FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Charlie Brush, 802-864-9899 or cbrush@kellybrushfoundation.org

KELLY BRUSH FOUNDATION LAUNCHES
INJURY PREVENTION CAMPAIGN
SKI CLUBS RECEIVE SAFETY GRANTS

South Burlington, Vermont (Feb. 4, 2008) The Kelly Brush Foundation announced the launch of its national campaign to improve ski racing safety and prevent spinal cord injury with a $35,000 round of grants to ski clubs across the country. The program is the first of its kind both in scope and in targeting safety in the sport of ski racing.

The foundation awarded grants ranging from $250 to $2,000 to individual ski clubs and racing organizations from Vermont to California to Alaska. In all, 40 grants totaling $35,000 were awarded.

"Promoting ski racing safety is at the heart of the Kelly Brush Foundation's mission," said Kelly Brush, the foundation's founder, a senior at Middlebury College in Vermont. who sustained a spinal cord injury in 2006 during NCAA Div. 1 ski competition. "By going directly to the sport's ground level - the clubs where young athletes come up - these grants raise awareness about the importance of safety and spinal cord injury prevention in ski racing and give clubs the resources to make improvements."

Recipients included the Mount Mansfield Ski Club in Stowe, Vt., Vail Ski Club in Vail, Colo. and Squaw Valley Ski Team in Olympic Valley, Calif.

The money was earmarked for purchasing safety equipment such as specialized netting used to line race courses and protective gear for individual racers, such as back protectors. In addition, the U.S. Ski Team received a grant that will be used to produce an educational video on best practices for installing safety netting that will be made available to coaches, officials and clubs.

About the foundation: The Kelly Brush Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving ski racing safety, enhancing the quality of life for those with spinal cord injury through providing adaptive sports equipment, advancing scientific research on spinal cord injury and supporting the U.S. Disabled Ski Team. Kelly Brush, together with her family, started the foundation in 2006 after she sustained a severe spinal cord injury while racing in NCAA Div. 1 competition as a member of the Middlebury College Ski Team in Vermont. The Kelly Brush Foundation affirms Kelly's ongoing commitment to live life on her own terms and better the lives of others living with spinal cord injury.

www.kellybrushfoundation.org

KELLY BRUSH FOUNDATION GRANT RECIPIENTS 2007

  • Alyeska Ski Club, Girdwood, Alaska
  • Mammoth Mountain Ski Team, Mammoth Lakes, Calif.
  • Squaw Valley Ski Team, Olympic Valley, Calif.
  • Aspen Valley Ski Club, Aspen, Colo.
  • Vail Ski & Snowboard Club, Vail, Colo.
  • Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, Steamboat Springs, Colo.
  • Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, Sun Valley, Idaho
  • Jiminy Peak Ski Club, Hancock, Mass.
  • Maine Alpine Racing Association, Portland, Maine
  • Gould Sunday River Program, Bethel, Maine
  • Sugarloaf Mountain Ski Club, Carrabassett Valley, Maine
  • Grand Traverse Ski Club, Traverse City, Mich.
  • Mont Ripley Race Team, Hancock, Mich.
  • Buck Hill Ski Team and Club, Burnsville, Minn.
  • Attitash Alpine Education Foundation, Beverly, Mass.
  • Dartmouth College Ski Team, Hanover, N.H.
  • Ford Sayre Ski Club, Hanover, N.H.
  • Franconia Ski Club, Franconia, N.H.
  • Mount Sunapee Alpine Program, Newbury, N.H.
  • New Hampshire Alpine Racing Association, Campton, N.H.
  • Pats Peak Ski Team, Henniker, N.H.
  • Waterville Valley BBTS, Waterville Valley, N.H.
  • Hunter Mountain Racing Foundation, Hunter, N.Y.
  • NYSEF - Whiteface Mountain, Wilmington, N.Y.
  • Ski West Mountain Education Foundation, Queensbury, NY
  • Park City Ski Education Foundation, Park City, Utah
  • U.S. Ski & Snowboard Assoc., Park City, Utah
  • Bromley Outing Club, Manchester Center, Vt.
  • Burke Mountain Academy, East Burke, Vt.
  • Cochran's Ski Area, Richmond, Vt.
  • Green Mountain Valley School, Waitsfield, Vt.
  • Jay Peak Ski Club, Jay, Vt.
  • Killington Mountain School/Ski Club, Killington, Vt.
  • Middlebury College Ski Team, Middlebury, Vt.
  • Mount Mansfield Ski Club, Stowe, Vt.
  • Okemo Mountain School, Ludlow, Vt.
  • Smugglers' Notch Ski Club, Jeffersonville, Vt.
  • Stratton Mountain School, Stratton, Vt.
  • Vermont Alpine Racing Association, Cavendish, Vt.
  • Jackson Hole Ski Club, Jackson, Wyo.

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