Testimonial for Pierce

Joel, Mau, and Matt,

I wanted to write a thank you letter regarding the Stars of Tomorrow Camp in Steamboat this year. It was a first rate camp as usual. Our year wouldn’t be complete without attending one or two of your events.

First of all, thank you so much for the scholarship. I’m not sure if we could have made the trip without the financial help. I was happy to volunteer where I could to help earn my keep. I must say all the volunteers were first rate people, knowledgeable and motivated to help. I don’t know where you find them all, but keep up the good recruiting on the volunteer front. They really “make” the experience for the participants.

Pierce has the most fun on your trips. We went on a mountain trip last summer with another group and while it was fun, it just wasn’t quite the same. Adaptive Adventures lets the kids set their own pace and push themselves farther. That’s so important for Pierce. He hates to be treated like he’s made of glass or worse to have assumptions made about what he can’t do just because he’s in a wheelchair. I think a big part of your success with this has to do with limiting the participation to physical disabilities. Physical and cognitive disabilities have diff erent needs and I think it diminishes the experience for both groups if you try to be one size fits all.

I always describe Adaptive Adventures the same way to people. I tell people your organization was created to serve the spinal cord injury and amputee population and that you guys are basically a bunch of “adrenaline junkies with chairs and prosthetics.” Other groups that focus on kids with birth defects seem to coddle the kids too much and the organizations are more for the parents than the kids. I’ll tell people that Pierce fits in with your crowd much better and their child might benefit from doing a trip with Adaptive Adventures. I want you all to know how important I think it’s been for Pierce to be around Adaptive Adventures. He’s living life and not watching it, in large part from his exposure to Adaptive Adventures’ activities.

I guess I’m getting off subject a little. Pierce especially enjoyed the group (Chris and Stephanie) he skied with. I think he’s still texting them both. I know he’ll remember this trip for a long time and he’s really looking forward to the next one. Thanks again for everything you did on this trip and for future ones to come. - Bruce Grandchamp (Pierce’s Dad)

Pierce climbing in Evergreen 2005	Pierce riding at the Inaugural Stars of Tomorrow camp in 2003