family, it was an immediate connection. I started fundraising then volunteering and now I am guiding. There is no better organization than Vermont Adaptive!! Thank you for all you do!
Every time I would come up to Vermont to do one of their programs, I would leave thinking "gosh....the stuff they do there and the support that they have is incredible". And I'm a person who has been part of many successful adaptive sports programs so I don't often think that.
I was impressed so much that I decided to make the move. A few weeks ago, I left where I lived in Washington DC, packed my car with my bike and some clothing and moved to Vermont to volunteer with them. I can't wait to immerse myself in the program and to help their cause!
I've been involved with Vermont Adaptive since 2018 as a volunteer, and they are one of the most impactful organizations I have ever been involved with! To see their programs & events in action is truely amazing and inspiring. Their staff goes above and beyond and clearly care deeply about what they do, as do all of their volunteers and partners. Participating in their programs for adaptive athletes such as the USABA ski weekend at PICO Mountain, the Vermont Charity Ride at Killington, the Vermont 100 Endurance Race, and the Vermont 50 Mountain Bike & Ultra Run have truley become my favorite weekends of the year! Keep up the excellent work.
I have had the privilege to be a part of the Vermont Adaptive community for over 10 years as a volunteer and most recently as a Board Member. The Vermont Adaptive mission, programs, team, and resources are top-notch and positively impact people's lives everyday. From first class training to the development of volunteers in support of athletes, Vermont Adaptive continues to make a difference. I have been so impressed over the years by the commitment, inclusivity, and professionalism of the entire Vermont Adaptive team. Because of this amazing team, I not only have the opportunity to constantly learn and grow but also be part of a community and a cause that is much bigger than me.
I have been involved with Vermont Adaptive in one way or another for the past seven years. I continue to be amazed at the impact they have for their community and how they continuously work to reach more of their athletes in different and creative ways, thereby providing ongoing access to outdoor recreation year round. With the addition of a world class facility at Sugarbush, they now have even better programming and access to those who want to get outdoors and play. I have seen the positive impact Vermont Adaptive has on their athletes and how it has supported them in their journey to being more empowered and confident. I can not begin to adequately impart the positive impact Vermont Adaptive has on those who have been a part of their programs.
Our family has skied together for many years, and I appreciated the green coats of Vermont Adaptive volunteers and athletes at Sugarbush from afar. Our paths crossed when my son started skiing with them. A life-changing accident left him with a spinal cord injury, and he found joy again on the slopes, first using a mono-ski and then as a four-track skier. I cannot thank Vermont Adaptive enough for helping him with his journey.
The Vermont Adaptive team is terrific, and I appreciate their positive outlook, dedication, patience, and ability to make it all happen. Our family has joined the fold as volunteers and fundraisers now. The training we receive as volunteers is essential and broad. I volunteer in the ski program, and classes include instruction in ski techniques, teaching approaches, disability awareness, and first aid.
I thoroughly enjoy my days volunteering and working with athletes. Joy, enthusiasm, freedom, challenges, and hard work are found during a lesson. I have been volunteering for just a couple of years and admire the well-established athlete and volunteer relationships that exist. People really look forward to seeing and working with each other! And at the end of the day, I have discovered that times with Vermont Adaptive conclude with smiles.
My son Jack started skiing with Vermont Adaptive 5 winters ago. He was fortunate to have the program nearby where Norm Staunton, Felicia Fowler and volunteers ran the Central VT program out of the “office” at the base of Mt Ellen. That first winter Jack learned how to mono-ski under the guidance and encouragement of coaches and volunteers; Andrew Kimpton, Emily Cioffi, Felicia, Norm and Chris. There was so much support from others as well and a GREAT volunteer community. It was an incredible start for a young man who endured a spinal cord injury as a senior in high school and wasn’t sure what the future held.
