Hundreds of community members from across the country rallied around Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports’ #GivingTuesday 2020 fundraising campaign last week, raising more than $135,000 for the organization’s year-round adaptive sports and recreational programs and athlete scholarships. Generosity prevailed even during a pandemic, as the organization had its best #GivingTuesday results since it began participating in the global initiative in 2014.
“We are very humbled and grateful to say the least,” said Erin Fernandez, executive director of the non-profit. “This year has been so hard for so many. We really didn’t know what to expect. Our programs are so important to so many athletes with disabilities, now more than ever. We knew we would be thankful for whatever we could raise. But this community has just blown me away.”
Vermont Adaptive suspended its winter programs last March and then returned to play with very modified programs in the summer and fall. Fernandez is hopeful to begin winter programs on Jan. 2, 2021. But with an uncertain revenue source from winter programs this upcoming season, fundraising will remain a critical part of the organization’s operations.
This year, the organization harnessed the generosity of a collective matching donation of $30,000 from The Sills Family Foundation, the Kimpton family, the Vermont Adaptive board of directors, and an anonymous donor. The goal was to raise at least $30,000 in order to capture that match. All monies raised will go toward supporting a $1.5 million operating budget for 2021.
“Our programs will look and feel a bit different when we do return to play again. But what remains constant is our mission to empower people of all abilities through inclusive sports and recreational programming regardless of their ability to pay. We’ve been doing that for more than 30 years, and with donors like we had on Giving Tuesday, we’ll keep on going for the next 30.”
The Tuesday After Thanksgiving is a global day dedicated to giving back. Giving Tuesday follows Black Friday and Cyber Monday with the goal of celebrating generosity and encouraging people to give during the holiday season. It was created to inspire people to take collaborative action to improve their local communities, give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes that they support and help create a better world.
