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ADAPTIVE SNOWSPORTS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

HELPING FAMILIESACROSS BC

The benefits of participating in sport for

children, youth and adults with disabilities is

compelling. What is often not reported on as

much is the positive impact it has on families.

Parents of children and youth with disabilities

describe the joy and pride they feel when

they watch their son or daughter smile and

laugh as they go down a ski hill or achieve a

new milestone on the slopes. Where once the

thought of being able to take part in skiing

or snowboarding as a family seemed like an

insurmountable mountain; it is now possible.

The same applies to adults who once enjoyed

the freedom of movement without limitations

and acquire a disability later in life. The option

to race their kids down a run is now within

their reach.

Families with children and youth with

disabilities often face additional financial

challenges and that is why BC Adaptive

Snowsports not only supports children and

youth with disabilities by providing access

to introductory lessons and volunteer

instructors; we also offer Equipment Grants

to remove the barriers related to the cost of

both specialized and standard equipment.

OF PARTICIPANTS ARE

SNOWBOARDERS10%

OF PARTICIPANTSARE VISUALLYIMPAIRED

3%OF PARTICIPANTS IDENTIFY AS HAVING A COGNITIVE/INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY INCLUDING AUTISM

59%

ARE STAND-UPSKIERS. 29% OF THOSE HAVE A PHYSICAL DISABILITY

71%

OF PARTICIPANTSARE UNDER 20YEARS OLD50%

ARESIT-SKIERS18%

BCAS supports and provides services to

12 local adaptive snowsport clubs around BC

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7

8

3

6

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1. Vancouver Island Society for Adaptive Snowsports

2. Whistler Adaptive Sports Program

3. Vancouver Adaptive Snow Sports

4. Powder Hounds Adaptive Snow Sports, Kelowna

5. Fernie Adaptive Snow Program

6. Silver Star Adaptive Snow Sports, Vernon

7. Panorama Adaptive Sports Society

8. Adaptive Sports at Sun Peaks

9. East Kootenays Adaptive Snowsports, Kimberley

10. Revelstoke Adaptive Sports Program

11. Caledonia Adaptive Snowsports Society, Prince George

12. Northern Adaptive Sports Program, Smithers

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Photo credit: Susan Hughes

THE 2015-2016 BCAS/CKNW ORPHANS FUND CHILD & YOUTH EQUIPMENT GRANT SUPPORTED:

OF THIS YEAR’S RECIPIENTS HAVE AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

60%6-1610$8,427

RECIPIENTS B E T W E E N THE AGES OF

IN GRANTS AWARDED

DIFFERENT RECIPIENTS THROUGHOUT PROVINCE INCLUDING CRANBROOK, KAMLOOPS, RICHMOND &VANCOUVER.

EDISON THOMASis 11 years old and a recipient of our

Child & Youth Equipment Grant.

Edison learned to ski with a snow slider.

(pictured on the left) The snow slider

is a piece of equipment that helps by

providing balance and support for a

stand-up skier. The skier is supported by

a walker-like frame and skis while using

his own skis as well as the slider skis. The

skier is always connected to a volunteer

instructor by a safety tether.

Page 1

2012

2016

We enhance the quality of life for children, youth and adults with physical & cognitive disabilities, their families and volunteers by providing opportunities to experience the joy, freedom, and health and wellness benefits of adaptive snowsports.

TRAINING VOLUNTEER INSTRUCTORS

SPOTLIGHT ONVOLUNTEERS

Page 2 Page 3

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

2015 - 2016 VOLUNTEER INSTRUCTOR TRAINING

Snowbility

21

13

8

Whistler

55

24

31

Island

69

43

26

Vancouver

63

26

37

Okanagan

122

59

63

Kootenays

31

16

15

Total Volunteers

Male

Female

DAN COOK &COLETTE LAPLANTE

4,817LESSONS

INCREASE IN NUMBER OF LESSONS OVER LAST SEASON

757 VOLUNTEER INSTRUCTORS

706PARTICIPANTS

Dan & Colette are volunteer ski

instructors and adaptive race coaches at

Silver Star Adaptive Snow Sports. They

met on a Canadian Forces ski club trip.

They have been together for 18 years and

have been living in the Silver Star area

since 2005. They have been volunteering

as BC Adaptive instructors since 2006.

What have you learned or experienced

as a BCAS volunteer?

“The tremendous appreciation that

is expressed by our students/racers/

clients for what the program can do

for them and the sense of freedom and

independence it gives them.”

How have you benefitted personally as a

volunteer?

“The social aspects and friendships of

working with a team of people who are

dedicated, charitable with their time,

and caring to help others is the most

rewarding.