Today, Jack is a skilled and enthusiastic 4 track skier and actively involved in the Vermont Adaptive program. He is confident and eager to try new alpine terrain. Outside of skiing, he continues to explore mountain biking and water sports with Vermont Adaptive. Additionally, his social and community network has grown. I have to thank the Vermont Adaptive team - Norm, Felicia, Andrew, Emily, Tom and Sarah for all their support, enthusiasm and patience along the way. The people behind the programs and staff are what truly makes Vermont Adaptive special. My family and I are sincerely grateful for all the organization does.
Jack is just ONE example of an individual thriving in the Vermont Adaptive outdoor programs and community. There are many individuals and a wide cross section of disabilities which Vermont Adaptive serves. The client base continues to grow and this awesome non-profit continues to expand.
And the "office" at Mt. Ellen I mentioned above? It is no longer a 400 square foot space. Through the hard work of Erin Fernandez and her team, Vermont Adaptive now has the 4000 sq foot multi level Murphy Annex to serve clients, train and educate!
PLEASE support Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports in any way possible. Your efforts and contributions help support a powerful mission and serve a growing community.
Vermont Adaptive is a tremendous nonprofit group. My 22 year old son with non-verbal autism has participated in skiing since he was 14 or so.
The volunteers and staff are all so dedicated, talented, skilled and patient. At first my son would go out with 3-4 volunteers using a tether.
Slowly over they years, very incrementally my son learned more and more with the volunteer instructors only going as far as they could but being incredibly supportive and working to increase his skills.
Last year at age 21 the tether came off for good at the end of the season and he skied with one volunteer only. This year he basically progressed with 5 years in one season. All that previous work mushroomed. By the end of the season he had skied blue trails routinely, sometimes leading the way with the instructor behind. Some black trails were also skied.
I also attended a summer session years ago and plan to go again this summer. I cannot recommend Vermont Adaptive enough.
Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports is an incredibly well run organization that helps everyBODY get out and play in the mountains in all seasons. I am a member of the Board and have volunteered for many years and the staff is creative, helpful, passionate and eager to work with new and existing athletes. We have a plethora of equipment and a team of volunteers that are well trained in sharing the sports of skiing, hiking, kayaking, biking, and more!
Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports empowers every BODY to lead active (therefore healthier) lives. That's just for starters. VASS also empowers it's volunteers to be good teachers, good citizens and good humans, all around.
Hi. I'm Frank. I teach during the week and do all sorts of VT Adaptive things on the weekend. Some of my favorites are tandem riding with Mac, working events, and tethering bi-skis.
There is nothing quite like the joy of being part of VT Adaptive. Families, friends, and everyone else come together to make magic happen! The magic is seen by the smiles on the faces, the sheer joy at being able to be outdoors and have an amazing experience. This goes for everyone - athlete, parents, volunteers, and other spectators. Each and every person gets the special gift that VT Adaptive offers. It's available for any and all, come join us and we'll share the wonder!
Unquestionably, I get more out of the organization than I could ever give back. Working with persons whose disabilities literally disappear when on the mountain is a sensation that cannot be explained, quantified, or duplicated. To have an opportunity to share with that sensation with another person is a mutually outstanding emotional experience.
My Journey of Discovery
In February of 2008 I had a skiing accident and I fractured my knee, tore my ACL and cut my meniscus. I was housebound for a month. Four months after my injury I had surgery followed by complications and was on and off crutches for a total of six months. Prior to my injury I had never realized how many barriers there were for people with mobility challenges. For six months I was less active then I have ever been. I had time to contemplate what my life was about. My grandfather was in a mining accident and wore a prosthetic leg. In late 2007 my mother was diagnosed with ALS. My injury and my mother’s illness was a life changing experience.
I decided to focus on what I am most passionate about, skiing. I was on skis before I was five years old. I have been skiing on Pico Mountain since I was six. I had seen Vermont Adaptive at Pico over the years. It took me a little while to piece together what I needed to do to rebuild myself.
I realized what I wanted and what I needed in my life; to be a part of Vermont Adaptive.
