The 13th Annual Kelly Brush Ride September 8 in Middlebury, Vermont, featured more than 900 cyclists and 25 adaptive athletes, and raised more than $600,000—making it reportedly the largest fund-raiser to date for the Kelly Brush Foundation.
The event, powered by VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations, also featured a golf scramble for the first time.
Funds raised from the event support the Kelly Brush Foundation’s two programs: the Active Fund, which provides grants for the purchase of adaptive sports equipment for people with spinal cord injuries, and the ski racing safety program.
The Active Fund has awarded more than 650 grants in 47 states. The foundation has also awarded more than 150 grants to improve ski racing safety in every state with alpine racing venues and funded more than 15 miles of safety “B” netting to make courses safer, according to a media release from the Kelly Brush Foundation.
“We are grateful for this incredible level of support both in the number of riders and funds raised. This support goes directly to enabling people with spinal cord injuries to lead active and empowered lives. It also allows us to do more to advocate for ski racing safety, educate about safety best practices, and award grants to improve safety,” says Zeke Davisson, executive director of the Kelly Brush Foundation, in the release.
The nonprofit Kelly Brush Foundation, based in Burlington, Vt, aims to inspire people with spinal cord injuries to remain active and works closely with the alpine ski racing community to improve safety.
Kelly Brush and her family established the foundation after she sustained a spinal cord injury while racing in an NCAA alpine ski race. To date, it has awarded more than 650 adaptive equipment grants to people in 47 states, according to the release.
[Source(s): Kelly Brush Foundation, PRWeb]