We also are amazed at the positive outlook and capacity to overcome limitations demonstrated by our students/racers/clients that make our everyday life issues seem trivial in comparison. Helping others makes you a happier person”

50%

MEMBERPROFILE

Melissa (Mel) Pemble, a BCAS member since 2009 is one of the youngest para-alpine skiers on the Canadian Para-alpine Development Ski Team. She was nominated this past spring just weeks after her 16th birthday.

Born with cerebral palsy down her right side,

Mel never took part in any competitive sports

until she discovered alpine skiing at the age

of 9. By the time she was 11 she started to

race and became hooked on the adrenaline

and speed of para-alpine racing.

This dual athlete, she also trains in

para-cycling in the summer, has golden

dreams for the Paralympic Winter Games

in 2018 and has all the elements to make it

there. She is also the first para-athlete to be

accepted into the Canadian Sport School in

Victoria where she studies and trains.

Mel’s progress was fairly typical and illustrates

well how BC Adaptive Snowsports, as the

Provincial Sport Organization for para-

alpine in BC, supported her at the various

development stages of her the Long Term

Skier Development.

“Every step of the way BCAS has supported and encouraged Mel and her personal growth is phenomenal.” - Rachael Chubb-Higgins, Mel’s mother

Page 5Page 4

“Skiing has made me stronger more focused on an objective than any physiotherapy ever did.” - Mel

At 16 years old, Mel is now on the Canadian Para-alpine Development Ski Team. There she will receive focused training from world class coaches to take her to the next level of competition with the ultimate goal of standing on the podium at world championships and the Paralympic Games.

At 14 she was selected to the BCAS Para-alpine Development Team where she attended the Canada Winter Games in Prince George and won a silver & gold medal. She continued to train with the BC Para-alpine Ski Team (BCPAST) and attended many International Paralympic Committee Alpine Skiing (IPCAS) sanctioned races, improving her ranking, training hard on and off hill and eventually being noticed by the Canadian Para-alpine ski team coaches.

When she was 12, Mel attended her first BCAS Building Our Best (BOB) camp and recreational race event. She continued to participate in these training camps and races for a few seasons in addition to training with the Mount Washington Ski Club and Vancouver Island Adaptive Ski Racing program.

At 13 Mel was identified as a prospect for the BCAS Para-alpine Ski Team program and started to attend training camps with the team. She was also selected to participate at BC Games with BCAS where she won two gold medals. Mel started to learn to ski with only one pole, a requirement of racing with her disability.

At 9 years old, Mel became aware of opportunities to learn how to ski at her local mountain, Mount Washington on Vancouver Island, through the Vancouver Island Society for Adaptive Snowsports (VISAS). Here she took part in her first adaptive ski lessons.

Mel has good mobility and learned to ski with two skis and two poles.

Between the ages of 9 and 11, Mel continued to be involved in the program at Mount Washington. Skiing as many days as she could, Mel quickly grasped the fundamentals of skiing. At 10 she joined the adaptive Race Program.

DONORSPOTLIGHT

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MEMBERPROFILE

Jeff Scott, BCAS participant and volunteer. Founder of the Live it! Love it! Foundation.

Jeff sustained a spinal cord injury

snowboarding in April 2010. He founded

Live it! Love it! to promote the progression

of Adaptive Adventure and provide outdoor

recreation opportunities for people with

disabilities. One of the great opportunities

his foundation Live it! Love it! offers in

partnership with Revelstoke Adaptive is a

big mountain camp designed for sit-skiers to

come together and enjoy some powder days.

The photo for the cover of our annual report

was taken at an event hosted by Revelstoke

Adaptive Snowsports this past spring.

What impact has BCAS or BCAS volunteers

had in your life?

“BCAS has given me the opportunity to not

only return to the mountain, but to share

that experience with others. My favourite

(moment) was getting two people out on

snow for the first time since their spinal cord

injury. We got to really open their eyes as to

what’s still possible.”

How has using adaptive equipment impacted your ability to participate in

snowsports?

“Adaptive equipment is the reason I’m able to participate in snowsports. It’s that simple,I wouldn’t go without it.”

TELUS believes that technology should

enable healthy living, not hinder it. At BC

Adaptive Snowsports we echo this, believing

that innovative adaptive equipment and

training can allow everyone to enjoy the

freedom and health and wellness benefits of

adaptive snowsports regardless of ability.

Funding from TELUS over the past few years

has supported our Snowbility program and

allowed us to work directly with hundreds of

very dedicated volunteers and in partnership

with adaptive snowsport club programs

around the province.

