STRIDE News April 2014
9th Annual Wounded Warrior Snowfest
The 9th Annual Wounded
Warrior Snowfest welcomed
13 Warriors and their
families, joining for four days
in camaraderie to learn
adaptive skiing and
snowboarding. A private tour
of the NYS museum in
Albany kicked off the event,
prior to the Welcome
Ceremony, held at the Hilton
Garden Inn. The
Schenectady Pipe and Drum
Band, the LaSalle Institute
Color Guard and STRIDE's
Boot Camp Athletes
escorted the Warriors and
families to honor them for
their service and sacrifices.
WNYT News 13 Anchorman
Phil Bayly, and many
elected officials gave words
and proclamations.
A determined Cpl .Michael Kelsey learns to ski
Entertainment was provided
for the very first time, and finds freedom once
again!
by Dave Graham and Chris
Wisneski; and acappella groups Eliphalets and Dutch Pipers of
Union College.
23rd U.S. Army Chief of Chaplains Major General Donald L.
Rutherford gave the Invocation. The keynote address was given by
Mechanicville native Kevin Flike who gave a personal perspective of
being injured; and the worth of our efforts in Afghanistan.
April is Volunteerism Month!
Donate Now!
Support all our great programs & volunteers
with a donation in your fave volunteer's
name. Your donation is 100% tax deductible click on the Donate button for a secure online donation on our home page.
Sled Hockey News
The Capital District Sled Warriors have been
playing hard since early December and
competed in some great tournaments
throughout the Northeast. Their most recent
tournament in Skaneateles on March 22
resulted in a 1st place Championship Trophy!
The game ended in a 1-1 tie and in the
sudden death shootout the winning goal was
scored by Luke Wilson ~ STRIDE’s 2011
Athlete of the Year! Way to go Sled Warriors!!
Snowshoeing event organized
for VI and Blind Youth
SCORE hosted a first annual snowshoe trip
for 17 youth with visual impairments and
blindness in March. The day was complete
with roasting hotdogs and marshmallows
over the fire in the lodge! 10 degree temps
didn't stop these adventurous souls!
Benefit Dinner for STRIDE
Wounded Warrior Snowfest!
Patriotism was the theme at the 4th Annual
STRIDE dinner at St. John the Baptist
Shepherds for Lost Sheep presented Pedro Rosado, STRIDE Alumni Church in Valatie. The John J. Curran
Warrior with a service dog trained by their organization, in a
Knights of Columbus Council # 7606 hosted
special"Passing of the Leash" ceremony. Thanks to all who
with proceeds of $3,000 to benefit STRIDE’s
volunteered to make this weekend successful and to the generous
Wounded Warrior programs. Frank Szepessy
sponsorship from DSUSA Warfighter Sports, Veterans of
and wife Eileen planned the event. Frank
Lansingburgh; and all the VFW's and American Legion Posts. Photos Szepessy, a Vietnam vet who served in the
from the event can be found here.
U.S. Navy donated the food along with gift
cards generously donated by Price Chopper
and Shop Rite. Attendees were treated to a
pork roast dinner. The success of this annual
dinner is atrributed to Frank & Eileen's longtime commitment to STRIDE.
19th Annual Great Race at Jiminy Peak
Mountain Resort
Paralleling Sochi
Paralympic
games, it was a
day of
monumental
achievements on
the race course
Some of the participants at the 19th annual Great Race!
for 73 ski racers at
Jiminy Peak during STRIDE’s “Great Race / Diana Golden Mills Cup
Level I Adaptive Race” on Saturday, March 15th. The slopes were
perfect for the determined racers at this heartwarming event which
was open to all adaptive skiers of any age, skill level and disability.
Special thanks to our corporate sponsors: United Parcel Service
,Albany Hub and the Reno, Nevada branch, Jiminy Peak, Ski
Fanatics, Frito-Lay, Freihofer; and Hannaford Supermarkets; and
especially to Brunswick Boy Scout Troop #537 for providing the
outdoor barbeque, and to those who graciously supported our raffle.
