1. sports
2. skiing

SKI FOR LIGHT, INC.
1455 West Lake Street
Minneapolis, MN 55408
www.sfl.org
(612) 827-3232
Ski for Light
2014 ANNUAL REPORT
President’s Letter
T
he 2014 Ski for Light International event held in Anchorage,
Alaska, will be remembered for great skiing at Kincaid Park, the
fun and fellowship of many off-snow activities, warm hospitality from
our hosts in Anchorage, and the excitement of the Iditarod’s ceremonial
start. Despite some weather-related challenges, the 39th SFL International week was indeed a success. We welcomed many new participants
and guides to the Ski for Light family—along with a rare two-legged
moose, who also makes an appearance in these pages—and we reached
out to many beyond our circle, by taking part in such events as the
25-kilometer Tour of Anchorage and the Running of the Reindeer. I
Scott McCall at the start of
the 2014 Tour of Anchorage,
believe Alaska will remember us, for better or worse!
in which some two dozen Ski
We also sent four outstanding representatives to Norway for the 2014
for Light participants and guides
Ridderrenn, the event that served as the model for Ski for Light. I know you’ll
took part.
enjoy reading Andrea Goddard’s wonderful account of the team’s adventures in
Beitostølen, and all the other good news shared here.
Now it’s time to turn our attention to the celebration of Ski for Light’s 40th
anniversary. On January 25, 2015, more than 250 of us will gather in Granby,
Colorado, to begin another week of skiing, sharing, and learning. This is truly a
unique experience, where terms like “disabled” and “handicapped” do not seem
to apply. As a totally blind person who has participated
in numerous social and professional organizations, I can
“This is truly a unique
honestly say that the focus on equality and ability that
exist during an SFL week is unmatched.
experience, where terms
None of this could happen without generous support
like ‘disabled’ and
from you, all our individual donors, the Sons of Norway,
our corporate sponsors, a growing number of foundations,
‘handicapped’ do not
and hundreds of volunteers. Your generosity is greatly
seem to apply.”
appreciated.
Thank YOU.
Sincerely,
Scott McCall,
Ski for Light President
Contents
About Us
2014 Program Highlights
Endowment Fund
Contributors
Financial Summary
Board of Directors
2
4
8
9
14
16
Ski for Light annual report • 1
About Us
“If I can do
this, I can do
anything.”
—Ski for Light
motto
Clockwise from above:
rookie guide Janelle Goehle
with her aunt, guide
Lynn Posey; 93-year-old
blind skier Charlie Wirth
and 83-year-old guide
Gunvor Satra at the 2014
Ridderrenn in Norway;
Maya Jonas and Jim
Steele train new guides
in Anchorage; Deb Wiese
and guide Wendy Gould
negotiate a downhill; and
veteran MIP Dianne
Brunswick skis with Svein
Thorstensen, Heather Hall,
and Tim Byas.
S
ki for Light, Inc. is an all-volunteer,
nonprofit organization founded in
1975, modeled on a similar program
in Beitostølen, Norway. We have yearround offshoots across the country, but
our primary endeavor is a week-long
international event each winter in which
blind and mobility-impaired adults are
taught the basics of cross-country skiing.
They leave Ski for Light with a sense of
accomplishment and motivation that
often carries over to the rest of their lives
back home.
Each visually impaired participant
(“VIP”) is paired for the week with an
experienced, sighted cross-country skier
who acts as ski instructor and guide.
The disabled person skis in tracks or
grooves groomed into the snow, while
the guide skis in a parallel set of tracks.
The guide provides directions and skiing
tips, gives support and encouragement,
and describes the countryside. For our
mobility-impaired participants (“MIPs”),
who propel themselves in sit-skis, the
guide sometimes lends extra muscle when
the pair heads uphill or veers off-track.
Our people
A
s many as 300 people attend each
event. The blind and mobilityimpaired adults who participate as skiers
come from all over the United States
and from several foreign countries.
Many wish to become more physically
active and fit, and to find recreational
opportunities that are lacking at home.
