Vail Resorts honors 49 local non-profits during EpicPromise grant giveaway

As part of their mission to give back to the community and protect the environment, Vail Resorts gave away 49 grants to Lake Tahoe area groups during a ceremony on Tuesday at Heavenly Valley.

“On Tuesday, we heard personal stories that cut to the core of why EpicPromise is so vital: it commits financial and volunteer support to the programs that elevate our community,” said Pete Sonntag, vice president and COO of Heavenly. “Hearing about the positive impacts that EpicPromise grant funding has had on our children, our environment and our neighbors was moving for all who attended, and reminded us how lucky we are to live where we do. We are so proud to support this vibrant community.”

Recipients for the 2014-2015 grants cycle include: Amador Community College Foundation, American Youth Soccer Organization Region 282, Austin's House, Barton Hospital Foundation, Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe, Bread & Broth, CASA El Dorado, Christmas Cheer, Clean Tahoe, Diamond Valley Elementary, Discovery Blind Sports, Douglas County School District - Adapted Physycal Education Program, Douglas County Education Foundation, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Folsom High School PTA, Heavenly Valley Ski Foundation, Kids & Horses, Kirkwood Ski Education Foundation, Kirkwood Volunteer Fire Department, Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition, Lake Tahoe Community College Foundation, Lake Tahoe Education Foundation, Lake Tahoe Environmental Magnet School, Lake Tahoe Humane Society, Lake Tahoe’s Shining Stars, League to Save Lake Tahoe, Live Violence Free, Mefiyi Foundation, Minden Rotary Club Foundation, Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation, Pau-Wa-Lu Middle School, Rite of Passage, Sierra Avalanche Center, Sierra House Elementary, Ski Duck, SOS Outreach, South Lake Tahoe Family Resource Center, South Tahoe Amateur Hockey Association, South Tahoe High School Nordic Ski Team, South Tahoe High School Sober Grad Task Force, South Tahoe Middle School, South Tahoe Middle School Nordic Ski Team, Sugar Pine Foundation, Tahoe Arts Project, Tahoe Fund, Tahoe Institute for Natural Science, Tahoe Magic, Tahoe Rim Trail Association, and Tahoe Youth & Family Services.

In addition to grants, Vail Resorts provides more than 20,000 hours of company-sponsored volunteer time to deserving organizations in local communities and around the world. EpicPromise Day, the annual company-wide day of service held in September, brought out 1,620 employees and friends to 13 different projects from Lake Tahoe to Jamaica. In South Lake, nearly 350 Heavenly and Kirkwood employees partnered with the Tahoe Area Mountain Bike Association (TAMBA) and the Sugar Pine foundation to improve 1.2 miles of trailhead and plant 1,000 sugar pine seedlings on 20 acres of land in the Angora Fire burn area, which burned 3,100 acres and more than 250 homes in 2007. On the North Shore, Northstar employees and friends worked with the Tahoe Rim Trail Association and Tahoe Unified School District to improve 1.85 miles of the Rim Trail and clean the grounds at North Tahoe and Truckee High School.