Education Foundation Annual Impact Report

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FISCAL YEAR July 1, 2019- June 30, 2020
info@psia-w.org
530-587-7642
https://psia-w.org/psiaaasi-education-foundation/

PSIA-AASI Western Education Foundation 

Our Mission is to provide educational opportunities for PSIA-AASI Western instructors looking to enhance their personal growth and further their careers in snowsports instruction.  We help 3500+ members  that serve at ski areas in California and Nevada

Education Events Sponsorships 
Professional Development Day, Fall Rally, Big Mountain Experience, NorCal Rally, SoCal Rally and Convention (canceled). The support for Convention went towards a webinar.

Scholarship Awards
Our donors continue to be very generous increasing donations by 75% compared to the 2018/19 season.  This allowed the Foundation to increase the number of scholarships and member support by over 100% from the prior year. We were also able to increase the dollar amount of scholarships awarded by 70%.  Any scholarships awarded but could not be attended because of the cancellation of events will be honored in the 20/21 season.

Additional Grant
The Foundation was proud to sponsor our division’s Alpine and Snowboard National Team candidates for the National Teams’ tryouts.  Unfortunately, they have been postponed until 2020/21 but we will still be there for them.

Website Upgrade
We increased the content on the Education Foundation’s website to include a Donors and Scholarships Recipients tabs recognizing our generous donors as well as the members awarded scholarships of past and present.  We also added two new donor categories because of wonderful donors!

History of the Foundation
The PSIA-W Education Foundation was incorporated in 1993 and accepted as a 501 (c)(3) by the IRS in 1995. The early organizing committee included Greg Felsch, Blaine Lomen and Katherine Hayes Rodriguez.  The Foundation continues today to support the mission of PSIA-AASI West by funding education projects and supporting development of individual members through scholarships. The Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) organization in good standing, Federal ID # 77-0381837. 

2019-20 DONORS

For the 2020-21 Season

The Foundation will be supervised by the Education Foundation Board of Directors:
Blaine Lomen, President
Julie Brown, Vice Presiden
Dave Sutherland, Secretary
John Armstrong, Treasurer
Jaime Marso-Tanner, Member at Large

 

Edu_Annual_Report_2020_compressed

We’ve Moved!

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Things change (like our address for instance).  And, there’s no better time like the present to seize the moment and make a move.  Which is just what we did with our Western division office.  While we are still getting settled in and organized,  take a peek at the new space…

Building Entrance

 

Our new address:

10049 Martis Valley Rd., Unit A

Truckee, CA 96161

Phone: 530-587-7642 (same as before)

Email: info@psia-w.org (same as before)

 

Due to the state’s reopening guidelines for offices and for the health and safety of our small office team who are essential to running the division, we are not able to accommodate visitors through the 20/21 season.  All member inquiries, renewals, event registrations, etc. can be handled via web, phone, or email.  Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

 

Have you moved recently?  Be sure to update your mailing address and other contact information in your membership profile.

Western Education Foundation Update

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The Western Division’s Education Foundation knows these are challenging times, but, as the saying goes, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” That’s just what the Education Foundation Board has been doing.  So here is some good news for the Western Division’s membership.

The Education Foundation had its best year ever in donations for 2019/20.  Donations have increased 700% since 2015/16 to $20,626.50.  You, the membership, have really stepped it up this past season, so thank you.  The foundation also received one of its largest donations ever, $5000 from member Anne Marie Bruner, an active instructor for Alpine Meadows for 46 years.  Anne Marie also gave $10,000 several years ago. She and her husband, Jack Bruner, have always been generous, and they go above and beyond whenever they can.  We have created two new donor categories on our website because of our generous donors, Black Diamond ($2500 – $4900) and Double Black Diamond ($5000+). To see all of our generous donors this last season and years past please visit our website

In turn, the Education Foundation Board plans to provide $26,900 in financial support for its members for education.  This is the most in the history of PSIA-AASI W.  The foundation will also be carrying over money set aside for scholarships that were not used last season due to the cancellation of events.  In all, if everything goes as planned this coming season, close to $39,000 will be spent to provide education opportunities for PSIA-AASI instructors looking to enhance their personal growth and further their careers in snowsports.

Here is a little teaser as to what the foundation will be spending money on this coming winter:

  • $3000 – Multiple Certification Scholarships:  Twenty members who attempt a second or third discipline certification (Level 2 or 3), will receive $150 towards one module.
  • $6000 – Level 2 and 3 Certification Scholarships: Forty members who attempt Level 2 or 3 in a discipline will receive $150 towards one module.  The scholarships will be divided as follows: 18 Alpine, 18 Snowboard, and four more divided between Nordic and Adaptive.
  • $1500 – National Academy Scholarships in the name of Miriam and Mike Sodergren: two members will each receive $750.