The volunteer guides who attend
Ski for Light pay the same event fees
as disabled skiers. Their motivation is
simple: to share a favorite activity with
someone who would otherwise not have
the opportunity to participate. Most of
these guides discover that in the process
of giving of themselves, they are getting
more in return. Many come back year
after year.
Our places
T
he location of the event changes
from year to year in an effort to
spread the Ski for Light concept to as
many parts of the country as possible.
In recent years, we have gathered in
North Conway, New Hampshire; Bend,
Oregon; Provo, Utah; Bellaire, Michigan,
and Anchorage, Alaska. The 2015 event,
our 40th anniversary celebration, will be
in Granby, Colorado, with skiing at Snow
Mountain Ranch, the YMCA of the
Rockies.
2 • Ski for Light annual report
How it works
A
ll first- and second-year guides
arrive a day early for a guiding
boot camp. In teams, each led by an
experienced skier-guide pair, the new
guides head out to the ski area and rotate
through a series of learning stations—
from simple orientation to skis and snow,
which includes making sure the skier
is properly dressed for the day, to such
advanced techniques as the herringbone
(for uphill climbing) and the snowplow
(for controlling speed on a downhill run).
The guides learn how to break each skill
down to its component parts. They learn
how to replace a visual demonstration
with words and, in some cases, touch.
New guides also learn useful
vocabulary—“tips left” signals a lefthand turn, for example, while “track
left” signals a lateral move with skis
parallel and body facing forward—and
how to indicate the severity of turns or
inclines by using a number-rating system,
clock face or compass symbols. Most
importantly, guides learn how to ensure
everyone’s safety by constantly assessing
their skiers’ abilities and comfort level, by
using proper trail etiquette and, as a last
resort, shouting the “Sit!” command for
an emergency stop.
In practice, though, “how it works”
varies with each skier-guide pair. It can
even vary from day to day, as the kind
of input the skier needs from the guide
changes due to trail conditions, visibility
(many SFL participants are partially
sighted), and the skier’s own improving
abilities and confidence.
Join the SFL family
G
o to www.sfl.org, Like us on
Facebook, or call (612) 827-3232 to
request more information.
Ski for Light annual report • 3
Program Highlights
International
Week
By Julie Coppens and Peter Slatin
“We all have
different
disabilities.”
—Lucy Zapata,
blind skier,
2014 Jan Haug
Award winner
A
laska has always attracted bold spirits,
and Lucy Zapata is no exception.
She’s part of a Phoenix-based group
called Daring Adventurers, whose members
all have varying physical abilities but share
a love of travel and the outdoors, along with
a certain fearlessness. Even among that
intrepid company, the 45-year-old Lucy is
known as a daredevil.
“I’m one of those people who will jump
off a cliff,” she said. “I’ve always been a gogetter.”
Still, Lucy recalled some anxiety about
making the trek to Anchorage in February
2014 for her first Ski for Light International
Event. Though she had been snowboarding,
before losing her sight to lupus as a young
adult, “I had never cross-country skied
before. They”—meaning her fellow Daring
4 • Ski for Light annual report
Adventurers—“kind of pushed me into it. I
was nervous. I had never traveled to Alaska,
but I’d wanted to for a long time. This
seemed like the perfect opportunity.”
It was SFL’s third visit to Anchorage,
and as in 2003, unseasonably warm
temperatures made for less-than-ideal skiing
conditions. The skilled groomers at Kincaid
Park managed to provide four days’ worth
of excellent tracks, on well-designed fiveand ten-kilometer trails, but a Thursday
meltdown turned the park’s stadium into
a slush pool, which froze overnight into a
sheet of glass. The impassable, iced-over
trails forced a cancellation of Friday’s Race/
Rally—only the second time in SFL’s thirtynine years that the culminating event had to
be surrendered.
“That was a bummer,” Lucy admitted,
but she and her fellow skiers grabbed
the opportunity to turn the day around.
Volunteers organized exercise classes, a
walking tour of downtown Anchorage, and
other activities to keep everyone busy until
Saturday’s ceremonial start of the Iditarod.
