Heavenly Announces Recipients of 2011-12 Community Donations
47 local non-profits to benefit from community initiative
Heavenly Mountain Resort, Calif./Nev. – December 14, 2011 – Heavenly Mountain Resort announced today that 47 local non-profit organizations will receive cash grants and in-kind donations for the 2011-12 season through the Vail Resorts Echo program.
“We are very proud to be able to give back to the local communities where our employees live, work and recreate. These local non-profits should be recognized and rewarded for their unwavering efforts in bettering our community,” said Pete Sonntag, Heavenly’s vice president and general manager. “Together we can work to further support our area’s children and preserve the natural resources that make South Lake Tahoe so special.”
Vail Resorts Echo, the company’s corporate sustainability program, was established in 2008 to bring a more focused approach to local charitable giving and, since its inception, has contributed more than $6 million annually to more than 150 local organizations surrounding its six resorts.
Through Echo, 24 non-profit organizations in the South Lake Tahoe area will receive cash grants in the coming year, including Bread & Broth, a weekly dinner program at Saint Theresa Catholic Church. Heavenly Resort will serve as a monthly sponsor of the “Adopt-A-Day of Nourishment” at Bread & Broth, which provides a hot meal to approximately 100-125 less fortunate local residents every Monday. Heavenly and Northstar California Resort will team up to financially support the Snowboard Outreach Society, a non-profit organization that builds character in youth through outdoor adventure.
Heavenly will also make in-kind donations to local organizations such as: the South Lake Tahoe Family Resource Center, the Douglas County Sheriff Search and Rescue, the Boys and Girls Club of Lake Tahoe, and the Bijou Community School.
“On behalf of the Bijou Community School, I would like to thank Heavenly for its continuous support of our school and community,” said Kathy Haven, Bijou Community School PTA volunteer coordinator. “Bijou School has been transformed in the past few years because of the amazing community support we have received. Our exercise circuit course will be built this spring, and we couldn’t have done it without Heavenly.”
The recipients were selected by the Heavenly Echo Giving Council, which identifies important local organizations with successful programs that change the lives of children and protect the outstanding natural resources that make South Lake Tahoe unique.
The Echo program at Heavenly reaches beyond simply donating cash, as 114 Heavenly volunteers worked with the Sugar Pine Foundation to plant 1,000 seedlings across a 10-acre area of Van Sickle Bi-State Park in October. In August, Heavenly awarded college scholarships to five local students to help them achieve their secondary educational dreams, marking the 10th consecutive year of the Heavenly Mountain Resort Community Scholarship Program.
Each of the following organizations will receive donations from Heavenly for the 2011-12 season:
· American Youth Soccer Organization Region 282
· Tahoe Baikal Institute
· Barton Community Foundation – Festival of Lights
· Bijou Community School
· Bijou Community School PTA
· Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe
· Bread & Broth of Saint Theresa Catholic Church
· Carson Valley Children’s Center
· CASA El Dorado
· Christmas Cheer
· Clean Tahoe Program
· Douglas County Education Foundation, Inc.
· Douglas County School Race Training Program
· Douglas County Sheriff Search and Rescue
· El Dorado Fish and Game
· Forest Service Winter Trek Program
· Get in the Act! Arts in Action
· Heavenly Valley Ski Foundation Inc., Heavenly Valley Ski Team
· Lake Tahoe Educational Foundation
· Lake Tahoe Environmental Science Magnet School
· Lake Tahoe Humane Society and S.P.C.A.
· Lake Tahoe Unified School District
· Lake Tahoe Unified School District – Summit to Sand Program
· Marine Research & Education, Inc.
· Mefiyi Foundation
· Sierra Avalanche
· Sierra House Elementary School PTA
· Snowboard Outreach Society
· Sober Grad Night
· South Lake Tahoe Amateur Hockey Association
· South Lake Tahoe Family Resource Center
· South Lake Tahoe 5th Graders on the Hill Program
· South Lake Tahoe High School Tennis Team
· South Lake Tahoe Middle School
· South Lake Tahoe Police Activities League
· South Lake Tahoe Women’s Center
· St. Theresa’s School
· Sugar Pine Foundation
· Tahoe Arts Project
· Tahoe Heritage Foundation
· Tahoe Parents Nursery School, Inc.
· Tahoe Tallac Association
· Tahoe Turning Point
· Tahoe Valley Elementary
· Tahoe Youth & Family Services
· The Recreation Club at South Lake Tahoe Family Resource Center
· Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California
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About Vail Resorts Echo
Through its extensive environmental programs and partnerships with local non-profits, Vail Resorts Echo focuses on forest and habitat restoration, resource conservation, as well as initiatives that support healthy kids and communities where the Company operates resorts. To learn more about the Company's environmental stewardship programs, how to apply for a VR Echo grant or ways to volunteer, visit www.vailresortsecho.com.
About Heavenly
Heavenly Mountain Resort is a world-class destination offering guests a one-of-a-kind combination of scenic beauty and exhilarating on-snow experience. Heavenly is a subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc., the leading mountain resort operator in the United States. One of the largest resorts in North America, Heavenly spans 4800 acres, climbs to Lake Tahoe’s highest elevation at 10,067 feet and features than 94 trails for every level of skier or snowboarder. For more information on Heavenly Mountain Resort, please visit www.skiheavenly.com or call 800-HEAVENLY.
About Vail Resorts
Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading mountain resort operator in the United States. The Company's subsidiaries operate the mountain resort properties of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone mountain resorts in Colorado, and the Heavenly Ski Resort and Northstar California Resort in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada, and the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The Company's subsidiary, RockResorts, a luxury resort hotel company, manages casually elegant properties across the United States and in the Caribbean. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning, development and construction subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.