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STRIDE Cares
Deepest Sympathies:
~ Brian and Gina Howard (family) on the
passing of Brian’s Dad
~ The family of former Ski Sundown
instructor, Dave Bolesh, on his passing
Get Well:
~ Get well wishes to Denise Tune after heart
surgery
~ Get Well Wishes to Warrior Jennifer
We extend our deepest appreciation to our phenomenal group of 100 Cabrera for a broken leg
dedicated volunteer ski instructors who give so much of their time,
~ Get well Wishes to Scott Frankel, Sue
energy and talents to support our programs. Finally, to the
Matthews, Tareq Hague, Mark McClenahan,
outstanding children and families who participate in our snowsports
Jake Martin, Olan Aldrich
program—you continue to keep us motivated to do the work that we
do. We hope to see you out there for the remainder of the season!
~Get Well Wishes to Bobbie Englisbe
Bowl-a-thon Returns & Succeeds!
Saturday, January
25 at Spare Time
in Latham. Thank
you to Diane
Grugan for her
hard work
organizing the
great fundraiser to
support her son’s
favorite STRIDE
Bowl-a-thon a big success!.
program! Raffle
prizes, and a 50/50 raffle brought in more than $1500 to support
future bowling programs.
Strides 4 STRIDE 5th annual 5K / Olympic Day
~ sponsored by SEFCU
Welcome:
~ New Honorary Board member, David A.
Paterson.
~ New Development Director for STRIDE,
Jamie Brough
Congratulations:
~ Congratulations to David Sussman, Kristin
Johnson and Jamie Brough on passing PSIA
Adaptive Level 1 certification!
~ Congratulations Tim Tagan on passing
PSIA Adaptive Level II certification!
~ Congratulations to Al Blanchard, Ski
Sundown Supervisor, who passed his Level I
Adaptive PSIA certification. Comes as no
surprise though, since he is already a Level
III cert Telemark skier!
Registration now
open! Saturday,
June 21, 2014 at
the Albany
Corning
~ Congratulations to Alumni Wounded
Preserve/Riverfront Park. STRIDE has teamed up with SEFCU
Warrior Pedro Rosado on his new service
Federal Credit Union as a title sponsor; and Fleet Feet 'No
Boundaries' program, a beginners running program. Walkers will also dog ‘TJ’.
enjoy the 2.5K family course . The day will tribute the US Olympics
as an official Olympic Day, featuring Olympic athletes. All racers are
encouraged to set up a personal fundraising page and collect
pledges for your race to benefit STRIDE to bring awareness for
athletes with disabilities. Set up your page today
Register now! Register early to receive STRIDE runner dri-fit shirt to
the first 300 runners!
STRIDE Support: Donations Since January!
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the following groups, clubs and
individuals for their financial and in-kind support. These contributions help
make STRIDE Adaptive programs possible!
Bank of America
Barry & Kimberly Trotz
Paul Rhoads
Renee & Peter Hallock
Rev. Alan Kinney
RPI Athletics
Ski Sundown Tip Jar
Spiro Socaris & Lisa Trubitt
Stewarts Shops
Albany Police Officers Union
Albany Police Supervisors Assn.
American Legion Bentley-Trumble Post 442
American Legion Boquet Valley Post 551
American Legion Capt. Maxson Post # 634
American Legion Chas Miller Post 140
American Legion Colon Couch
American Legion Columbia Lodge # 98
American Legion Gerald O'Neil Post # 1683
American Legion Hally Allen Post #1341
American Legion Lancaster Post # 96
American Legion Little Neck-Douglas Post # 103
American Legion Mohawk Post # 1450
American Legion Post # 1045
American Legion Post # 1250
American Legion Post # 1342
American Legion Post # 526
American Legion Post # 535 Riders
American Legion Post #224
American Legion Post #489
American Legion Post #916
American Legion Post 335 Lynbrook
American Legion Post 340 Sheffield
American Legion Post 38
American Legion Quentin Roosevelt Post # 4
American Legion Sackett Merrill White Post
American Legion Taconic Valley Post # 937
American Legion Woodhaven Post # 118
Amy DiSanto
Arsenal Business & Technology Partnership
Ballston Spa B.P.O.E. 2619
Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc. Capital Region Chapter #2
Capital District Chapter Military Officers of America
Castleton Memorial VFW Post # 7337
Chatham Hardware, Inc.
