The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Goal of raising $10 million through “For Everyone Campaign”
By Mark Reaman
The Adaptive Sports Center is feeling squeezed. What started in 1987 as the Physically Challenged Ski Program with a total of 33 winter clients is now a major year-round force on the mountain, providing about 800 people with 6,000 activities this year.
That has maxed out its current workspace on the bottom floor of Mt. Crested Butte’s Treasury Center, so the nonprofit is moving toward a new home.
The Adaptive Sports Center is in the midst of a $10 million capital campaign to buy the old Outpost Building space—now the home of the Trailhead Children’s Museum—and construct a new state-of-the-art 20,000-square-foot, three-story building. Adaptive has the property under contract and has raised about half of the needed $10 million for the building that will house both programming and administrative spaces.
“The Adaptive Sports Center turns 30 years old this year, and this new building will ensure we’re around to change lives for at least the next 30 years,” says Adaptive Sports Center executive director Chris Hensley. “We’ve been very successful and continue to grow, but we’re running out of space in our current facilities and unable to expand many of our program offerings. We’re also leasing the space we use on the mountain. Fortunately, our generous donors are enthusiastic about helping to make this new building happen and we are nearly halfway to our goal.”
According to fundraising materials, it is becoming nearly impossible to experience more growth without compromising the quality and safety of the Center’s programming in the current facilities. “We are constrained by our facility space and limited resources to safely and efficiently provide the amount of activities our participants seek. This may soon result in turning away participants for the first time in our history,” explained Hensley.
Hensley said the new building’s architectural elements and accessible designs will allow for better program flow and increased staff efficiency. “Designing a facility layout that is better suited for our participants’ needs and equipment set-ups allows us to provide more efficient programs, spend more time in the field, and ultimately create a better client experience,” Hensley said. “With new additions like a physical therapy room, a classroom, and an industrial kitchen, our clients are given a holistic, well-rounded experience that caters to all of their wellbeing needs.”
A new facility will allow Adaptive to meet the continued increase in demand for its adaptive sports programming. Hensley said the ASC plans to scale its program carefully and deliberately, continuing to offer individualized programs with a highly personal touch. Based on current growth patterns, the potential facility gives Adaptive the ability to surpass 10,000 activities annually, giving the program more than a decade of continued growth.
The facility will be named in memory of Kelsey Wright. Her parents and the William Wright Family Foundation are contributing $2 million toward the project. Kelsey, a frequent participant in Adaptive Sports Center programming, passed away from complications related to mitochondrial disease in 2015. Kelsey began skiing with the Adaptive Sports Center in 1987 and saw firsthand how ASC programming flourished over the years. Dan Wright says his daughter’s experience at the ASC was life-changing.
“Kelsey broke a lot of stereotypes about people with disabilities. She surprised some people she met when she told them that she could ski,” Dan Wright said. “She loved to go fast, ski powder and connect with nature. She also loved to show the world that her disability didn’t define her. We hope that our contribution to the Adaptive Sports Center helps many more people like Kelsey discover new ways to thrive.”
As for the future of the Trailhead that is now located in the Outpost building, it too is looking toward a new location but officials are not ready make any announcement yet. “The Outpost Building currently houses The Trailhead Children’s Museum, which is planning an exciting new facility of its own,” said Trailhead executive director Marilyn Krill. ”Details about the Trailhead project will be announced later this year.”
“We are asking donors to pledge gifts to the For Everyone Campaign that are above and beyond what they would normally give to the ASC,” said Hensley. “The effects of a successful campaign will be widespread in Crested Butte, a community that largely relies on tourism dollars to survive. Currently, 87 percent of ASC participants come from outside the valley, and each participant brings on average 4.3 friends and family with them on vacation.”
The Adaptive Sports Center has been approved as a Region 10 EZ Contribution Project. That means a Colorado taxpayer who makes a monetary contribution of $250 or more to the ASC is entitled to a Colorado income tax credit of 25 percent of the value of the contribution up to a maximum credit of $100,000 per year.
The museum will stay in the building this winter and Adaptive will remain in the Treasury Center.
According to Hensley, “This is the most important and exciting project in our 30-year history. The new facility will allow us to better serve our clients, expand our programs and serve more people, and secure the future of the Adaptive Sports Center.”
Construction is slated to begin in 2018 and be complete by 2019. So far, the Adaptive Sports Center has raised $4.8 million toward the $10 million goal.