There are many reasons I volunteer. In general volunteers seem to be very thoughtful and giving individuals. I can't think of a better group of people to be around. The volunteers I have worked with at Rebuild Together and Vermont Adaptive inspire me. At Vermont Adaptive I have met people with both physical and mental disabilities. I am constantly amazed that most of the clients aren't the least bit phased by their challenges. The majority of the clients have great attitudes and are grateful to the volunteers that ski, canoe, ride a bike or just hang out with them. It is a fantastic feeling of accomplishment, plus I have made some great friends. I guess it comes back to 'you always get back more than you give.' It's Ironic, but true for me. I am a year round volunteer,I serve on the Board of Directors and donate anniually. This journey has lead me to Project Search as a job coach for young adults with either intellectual or developmental disabilities.
My advice is to identify what you love to do and find an organization that can use your talents and volunteer!
Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports http://www.vermontadaptive.org/
Review from #MyGivingStory
My Empowering Internship at Vermont Adaptive
One moment last winter, I sat in Kim Jackson’s office at Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports, interviewing as a college student, still unsure of what I wanted to do after I graduated. Now I am sitting in my very own office at Vermont Adaptive, with the job I never knew I always wanted.
When people ask me what I did with my summer, I find it hard to summarize all that I observed and felt during my internship. I grew personally, more than I ever thought possible in one summer.
I can say without a doubt that interning at Vermont Adaptive gave me the opportunity of a lifetime. This past summer I helped plan a major event, The Long Trail Century Ride to benefit Vermont Adaptive, marketed Vermont Adaptive’s brand to audiences on a national level, orchestrated a silent auction, trained with the northern volunteers on Lake Champlain, was a guide to participants who were visually impaired, and paddled in a kayak for the first time. I traveled to places I had never been to before in Vermont (and I’m a native!) and met people from all walks of life. When I started the internship, my goal was to gain professional experience in the industry and help people with disabilities experience opportunities to recreate and overcome their own challenges. But during a time of very difficult transitions in my life, Vermont Adaptive has been my anchor and helped me adapt and overcome as well.
Moments of vast mental clarity have a habit of finding us in random ways. I found mine as I sat in the conference room at the Long Trail Brewing Company next to corporate and town leaders of Killington Resort, the Town of Killington, Long Trail Brewing, the Lookout Tavern and Vermont Adaptive, to plan the Long Trail Century Ride. Coming into the conference room, everyone worked together for one common goal- to help provide adaptive sports to people of all abilities and to create an empowered community at the end of it all. Through the experience, I saw commitment of the whole community, brought together through Vermont Adaptive, to make a difference in the lives of people with special needs and disabilities. It is because of these efforts I can see a brighter future for the community and for people with disabilities throughout the state of Vermont.
This December I will graduate Magna Cum Laude with my degree in hospitality and resort management from Green Mountain College in Killington. In August, I was hired as the new projects and services assistant at Vermont Adaptive. My academic career has overlapped into my new professional world and no matter where my career takes me, Vermont Adaptive is the start of my biggest adventure.
I give to Vermont Adaptive because they have helped me to grow in so many ways and it is my turn now to do what I can to help this amazing organization grow as well.
Review from #MyGivingStory
Selfish Giving
I'm a selfish guy. At my core, in my heart. I'm selfish. Please don't misunderstand. I don't think that I'm greedy, hedonistic or narcissistic. Just selfish. Self-interested. My primary motivation is myself.
I do things that make me feel good. Things that don't feel good, don't have some kind of intrinsic reward, I simply can't keep doing for very long. Why would I?
But things that make me feel good, that reward me for my efforts, that I feel better in the completion of than in the avoidance of, those things I can really stick with. Get behind. Make a lifestyle of.
It stands to reason, then, that I must really find some kind of pleasure in giving my time and energy and resources to Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports. I've been doing so consistently for more than 8 years. Every winter weekend day. Holidays and Vacations. In good weather and bad. When there is good snow and bad ice. 30 below and in the rain. Teaching, training, coaching, mentoring along with less glamour tasks like hauling equipment, standing around freezing, cleaning bathrooms, vacuuming floors, fixing gear, and moving trash.
