SSCV racers are searching community for scholarships

Special to the Daily
Ski & Snowboard Club Vail members Henry Strauch, 10, who is a competitive freestyle skier, and 6-year-old Charlie Strauch, an alpine skier, recently handed out cookies and talked about the SSCV scholarships with members of the community. They succeeded in raising $200.

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Ski & Snowboard Club Vail is in the last few days of its largest scholarship fundraiser for the year, the Month Long Bring It On, during which athletes in all of the club's disciplines reach out to anyone they know - as well as some they don't know - to raise money to provide any aspiring skiers or snowboarders with the opportunity to pursue their dreams. Last year, 100 kids from SSCV's 500-plus participants, or nearly 20 percent of SSCV athletes, received assistance totaling more than $150,000. The final day for the fundraiser is Jan. 31.SSCV has reached 44 percent of its goal of $50,000. The competitive nature of many of the club's athletes has kicked in, and these remaining few days count. The athlete who raises the most money will secure a scholarship valued at $500 for next year's program. Of course, most of the kids are true-blue gear heads, and the idea of raising $2,000, securing them a GoPro camera to install on their helmets, is a driving force.While most children are reaching out to their nearest relatives and closest friends, some are going a step further. Burke Fancher and Max Timm, athletes in the U-14 alpine program at SSCV, recently forayed into town after training and approached complete strangers to raise money for a cause they feel strongly about. The mission was successful, with the two raising more than $200, $150 of which was made online from one very generous donor who was given the website information. Homemade cookies, as well as a homemade sign, created the second act of kindness from random strangers. Ten-year-old Henry Strauch, a competitive freestyle skier, and 6-year-old Charlie Strauch, an alpine skier, recently handed out cookies and talked about the SSCV scholarships with members of the community. They succeeded in raising $200. "When I started talking to them about the fact that many of their friends in SSCV rely on these scholarships in order to be able to train with the club, they became more intent on reaching out to the community," said the boys' mother, Kim Strauch. The boys learned how to communicate a clear message without relying on anyone else. "I think that the adults were impressed with how the kids communicated what the scholarship fund was," Strauch said. The boys handed out cookies to anyone who would listen to them talk for a minute or two. Ski & Snowboard Club Vail prides itself on the three C's: character, courage and commitment. The Month Long Bring It On fundraiser is intended to enable all kids in our community the opportunity to follow their on-snow dreams and their off-snow development. If you would like to donate to SSCV or learn more about the Month Long Bring It On fundraiser, visit the club's website, www.skiclubvail.org, or make a donation online at www.active.com/donate/monthlongbringiton.