This past year, we introduced a new, no cost

‘Come and Try’ concept in Kimberley for

people new to adaptive snowsports that

included a partnership with the Canucks

Autism Network (CAN) to host an autism

spectrum disorder (ASD) workshop. The

morning session, led by Stephanie Jull

from CAN and Susan Hughes from BCAS,

provided general information about ASD and

training techniques for instructors. Susan

and Stephanie shared resources, tips and

tricks to engage and enhance the on-snow

experience for both students and instructors.

The afternoon session was held on snow and

covered ski teaching techniques for students

with ASD.

These new initiatives would not have been

possible without support from TELUS.

30% of our BCAS membership identifies as ASD

2015-2016FINANCIALS

DONORS

$591,746TOTALREVENUE:

TOTALSPENDING: $564,428

$1-99$100-499$500-999$1000-2499

$2500-3999

$4000+

ANNUALGALA

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The 2nd Annual Black Diamond Gala took place on September 25th, 2015 at

the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. Our most successful yet, it raised $108,000

for adaptive equipment, training and program development. Part of the

reason for this record success was the amazing support from donors during

the fund-a-need portion of the evening. Stories shared by Paralympian

Donovan Tildesley on his experiences with adaptive skiing when he was

young inspired donors to respond with a flurry of donations both large and small. In a mere 15

minutes $28,800 was raised to provide similar opportunities for children, youth and adults with

physical and cognitive disabilities!

Thank you to our Gala sponsors & supporters.

Media: Blue Run: Green Run:

gnlaw.ca

Source: 2015-2016 Audited Financial Statements (complete statements available at www.bcadaptive.com)

Funding Sources:

Provincial Government

BCAS Fundraising

Membership & Services

Interest/Investments Income

Spending Wisely:

Lauren Abramson Donald Angelucci Helene Beauchene Caroline Becerra Donald Bissonnette Paul Blantern Jen Bowlby Deborah Bromley Kelly Brooks Marylynn Bryden Andrew Caulfield Aaron Chief Lesley Christensen Sherri Cline Peter Cossarin Christine Craigen Keesler Cronin Walter Czajka Christian de Milleville Paul Desaulniers Katherine Evans Susan Fidyk Micah Finkelstein Adrian Forsyth Kay Fulford Tom Gardner Eileen Gibbons Karen Giesbrecht Craig Goldie Jaiden Gough Bruce Hawkshaw John Hedderson Christine Helpard Virginia Hoover Bryan Hu Susan Hughes David Huntsman Alison Kalnicki Faraz Khan Karen Kowal Petra Kuret Leilani Lacasse

Allison Lebel Martin Lindquist Nolan Loughead David M Lyons-Black Elizabeth MacRitchie Robert Mandryk Julie Mantini Shelagh Martinusen Doug McGregor Karen McKenzie Tracy Millership William Morley Anna Negrin Ben Neilly Mark Oliver Rendy Olthuis Harry Piercy Jeff Pinder Christina Plumb Peter Potomak Janice Pottle Tracey Prentice Erik Ricard Corinne Risler Ken Ross John Samus Mike Schultz Uschi Schulze Nicole Shankman Kelly Smith Sarah Smith Keith Spence Robert Stirling Jan Stockford Krista Thomas Karen Truesdale Michael Tuck Lisa Watson Antony Weisstock Jeff Wen Lynne Wilson

Carrie Allard Jude Barnes Jessica Burchill Bridget Daley Mark Davison Kevin Gourlay Rob Hossack James Houssain Katie Kim Wayne Leslie Ingrid MacKenzie Jeff Mackey Barney Mayer Chris McBride Cypress McKenzie Andrew McLeod Marla Morden Andy Price Wynne Probert Adriana Scuka Briar Sexton Jennifer Singleton Bonnie Teng Jeff Thompson Jane Tidball Jill Unger Rosina Way Jamie Yetman

1023880 BC Ltd Airhouse Sian Blyth Nigel Colett Susan Evans Matt Hallat Mark Jackson Martha McLellan Renee Miller Carly Monahan Alexander Orr

Amarone Charitable TrustAlice BensonRyan BossaMike ChiuLaurie ClarkeFred JamesJohn Shaw

Derrin CozartShanni EckfordRemco LoevendieAndrew (Andy) Mather Giancarlo MoroJay Pare

David EvansWayne MorinAnonymous

1%

21%

37%

41%

AdaptiveSki/Snowboard

Programs & Member Services

80%

Non-ProgramRelated

Administration8%

Program FundDevelopment

12%

LOHNFOUNDATION

OUR WONDERFUL SUPPORTERS