The Chill Foundation Heats Up at the ESPN Awards

On July 9 in Los Angeles, the leaders of the Burlington-based Chill Foundation find out if they have won $100,000 as the winner of the ESPN Corporate Community Impact Award. Started by Burton founders Jake and Donna Carpenter, of Stowe, Chill is dedicated to providing outdoor opportunities such as snowboarding, surfing or other boardsports to kids who might not otherwise have access to them. “This year, in Vermont alone, we’ll serve 150 youth through 8 different programs,” says Jeff Morton, Chill’s vice-president of marketing. Through Chill, boardsports have become a vehicle for empowerment and overcoming obstacles for more than 25,000 young people since the program started, impacting 1,900 youth at 15 locations annually. The Chill Foundation is one of four finalists for the award and, as such, has already earned a $25,000 prize.