A Season of Giving

Spanning 2,500 acres in Little Cottonwood Canyon and American Fork Canyon, Snowbird takes its role of stewardship seriously. While we have several systems in place that help us protect and preserve the land we inhabit and the resources we use, the impact of Play Forever Wednesdays is the most tangible to our local community. We are proud to share the results of this season’s program.

Play Forever Wednesdays

Since its inception during the 2019-20 season, our Play Forever Wednesdays initiative has helped support both environmental- and community-oriented initiatives focusing on local relief, access to the mountains, as well as environment restoration and preservation. The 2022-23 season expanded upon the pilot program, growing to include 21 organizations, raising nearly $40,000 this season alone toward non-profits that support the future of the mountains and our community.

We're proud of the impact these weekly donations have. Read on for the list of all non-profits supported during the 2023-24 season, as well as some information on how they used the funds received:

• Outdoor Outreach
• High Fives Foundation
• Snowbird Sports Education Foundation
• National Brotherhood of Skiers
• SOS Outreach
• Discover Winter
  Providing free lessons, gear and transportation to people from a variety of racial, ethnic and sexual identities, aiming to ignite a lifelong love of skiing and snowboarding in adults.
• Wasatch Adaptive Sports
• Cottonwood Canyons Foundation
  Supporting restoration and revegetation of disturbed areas with native wildflower species, invasive weed mitigation, trail maintenance, the development of educational resources and scouting, mapping and monitoring of rare plant populations in the Cottonwood Canyons.
• Utah Climate Action Network
• Wasatch Mountain Institute
• Utah Clean Cities Coalition
  Supporting Idle Free Education and EPA Outreach, the installation of the ChargeWest Electric Corridor and the Mobility Outdoor Experience. 
• TreeUtah
  Supporting educational tree plantings in parks in historically underrepresented and neglected communities; the K-12 education program, which plants trees in schoolyards with students; restoration tree plantings along waterways and throughout Utah’s public lands and the planting and implementation of urban orchards in food deserts.
• Wasatch Graffiti Busters
• Save A Brain  
• Utah Refugee Connection
  Play Forever Funds directly purchased Brita water filters as Mother’s Day gifts for 300 women—many refugees believe that tap water is unsafe and often spend precious food stamp funds on the purchase of bottled water. This will allow them access to water they feel safe drinking without the hefty cost. The remainder of the funds will support the preparation of refugee children with back-to-school items for fall, including new backpacks and other school supplies.
• Friends of Hidden Peak
• Utah Avalanche Center
• Utah Food Bank
• Wasatch Backcountry Rescue
• The Road Home

Play Forever Wednesdays allow us to make strides to support causes that uplift community and environmental futures via organizations working on actionable projects and initiatives. Next season, we look forward to broadening the reach of this initiative with an application program that will extend the opportunity to be a part of Play Forever to non-profits we don’t presently work with or whose work we’re unaware of. When you visit Snowbird, know that you’re not only enjoying a day of skiing and riding but also contributing to the long-term enrichment of the environment and community. 


 

About The Author

Originally from Lake Mills, Wisconsin, Riley Whitney first came to the Wasatch as a teen to attend Rowmark Ski Academy. After spending 7 years away – from the Northeast to Alaska – Riley Whitney has returned to the Wasatch, where she enjoys connecting with friends new and old and exploring the mountains on skis, bikes and her own two feet. She currently works at Snowbird as its Communications and Social Media Coordinator. 

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