Ski for Lighters turned out in force to cheer
on more than sixty teams of sled dogs and
mushers—and their starting companion
riders, including first-time SFL guide Ingrid
O’Connor of New Jersey. As the winner of a
special IditaRider raffle that netted $2,000
for Ski for Light, Ingrid bundled up in a sled
driven by Norway’s Joar Leifseth Ulsom and
set off along an eleven-mile preview of the
Last Great Race on Earth, an unforgettable
journey she described vividly for the rest of
us at that evening’s banquet. Eight grueling
days later, Ulsom finished the thousand-mile
Iditarod in fourth place.
Earlier in the Ski for Light week, Lucy
Zapata faced her own trail challenges—
particularly some uphill stretches unlike
anything she’d encountered back in Arizona,
“Sharing my love of cross-country skiing and
making it possible for someone else to experience the
joy of skiing is very rewarding. It is wonderful to see
skiers improve and master an activity they did not
think they could participate in. I hope I will be able
to continue for many more years ”
—Bjorg Dunlop, 2014 Bjarne Eikevik President’s Award recipient
which demanded new skills.
“Every time I tried to get up the hill,
I didn’t know where to put my feet, and I
kept sliding backwards,” Lucy recalled. But
daily group lessons led by some of SFL’s
resident Nordic experts helped Lucy begin
to master the herringbone (for climbing), the
snowplow (for slowing down and stopping),
and other important techniques. “I would
recommend the classes to everyone. They
helped me have a lot more courage to get out
there on the trails and not be afraid.”
Lucy and her guide, Carol Gary, also
developed a countdown system for timing
transitions—for instance, Carol might warn
Lucy that the tracks were about to wash out
“in three… two… one,” enabling the blind
skier to adjust her stance at just the right
moment. “It’s harder for me to visualize feet
or yards or something happening in ten
seconds,” Lucy explained, though other skierguide pairs might find those measures useful.
By the second or third day the partners had
their lingo down, and Lucy was skiing so
well, and smiling so much, that the Ski for
Light leadership tapped her for the Jan Haug
Award. Like most past recipients of this
annual memorial tribute to an enthusiastic
first-timer, Lucy had no idea such an honor
existed, or that the prize was a brand-new set
of skis, boots, and poles for her next Daring
Adventure.
“Carol heard the announcement [at the
closing-night banquet in Anchorage], and she
said, ‘You won some skis!’ And I said, ‘What
are you talking about?’ She had to explain
it to me afterwards. I was like, ‘So people
were watching me this whole time?!” Lucy
laughed. “It was just overwhelming. We had
some tears of joy after that.”
In addition to the fine skiing at Kincaid
Park (while it lasted), Lucy enjoyed the
fun evening activities, exploring the ice
sculptures in Anchorage Park, learning about
local history, and getting a (warmish) taste of
an Alaskan winter. “I’d never been on a real
sleigh ride before—that was awesome. And
I met a lot of great people,” she added, while
getting a fresh perspective on her own socalled disability.
“We all have different disabilities,” she
said. “None of us judge anybody. I see us all
as one. We’re all there for the same reasons—
to have fun, to learn from each other and
support each other. This is such a great event.
I felt nothing but kindness the whole time I
was there.”
Opposite page, from
top: Lucy Zapata (right)
with guide Carol Gary
at the SFL 2014 awards
banquet; guide Peter Mjos,
of Anchorage, crests a hill
with blind skier Barbara
Lewis, from New London,
Connecticut.
This page, from top:
outgoing SFL president
Marion Elmquist (left)
honors Bjorg Dunlop
with the Bjarne Eikevik
President’s Award;
below, blind skier Claude
Cavaillier, from France,
and guide Betty Johnson
from Minnesota, have an
unexpected encounter with
some Alaska wildlife.
Ski for Light annual report • 5
Program Highlights
Ridderrenn 2014
By Andrea Goddard
P
“Unless you
get outside
that front door,
adventures are
never going to
happen.”
—Tim McCorcle,
blind skier,
2014 Ridderrenn
Team
edaling “to nowhere” on a stationary
bike in 2011, Tim McCorcle was
certainly ready for a new chapter in his life.
