Aspen Peak - Niche Media - Aspen living at its peak
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/601986
photography Courtesy of summit 54 (summer advantage); Lane dittoe (goLd Leaf event) summer school programming); Rocky Mountain Prep, a top-per- forming charter school in Denver; and College Track, a national college completion program in Aurora that prepares underserved students for college, which had a 90 percent student acceptance rate at four-year institutions in 2015. "It was important to us to make an impact in the valley, where we live," says Terri, who spearheads Summer Advantage, the largest of the programs Summit 54 sponsors. "A lot of people who live in Aspen really aren't aware of the need that is 20 minutes away. They don't fully appreciate the challenges we have so close to home." Summer Advantage serves almost 800 students and 140 staff members, providing a well-rounded summer academic-enrichment program that includes math and lit- eracy courses, feld trips, talks from inspirational speakers, and meals. "We would love to help strengthen the Roaring Fork School District as an example of what can be done in other rural school districts," Terri says. Acquiring hard data to inspire change at a state level is an integral part of Summit 54's mission. The program costs roughly $1 million per year and is run with very low overhead; Summit 54 has only one employee, program manager Nicole Tarumianz, who is paid hourly. Terri is very hands-on with the program, visiting program sites almost daily to assist students and staff. "Parents come up to me all the time and share the stories about their kids," she says. "There are tons of success stories." And though he never climbed alone again, Tony went on to sum- mit all of those 54 peaks. "Even if you have challenges, you can't quit," he says. "If you break it down one step at a time, then it becomes attain- able. The ambition of Summit 54 is to work with students to put that goal in place." summit54.org AP below, from left: Summit 54's initiatives include Summer Advantage, a Roaring Fork Valley–based summer program for grades K–4; while the program's focus is academic, it provides field trips (like this one to Aspen Mountain) and other life-enrichment opportunities, as well. It's been a golden year for Chelsea Dillon, 32, and Kate Ryan, 29, who joined forces only two years ago to form Gold Leaf Event Design & Production. The two have taken the party circuit by storm, tackling many of Aspen's biggest and most noteworthy events while still making time for local nonprofts. Last summer they produced the annual Buddy's Bash for the Buddy Program—which helped raise more than $400,000 for the organization—and got back down to earth with An Evening on the Lake, a summer beneft for the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies. They've made a name for themselves with an unmistakable fair for original, creative event designs. "We just plowed forward and didn't waste any time," Dillon says of their nonstop summer season. "Kate and I are really gung-ho, so we just got ourselves out there." And at last summer's Food & Wine Classic, they produced two of the most talked-about events: the Terlato Wine party, featuring a Marie Antoinette-meets- Alice in Wonderland theme that spared no details, transforming a downtown penthouse with Lucite swings, gold-dusted clouds, and models wearing tall white wigs; and the Casa Dragones tequila-tasting at the Baldwin Gallery, touted as the hottest party of the weekend by bloggers who couldn't get enough. In Aspen, where the party is always on, this event-planning duo is setting the gold standard. 317 Oak Lane, 970-379-5432; goldleafevent.com Golden Good Aspen's Gold Leaf Event Design helps to raise big dough for local nonprofits. ChArity reGister opportunities to give. WoRLD SnoW PoLo ChAMPIonShIPS The Cause: The Aspen Valley Polo Club presents the three-day World Snow Polo Championships, which includes competitions featuring top snow polo talent from around the globe and VIP cocktail parties and lounges. The event benefts Sopris Therapy Services, a nonproft that provides equine-assisted therapy and rehabilitation to children and adults with special needs. The Details: Thursday, December 17, through Saturday, December 19, at Rio Grande Park. 970- 710-1663; aspenvalleypoloclub.com AuDI AjAx CuP The Cause: Join elite skiers, boarders, and event chairs Pam Alexander, Jackie and John Bucksbaum, Erica and Karim Souki, and Melissa and Russ Wight at the Audi Ajax Cup to support the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club. AVSC offers aid to nearly 2,400 children each year, including scholarship support and free equipment from local retailers Gorsuch and D&E. Past events have raised more than $250,000. The Details: Begins Wednesday, December 30, at 12 pm on Aspen Mountain and at Zeno Aspen. 501 E. Dean St., 970-205-5100; teamavsc.org uS PoET LAuREATE CELEBRATIon The Cause: Literary nonproft Aspen Words will host a celebration of US Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera. Herrera, the frst Mexican-American to hold the position, has written 28 books, including fction, children's books, and nonfction, and passionately engages on a variety of social issues. The Details: Tuesday, January 12, at 6 pm at the Paepcke Auditorium. 1000 N. Third St., 970-925- 3122; aspenwords.org LIGhT IT uP BLuE The Cause: The ffth annual Light It Up Blue gala will beneft the Roaring Fork Autism Network and Autism Speaks, the umbrella organization of the Light It Up Blue campaign, whose goal is to bring awareness to autism in every community. The Details: Saturday, February 13, at 7 pm at the Hotel Jerome. 330 E. Main St., 970-927-3143; lightitupblueaspen.org SKI hALL oF FAME InDuCTIon GALA The Cause: The US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame, along with the International Skiing History Association, will celebrate Skiing History Week with awards ceremonies, a flm festival, frst tracks with Hall of Famers, and skiing history presentations. The week culminates with an induction gala and ceremony, where Aspenite and former Olympian Chris Klug will be among this year's honorees. The Details: Saturday, April 9, at the St. Regis Aspen Resort. 315 E. Dean St., 906-485-6324; skihall.com Gold Leaf's efforts range from town- wide parties to intimate scenes for two. 92 aspenpeak-magazine.com CUltUre spirit of Generosity