Second Grant Application Cycle for Park City Non-Profit Organizations Opens Oct. 17
PARK CITY, Utah – Oct. 9, 2013 - Today, Vail Resorts, Inc. and Canyons Resort awarded more than $500,000 in contributions and have pledged more than 1,000 hours of paid employee time to 10 Park City non-profit organizations over the next year. The contributions follow Vail Resorts’ corporate stewardship efforts to benefit youth programs and environmental initiatives across the local communities in which the company operates its core businesses.
“The resort towns where we operate our world-class mountains are a critical partner in our company’s success and we are committed to supporting programs that build bright futures for our kids and protect the environment that surround these communities,” said Rob Katz, chairman and chief executive officer of Vail Resorts. “In Park City, we are thrilled to partner with organizations that align with our core values, and make this community so special for our employees, our guests and everyone who calls this place home.”
The grants are part of Vail Resorts Echo, the company’s sustainability program, which brings together sustainable operations and environmental initiatives, community giving and volunteerism. Each year, the Echo program grants more than $6 million to non-profit organizations in the communities where the company’s mountain resorts are located. In addition, Vail Resorts’ employees gave 15,000 volunteer hours of company-sponsored time last year as part of the company’s commitment to help connect employees to their local communities.
The Park City grant recipients were selected based on the ability of their programs to provide a positive impact on local youth and the iconic landscapes that surround Park City, and their commitment to build a sustainable, vibrant community. The first cycle of Echo grant recipients in Park City are as follows:
- Park City Community Foundation: Partnering to help women and kids in the Park City community with a $25,000 challenge grant to support the Women’s Fund. In addition, through a multiyear commitment, Vail Resorts will increase the impact of Live PC, Give PC which benefits more than 80 non-profits in the Park City community.
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Park City Education Foundation: Ensuring that the kids in Park City who most need support are able to attend preschool so they start kindergarten, and their educational journey, with critical language, math and social skills. Canyons is also partnering with the Foundation on a new program, PCCAPS, to engage Park City’s high school students, teach them critical thinking and problem solving and help them find their passion.
“The research is clear; high quality preschools are those that make the educational difference for all students,” said Abby McNulty, executive director for the Park City Education Foundation. “We are honored that Vail Resorts and Canyons are investing in this game-changing program. Not only is it a sign of their corporate culture, it is also a vote of confidence in support of Park City School district students and families. Vail Resorts and Canyons’ gift will support 200, 3- and 4-year-old students develop skills for school and life-long success.”
- Youth Sports Alliance: Paving the way for more than 1,000 Park City kids to learn the magic of winter sports and then ensure they can follow their passion with Get out & Play program support and scholarships.
- People’s Health Clinic: Through a new vision program started with Vail Resorts’ support, every kid will be able to read the chalkboard and their homework.
- Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter: Every 4th grader in Summit County will be able to experience the wonder of Utah’s ecosystem first hand and see science come to life through in-field classes.
- Summit Land Conservancy: Providing the resources still needed to secure the final piece of that land in the Weber River Initiative that aims to protect drinking water for 30 percent of the Wasatch Front, and to preserve the iconic landscapes that give this community its identity.
- Recycle Utah: Partnership to teach Summit County students about the link between recycling and protecting our watersheds.
- Mountain Trails Foundation: 1,000 paid volunteer hours and cash support mean the WOW trail, 21.5 miles of trail that connects Summit and Wasatch counties and the final connector to 350 miles of trail in Park City, will be completed and open a year ahead of schedule, in 2014.
- Park City Institute: Students in Summit and Wasatch counties will be able to access education in the performing arts, provided by the professional performers that come to Park City each year.
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Kimball Art Center: 6,250 students and their teachers will be inspired to learn–and teach–math, history and literature through art.
“Vail's support of Kimball Art Center's A.R.T.S program will enable us to serve and inspire more students through art education than ever before in our history” said Robin Marrouche, executive director. “It will allow us to continue to offer free arts education here at the Center that ties art to lessons in math, history and literature, but also extend our outreach within the community.”
In addition to these initial community partner grants, Vail Resorts Echo will open a second application cycle Oct. 17 focused on smaller cash grants and in-kind donations to support other important community organizations. For more information on the Vail Resorts Echo grant process, visit www.vailresortsecho.com.
About Canyons Resort
With thrilling adventures across 4,000 acres and nine mountains of majestic terrain, Canyons Resort is Utah’s largest and most dynamic ski and snowboard resort. Located in stunning Park City, Canyons is ranked as a “Top 10 North American Resort” in SKIMagazine’s annual reader survey. Canyons’ lively resort village bustles with nine hotels including the Grand Summit Hotel and Waldorf Astoria Park City, and two dozen dining restaurants like the award-winning farm-to-table venue, Farm at Canyons. The Orange Bubble Express, North America’s only enclosed and heated chairlift; Ski Beach, a lively après ski gathering area; Iron Mountain, featuring 300 acres of new terrain; Utah’s only lift-served gravity bike park and the fast-paced Zip Tour make Canyons a must-visit year-round resort. With Salt Lake City International Airport just 35 minutes away, Canyons is conveniently accessible from anywhere in the world. For more information, visit www.canyonsresort.com.
About Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN)
Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading mountain resort operator in the United States. The Company's subsidiaries operate the mountain resorts of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Canyons in Park City, Utah; Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mt. Brighton in Michigan; and the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The Company's subsidiary, RockResorts, a luxury resort hotel company, manages casually elegant properties. 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.