He had been very athletic growing up, with
the help of his then peripheral vision, but as
his eyesight deteriorated in his thirties, he’d
gradually given up the sports he’d loved.
Biking, baseball, softball… by the mid
’90s, Tim was out of the game. Once an
enthusiastic alpine skier as well, Tim decided
the risk to other skiers he could no longer
see was too great. He put down his poles,
thinking he’d never ski again.
“There’s got to be more out there,”
Tim thought as he got off the exercise bike.
Googling “Nordic skiing” and “blindness,”
he began to see a way forward. The Ski for
Light 2012 annual event was approaching,
set for Provo, Utah, and Tim had some
dreams to live out—both his own, and those
of his Dad, whom Tim had lost to cancer
just months before.
“I wondered whether my dreams for
myself died with him, along with his dreams
for me,” Tim reflected. He took a deep
breath, and applied to attend the week.
“Unless you get outside that front door,
adventures are never going to happen.”
During that first ski week in Provo,
Tim was heartened to meet other blind
skiers and some guides from his home area
of Puget Sound, Washington. Thriving on
the companionable ease of the working
relationship with his guide that first year,
Tim realized, “I can do this, and it feels
exactly the same as it used to.” Though he
fell a lot his first day out, his confidence and
skiing ability were soon back where they’d
used to be. “The sound of gliding across the
6 • Ski for Light annual report
snow and clicking into the skis felt good
and right. It’s as close as I’ll ever get to
being truly independent, going at speed… a
freedom I only get to experience when I’m
skiing.”
Two years later, Tim ventured a little
further out that front door—to Beitostølen,
Norway, where he joined visually impaired
skier Bonnie O’Day, from Alexandria,
Virginia, and longtime guides Lynn and
Jerry Cox, from Excelsior, Minnesota, as
U.S. representatives to the Ridderrenn.
Now in its fifty-second year, the Norwegian
Ridderrenn, or Knight’s Race, is where the
Ski for Light concept was born, and it brings
together hundreds of athletes of all abilities
from all over the world for a week of Nordic
events. I was fortunate enough to experience
the Ridderrenn myself, in 2013, and it was
wonderful to relive it vicariously, through
Tim’s and the others’ recollections.
Though Jerry Cox had guided visually
impaired and blind skiers for seventeen
years at that point, and Lynn had guided for
eleven years, the couple still were delightfully
surprised when Ski for Light chose them to
make up half of the official Ridderrenn team.
They’d thought that being sent to Norway
was an honor bestowed on rather young,
up-and-coming or quite athletic skiers in
the organization, and were pleased beyond
measure to be reminded that the spirit of
SFL could be lived out, no matter one’s age
or level of ability.
Bonnie O’Day, whose own journey
with Ski for Light began in 2000, was the
one member of the team to have been to the
Ridderrenn previously (accompanying her
husband, Bob Hartt). Having partial vision,
Bonnie hadn’t participated in competitive
sports at all before SFL, though she’d been
dedicated to pursuits such as swimming and
other forms of exercise. When she began
skiing, she said, things shifted for her: “It’s
really fun for me to be able to compete and
do well, and SFL has motivated me to stay
fit.” Packing up her ski gear to head back
to Norway was just the next step on that
path of personal wellness and achievement,
and she felt ready. Her luggage, though,
had other ideas: Bonnie spent much of the
2014 trip separated from her misrouted
belongings, but thanks to her new and old
friends in Norway, she had what she needed.
It was about 60 degrees Fahrenheit when
the Americans landed in Oslo that Saturday
in March. Having some time to relax after
arriving at the hotel, Tim joined up with
Lynn and Jerry and some others in the
group to wander around downtown. “The
tables at the outdoor cafes were jammed,
and the city hummed with enthusiasm and
with the optimism of a spring day. I heard
kids skateboarding and laughing, and kids’
laughter sounds the same in any language.”
Ridderweek had its ups and downs for
the SFL team. Whether it was a broken ski
pole the first day out on the first fifty feet
of the trail, or missing ski gear, or physical
illness, or needing to mix and match
skiers and guides to find the most effective
pairings, flexibility and forward momentum
proved essential. The Beitostølen trails did
their part: the snow and tracks were hard
and fast in
the mornings,
slowing a bit
later in the day.
