Kelly Brush Century Ride Raises $250,000
From our friends at the Kelly Brush Foundation:
Undaunted by blustery winds, cyclists hit the road by the hundreds in the seventh annual Kelly Brush Century Ride Powered by VBT Bicycle and Walking Vacations pedaling through the Champlain Valley raising $250,000 to support spinal cord prevention and ski racing safety.
A total of 625 cyclists including 24 adaptive athletes riding handcycles participated, making the event the largest charity ride in Vermont. The riders were supported by over 100 volunteers, including ski team members from Castleton State College and Green Mountain Valley School, a ski academy in Waitsfield, Vt.
The $250,000 raised supports the Kelly Brush Foundation’s mission to conquer the challenges of paralysis through love of sport. The foundation helps adaptive athletes purchase specialized athletic equipment so they can continue to be active in sports, a key aspect to improving quality of life. In addition, funds raised support the foundation’s mission to raise the bar for ski racing safety by assisting ski clubs and race programs across the country with purchasing safety netting and other equipment to improve race course safety and prevent spinal cord injuries. To date the foundation has underwritten costs for nearly 50 pieces of adaptive equipment and 400 miles of ski racing safety netting.
“We’d like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to the cyclists who pedaled for spinal cord injury prevention and the army of volunteers who made the ride happen,” said Kelly Brush Foundation President Charlie Brush. “Every single cyclist who participates in the ride plays an essential role in meeting our mission. With each piece of adaptive equipment the foundation underwrites for an adaptive athlete and each roll of safety netting the foundation helps a ski club procure, we are making a significant difference.”
The ride was started by the Middlebury College Ski Team as a way to raise money to buy an adaptive mono-ski for team member
Kelly Brush, who was paralyzed as the result of a ski racing crash. Brush and her family later founded a non-profit, and the ride was opened to the public.