Lt. Governor Jane Norton has renewed her endorsement of Mentors & Moguls, a statewide program designed to give kids active in mentoring programs the opportunity to ski, snowboard or snowshoe.
Launched last winter as a pilot community outreach program by Colorado's own Christy Sports, the Mentors & Moguls program achieves maturity this year with co-sponsorship by nine ski resort companies around the state. Its endorsement by Lt. Governor Jane Norton and the Governor's Commission on Community Service means that the program will be offered to participants in 177 mentoring agencies across the state. These agencies supervise between 20 and 300 mentoring pairs each.
Under the program, Christy Sports contributes free use of ski, snowboard or snowshoe rental gear. Christy Sports also arranged for thirteen ski areas to donate lift tickets to the program, enabling adult mentors to take their sponsored kids skiing and snowboarding at little or no cost. Areas participating in the program this year are Eldora Mountain, Loveland Basin, Ski Cooper, Sol Vista Ski & Golf Ranch, Steamboat Ski & Golf Resort, Powderhorn, Monarch, Sunlight Mountain Resort and the four Vail Resorts areas, Breckenridge, Beaver Creek, Keystone and Vail, plus its marketing partner Arapahoe Basin.
Vail Resorts Management Company has joined as a lift ticket sponsor to Mentors & Moguls, making Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin available areas for mentors to take their sponsored kids.
About 120 people participated in the initial pilot program during the winter of 2002-03. With Vail Resorts' contribution, Mentors & Moguls 2004 will have 222 lift tickets and equipment vouchers available to mentor programs for use at a total of thirteen Colorado Ski Areas.
Mike Speer, managing director for the Mentors & Moguls program, said “Christy Sports wants to take a lead role in helping children to enjoy winter sports. This in an example of how fantastic Colorado programs can be. Everyone we have asked to support and participate in the program has joined up, enthusiastically. We are grateful for all the ski areas participating in Mentors & Moguls. The addition of Vail Resorts really highlights the sense of community support for the program. 'Give it up for the kids!' is the program motto that we'll be using on the posters.”
“Mentors & Moguls is Christy Sports' connection to the community,” said Dan Fox, general manager of the company's Front Range stores. “It's a way to bring people who might not be able to experience winter sports, which is such an important component of Colorado's culture. We see an opportunity here to help disadvantaged kids join a mainstream Colorado recreation and business. Our neighborhood stores are an important part of their communities, and this is just one way we can express that.”
“Mentors & Moguls is a prime example of how a public program and private business can team up to make a difference in the community,” said Lt. Governor Jane Norton. “Each of us, in growing up, has needed the helping hand of an adult. I hope that the Mentors & Moguls program will encourage people who have been thinking about their communities to become mentors, and we're very thankful to Christy Sports for their help in making skiing and boarding a reality for our kids.”
Lt. Governor Norton pointed out that winter sports are a mainstream component of Colorado's culture. “When I meet with people from out of state they say they love visiting Colorado, especially for its mountain sports,” she said. “They come here for river rafting, dude ranching, and, of course, winter sports. I remember my first day on skis, and know how important it is for kids to have the help of an adult in learning about snow sports. Winter sports can be invaluable in helping to cement a really strong relationship with a guiding adult. Mentors & Moguls is clearly a premier opportunity for people who want to invest time in the future of kids. I can't think of a better opportunity for mentoring than to enjoy an outdoors experience together.”
Mentoring agencies, like most programs, have experienced budget cuts in the past year, and that makes the private support of companies like Christy Sports and the ski resorts that much more vital, Lt. Governor Norton said. “I'm really hopeful that this can be a long term component of our state's mentoring programs,” she said. “Christy Sports has been just great, and we are very grateful for their leadership. We know there are more resorts and companies across the state that will be able to provide support to the program in winters to come. It takes awhile to get the word out and for people to feel comfortable with the importance of the program in their communities.”
“Mentors & Moguls is a great opportunity for kids to get a chance to ski who normally would not,” noted Rob Linde, marketing director at Eldora. “Given Eldora's proximity to the metro area, it makes sense for us to support this program.”