The Education Foundation will also be giving financial support for the training of our Education Staff and will be helping support two of our major education events.  We’re also looking to put on a two or three day clinic for the western slope resorts.  These are just a few of the ways the Education Foundation will support the membership and division in the coming season.

All in all, we aren’t just hoping for a good winter, we are planning on it.  So if you are interested, when the event calendar comes out, fill out your scholarship application with all the required information and get it into the office so the Scholarship Committee can review it.

Enjoy the rest of the summer.  Stay safe, be well, and keep in shape. It’s the best way to prepare to enjoy a winter of sliding down the mountain.

~The PSIA-AASI Western Education Foundation

DONATE TODAY

Act and Advocate

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Last week, the PSIA-AASI national board of directors created a new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force.  At the same time, the Board issued a message entitled Act and Advocate, which highlighted PSIA-AASI’s commitment to a vision of “creating lifelong adventures through education” and its goal statement, “Members benefit from participating in a diverse professional community.”

A major initiative toward this vision and goal is the partnership PSIA-AASI entered into last year with the Share Winter Foundation, a non-profit organization striving to make winter sports accessible to a broader, more diverse community.  PSIA-AASI has been working with Share Winter to implement Junior Instructor programs, giving Share Winter youth opportunities to expand their skills beyond simply learning to ski or ride.  We want to continue and to expand our efforts with Share Winter.  But we at the Western Division, along with much of the country, want to do more.  But what?

A couple of weeks ago we asked you to share inspiring stories of your experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic of the last few months.  You came through with some good stories.  Now we’re asking for your thoughts and ideas on what we, the snowsports educators of the Western Division, can do to further the National PSIA-AASI’s efforts to bring to life an education culture and a community that is more supportive of, and connected with, our goals for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

We know you’ve got thoughts on this.

Email us Your Thoughts

Read the Full Act & Advocate Message

 

 

 

Members Lifting Members

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There’s no doubt we are going through some uncertain times in the industry, our careers, and our personal lives.  You can support your friends and fellow members during tough times by helping them with their membership dues. Give them a lift by giving a gift!  Helping a fellow member pay for their membership dues can make a big difference in the future of their career.  Send along a message with your gift or choose to remain anonymous.  Either way, know that your support will mean the world to another member.

Give a Lift

 

Remembering Jack Copeland

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Jack Copeland’s world of skiing has been a big part of our organization for more than 40 years.  He died in February 2020.  John Armstrong, Treasurer of PSIA-AASI Western Education Foundation wrote the following tribute.

From left: John Armstrong, Blaine Lomen, Jack Copeland

 

Jack was one of perhaps only a dozen people in the 30,000 members of Professional Ski Instructors of America who was Level Three Certified in Alpine, Nordic and Snowboard. He also had certificates in Children’s, Seniors and Adaptive teaching. He held a ski instructor certification in Canada along with a coach’s certification with the Canadian Ski Coaches Federation. Jack directed the Ski School at Diamond Peak and he worked at Mount Hutt in New Zealand as well as a season in Australia. Jack was the chairman of the national PSIA Education Steering Committee which influenced the direction of ski teaching in the entire nation for several decades since his contribution. He also found time to earn a pilot’s license, maintain a single digit golf handicap and hike the 210 mile John Muir Trail in both directions!

In recent times Jack worked with Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra to train volunteers in teaching methodology and to work on their personal skiing and demonstrations. He regularly took groups out for Operation Mountain Freedom during Wounded Warriors Ski Week.

Jack Copeland has left us, much, much too soon. We wanted to have more of Jack and sadly we are not going to have more. However he left us plenty and we have all been enriched and gladdened by having met him, worked with and for him. We somehow enjoyed the Eastern Sierra a lot more when we were around him. He knew things about this place, and indeed, about us, and when he pointed those things out we grew just a little bit more and had fun along the way. Jack was an inspired leader of the Ski School, Human Resources, and as a Senior Manager of the mountain he was a gentleman who stayed true to his principles.

Jack was a kind and generous person. He was funny, and warm and had a great smile. He was intelligent, sensitive, and had a talent for patience and for supporting those who needed a bit of a hand up. We always felt welcomed around Jack and enjoyed playing and learning with him. He enjoyed life, (that was pretty obvious!), and he lived it to the full.

Public Service was a natural outlet for Jack Copeland. He served and enriched many non-profit groups including the Mammoth Hospital Board, Mammoth Lakes Foundation, Mammoth Chamber of Commerce and the PSIA Western Division Education Foundation. His ability to understand the needs of groups such as these was impressive, and his contributions were always valuable and useful.
Most of all, in the world of skiing Jack Copeland was a man of infinite curiosity and of continual learning. He was widely read and enjoyed discovering new ideas about teaching, learning and ski technique. He was always working on his own skiing and loved nothing more than to make high-speed GS turns on firm snow and feel the ski arcing beneath him. Kind of like flying.