DSUSA
Edward C. Seymour VFW Post # 1231
Esperance Elks No. 2507
Farm Family Insurance
Frank & Don Slingerland
Frank Szepessy
Franklin Lodge #90 F. & A.M.
Guilderland Elks #2480
Gurtler Brow. VFW Post #420
Hudson River Tractor Co.
Jennifer & Ed Scheiber Jr.
Jiminy Peak Condo Association
John J Curran Council of the Knights of Columbus
Justin Couts
Ken & Jeanette Wilber
Kinderhook Elks Lodge # 2530
Marietta Friess
Mark Hatfield
Mark's Pizza
Marsha McMullin and David Johnson
Mary T. Wilson
Mr. & Mrs. Murphy
Nat'l Association of Letter Carriers Branch 29 Albany
NYS Dept. of Health Division of Nutrition
Old Saratoga Post #278 of the American Legion
Paul & Marie Claire Richter
Paul Hauschen
Governor David A. Paterson –
New STRIDE Honorary Board
Member
STRIDE is honored to announce that we are
adding a new Honorary Board Member Governor David A. Paterson. Paterson's
professional and personal accomplishments
as a person, who has been blind since shortly
after birth, are simply amazing! We welcome
his endorsement to STRIDE and particularly
to all the youth programs we are providing for
visually impaired and blind athletes.
Spring and Summer Programs
are Scheduled!
Swim, Bike, Hike, Dance, Golf, Tennis,
Whitewater Raft, and Tent-camping! It’s
that time of year again! All of our Spring and
Summer activites can be found on our
website Calendar. Go to www.stride.org and
click on the calendar of events on the rightr
column of the home page.
Bike Camp June 23th- June 27th is ‘I Can
Ride’ Bicycle Camp returning to the Achilles
Rink at Union College! STRIDE partners with
Albany Chapter of Autism Society to offer this
specialized program to teach kids how to ride
a bike in one short week! Collaborating with “I
Can Shine”, traveling bike trainers who utilize
specialized equipment to assist our riders,
with a fleet of adaptive bikes specifically
designed to ensure success. Statistical
evidence shows success in populations such
Autism or Down syndrome; and 98% learn
how to ride by camp’s end!
The program can enroll up to 40 ambulatory
participants, and 4 wheelchair athletes who
will concurrently learn to ride on state-of-theart hand-cycles. We are currently accepting
reservations, and expect to fill the program.
Coming Soon...Archery and Yoga!
To register for any program, call Mark
Moran (518) 598-1279. Participants must
have an application on file.
RPI Hockey -Military
Appreciation Game
STRIDE was the beneficiary of $2,300 gift
from RPI Athletics...thank you! STRIDE
Warriors Jake Martin, Chelsea Valente,
Jeremy Walton, Olan Aldrich, and Roman
Goddeau were honored on the ice and
watched the game in style in the VIP suite.
Perinton Memorial Post # 8495
Peter C. Vail
Plastic Extruded Parts
Prince-Wynn VFW Post # 160
Queensbury VFW # 6196
RADM Martin Leukhardt, USNR Ret.(& Mrs.)
Red Hook VFW Post # 7765
Ridge Webster VFW Post # 9483
Sgt. Joyce Kilmer American Legion Post # 55
Sgt. Peter F. Colleran Jr. VFW Post #7763
Sons of the American Legion
Stewarts Shops
Sue B. Delp
SWANY
Tenth Mountain Division Foundation Inc.
The Side Door Grill
Ticonderoga American Legion Post 224
Troy Detachment Marine Corps League
Trustco Bank
US Army Warrant Officer Assn., Uncle Sam Chapter
VFW Bethlehem
VFW Post # 358
VFW Sgt. Walter P. Eggleston Post # 7128
Watervliet City VFW Post # 729
Waverly VFW Post # 8104
William & Erica Accousti
Williamstown American Legion Post 152
Yonkers VFW City Post #1666
*If you have made a donation and your name is not listed, we apologize for the error.
Any omission is purely accidental. We appreciate every donation and couldn’t function
without your support and generosity.
476 North Greenbush Rd. #9, Rensselaer, NY 12144 Phone: 518.598.1279
Email: info@stride.org Website: www.stride.org