I give because I am selfish. It makes me feel good. To know that the skills I teach and the time I put in makes a difference to someone; that peoples' lives are better, richer, happier because of the gifts I make; that the organization is stronger and better for my efforts. I don't do it for them. I do it for me. Because I feel good about it. It makes me happy. It makes me feel like I have done something good, that I have contributed, that I have made a difference. I don't give to because I'm a good person or because its the right thing to do or because I am filling some external need. I give because it fills that selfish need in me.
I give because I'm selfish. I just wish I could be more selfish.
Review from #MyGivingStory
It's all about the smiles
http://vermontadaptive.org/
My wife and I have volunteered with Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports for over 25 years, working with clients with physical and/or mental disabilities, teaching skiing, paddling on 4-day canoe-camping trips, rock climbing and helping in many of their fundraisers. We also donate automatically every month.
The reason we give of our time and money because of all the smiles that spontaneously erupt when a VASS client conquers an outdoor activity. It's that magical moment when they go from being a non-skier to a beginner when their face lights up with a smile because they were scared when they started but now they know they can do it. When they win their race in a sailing regatta even though they can't see their trophy. Or they feel the peace of canoeing to their wilderness site and camping for the night.
It's these moments when they know that they accomplish more in their lives, even though they might have been afraid before. Sometimes the client has barely left their home during the winter because they were afraid of falling on the ice, yet a VASS volunteer has taught them how to ski over ice, so they're not afraid to get out anymore.
It takes special training, special equipment and special people (staff and volunteers) to achieve those smiles. VASS has brings those resources together daily to help clients with any physical or mental disability, from as far south as Virginia, north to Montreal. That creates a lot of smiles up and down the Eastern seaboard.
Seeing all the smiles on VASS clients makes me smile.
Review from #MyGivingStory
Hope, Happiness and Encouragement!
Four years ago, my son Matthew (20) was diagnosed with a life threatening rare form of cancer and also a traumatic brain injury. He was hospitalized for 40 days, underwent chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery. He was told he would most likely never ski again. After Matt's first season with Vermont Adaptive, he gained the confidence, self-esteem and physical strength to not only get back on skis, but to be skiing intermediate terrain! The best part was that i was able to ski with him and learn how to ski with him again. The best part...these skills transferred to him being able to go back to college (he's now a 2nd semester student at Saint Michael's College), writing and publishing a book 'My Cancer Card' and being cancer free for 3 years!
Last year, I decided that I would become a volunteer ski instructor through Vermont Adaptive. I wanted to give another parent and young adult that same hope, happiness and encouragement that Vermont Adaptive gave me and my son.
Review from #MyGivingStory
I Give to Pay It Forward
I got my first pair of skis when I was three years old but I didn’t fall in love with the mountains until many years later when I learned how to parallel ski. A ski instructor patiently worked with me all day until I had the technique down but she did more than just teach me about skiing. She shared her love of the mountains with me and it's turned into a lifelong passion. Now, I volunteer every weekend with Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports. I volunteer to share my love of the mountains with other people who may not otherwise have the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. There’s something spectacular about bringing someone to the top of a mountain and watching them ski down when they thought that they would never be able to ski because of a disability. If you’re not a skier, you may not understand the sense of freedom that it provides. Helping people feel that freedom is one of the many reasons way I volunteer. However, my favorite thing about Vermont Adaptive is that they never turn anyone away. I give my time, talent, and treasure so that Vermont Adaptive can continue to offer recreational opportunities to anyone no matter their circumstances. I give to pay it forward.
http://www.vermontadaptive.org/
Review from #MyGivingStory
VASS 10/12/2022
Thank you so much for your dedication to Vermont Adaptive's mission in helping to make sports and fun in the outdoors accessible for everyBODY!