Jack Copeland was a wonderful man and a class act. We miss him immensely and will forever cherish the gifts he gave us all. And, Kathy, we love you very much and we will continue our adventure with you here in Mammoth.

Written by John Armstrong
February 25th, 2020.

A Special Spring Convention Clinic for a cause

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New at the 2019 PSIA-W Convention is an Education Foundation Legends Clinic to benefit our Foundation. The three-hour clinic has a $25 premium on it which is a direct donation to our PSIA/AASI-W Education Foundation. In addition, the Western Division will donate another $25 to make a total donation of $50 on your behalf.

The Legends Clinic will be hosted by experienced clinicians John Armstrong, Jack Copeland and Blaine Lomen. We will do a sun-related tour of Mammoth Mountain and discuss recent technique developments and how they relate to the Good Old Days! Big emphasis on cruising, grins and giggles. Available Friday and Saturday morning at Convention – see you there, and thank you for helping our Foundation. Last year, $6,000 was awarded to 20 members to help them with their educational and certification goals.”

Blaine Lomen

Jack Copeland

These two clinics are limited to 24 participants per morning.

If you have already signed up for Convention and want to join one or both of the clinics, contact the office at 530-587-7642 or info@psia-w.org to be added to the list.

See the full Convention guide, clinic descriptions, schedule, and more in our Spring 2019 Edge Newsletter Here!

 

 

Sign up for Spring Convention and this clinic here

 

PSIA-W Education Foundation – where is the money going?

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Katherine Hayes Rodriguez.

Hello Members, As your new President of the PSIA-W Education Foundation, I am excited to build on this amazing legacy of helping instructors. Twenty- three years ago, I had the privilege to work with Greg Felsch and Blaine Lomen to form and incorporate the Foundation. I am very excited about the potential of the Foundation to make a positive impact on the PSIA-AASI membership and our community.

Originally, as a PSIA-West Board of Directors, we were looking at ways to fund some new on-snow educational products (such as Children’s events) and printed materials (such as the Master Plan) without having to raise event or membership fees. Over the years, the Foundation has been able to successfully nurture these kinds of programs until they are able to financially stand on their own. Examples include Women’s Summit, the Fall Professional Development Day, and lately, training and projects that help our education staff deliver the best possible on-snow experiences to our members. We also support the membership through individual scholarships for education, accreditation, and multi-day immersion events.

Our current Education Foundation Board is committed to energizing the Foundation.

Our plan is two-fold:

Through a solid core of investments create a sustainable amount of money to take us into the future. Our cumulative fund balances are currently hovering near $200,000. We have benefited from individual donations, as well as a rise in the stock market.

Conscientiously fund worthwhile projects each season. Our target is to ‘give back’ to the membership roughly 10% of our accumulated reserves each season. The math is simple. The more money we have the more we can responsibly distribute back to the members of the PSIA-W

On tap for this year:

• Sponsor the Oct. 14 Professional Development Day

• Provide individual Scholarships for deserving members

• Assist with funding for staff uniforms

• Create a fund to help volunteer Adaptive Instructors re-coop costs of certification

• Spruce up our ‘brand’ with a Foundation pamphlet and signage

We would appreciate your consideration of making a charitable donation to Education Foundation. A donation will directly support your fellow PSIA-W members in their pursuit of professionalism and excellence.

Please join me in thanking my fellow Ed Foundation Board members who give selflessly to our organization:

Blaine Lomen, Vice-President
Artie Castro, Treasurer
Dave Sutherland, Secretary
Nick Treat, Director at Large

This July 30th marked the 20th anniversary of the tragedy in Thredbo, Australia. In the dark of night 2 buildings collapsed under a mud and snow slide, killing 18 people. Two of those wonderful people were my very great friends Mike and Mariam Sodergren. This particular year because the anniversary year ends with a zero we purposely have Mike and Mim in our thoughts even more often. I hope you do too.
– Barclay Moore

This article appeared in print in our Fall Edge Newsletter in September 2017.

Education Foundation News

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The PSIA-W Education Foundation supports many educational events in the Western Division each season by providing financial assistance to members, member schools, and staff trainers.

More Information about the Ed Foundation

“The benefit of the Scholarship to me was that it enabled me to maintain my Level 1 Certification.” -Cari Kelley, PSIA Level 1

This important financial support helps members participate in educational events, helps member schools provide unique training opportunities for their staff, and sends staff and volunteers to national conferences and workshops. Your awareness of, and support for, the PSIA-W Education Foundation is vital to the strength of the western division’s teachers and the health of the snow-sports industry.

“Education advancement is the future and heart of what we do.” – Scotty Haines, Mammoth Ski and Snowboard School support events such as:

The PSIA Education Foundation supports events such as:

  • Professional Development Day
  • National Standards Conference
  • Member Schools Management Meetings
  • Education Staff Training
  • Resort Trainer, Mammoth Mountain
Donate Today

There are many ways you can help support ski and snowboard education in our division. Ask how you can get involved.

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