“The skis
make a certain
music—the
sound of the
swish-swish,
the poles, and
the glide,” Lynn
mused. “There
were constant
straightaways
where you could
keep a rhythm
for so long!” She
and Jerry spoke
of what they
most enjoyed
about guiding: the “aha” moment when a
skier first masters a new skill.
The teammates also recalled the
inspiring example of two Ski for Light
veterans—blind skier Charlie Wirth, age 93,
and 83-year-old guide Gunvor Satra—who
seemed to share a dynamic week, on and off
the snow. As Charlie’s roommate, Tim felt he
learned much about dignity, and about how
he’d like to live his own life. Jerry and Lynn,
for their part, felt renewed and invigorated
to continue guiding, though they sometimes
struggle with the ways their bodies have
changed with age and use.
Having enjoyed a successful week on her
skis, Bonnie left Beitostølen ready to head
home. Unfortunately, one of her bags got left
behind… again… and she was pleased and
touched when one of the King’s Guard drove
it all the way down to Oslo for her.
Bonnie, Tim, Lynn, and Jerry
expressed a deep appreciation for the
generosity, warmth, and open-heartedness
of the Norwegian people, and of the other
Ridderrenn participants. The experience
helped make the world feel a little smaller for
them, in all the right kinds of ways.
There is more out there, Tim
discovered—and you can’t get there on a
stationary bike.
Above, the 2014 SFL
Ridderrenn team in
Beitostølen: Bonnie O’Day
(from left), Lynn Cox, Jerry
Cox, and Tim McCorcle.
Opposide page: Tim
McCorcle with Norwegian
guide Anne-Grethe
Espeseth.
Ski for Light annual report • 7
Endowment Fund
C
ontributions to the Endowment
Fund are invested to ensure that
Ski for Light will glide along for years
to come. We gratefully acknowledge
those who made contributions to the
fund between December, 2013, and
November, 2014:
Janis Andol
Doug Boose (In memory of Bruce
Scharfenberg and in honor of Grant
Scharfenberg’s high school graduation)
Dede Chinlund
David Fisk
Ju-yeong Lee
Carl Richardson
Virginia Stillman (in honor of
Joan Holcombe)
Arni Thomson
Charles Wirth
Karen Wedde
“The spirit of the program, the treasured
friendships, and the fun
throughout the week have made SFL
an annual cherished experience with
memories that will last forever.“
—Don Perlman and Eileen Goff,
longtime participants and supporters from New Jersey,
pictured at right snowshoeing in Anchorage
8 • Ski for Light annual report
D
Friends of
Ski for Light
uring the year we welcomed
Janis Andol, Dede Chinlund,
Ju-yeong Lee, Carl Richardson
and Arni Thomson as new Life
Members of Friends of Ski for
Light. They join 359 individuals
or couples who previously became
Life Members of Friends of Ski for
Light by donating $400 or more
to the SFL Endowment Fund, or
because someone else donated that
amount in their honor. For the
complete roster of Life Members,
visit www.sfl.org/life.html.
We thank all of them for their
investment in the future of Ski for
Light, and for their commitment
to the program.
Contributors
W
e gratefully acknowledge all the
generous individuals, foundations,
corporations and Sons of Norway lodges
that helped us with general operating
support from December, 2013, through
November, 2014.
Racers
($2,500 and beyond)
Delta Gamma Foundation
Statoil
The Flatley Foundation
The Gibney Family Foundation
The Sence Foundation
The TJX Foundation
Double Polers
($1,000-$2,499)
Ann Fagan
Jean Replinger (Goodfellow fund in
honor of Scott McCall)
Harry and Carol Woehrle
Harry and Carol Woehrle (Goodfellow
fund)
Anne and Phil Zink
Sons of Norway Foundation
Thistle Foundation
“SFL has given me the opportunity to travel
to many places and meet many, many people
from all over the United States.
I have made some great friendships and skied
with wonderful guides who have helped me
on and off the slopes.”
—Simon Butler, visually impaired skier, United Kingdom,
pictured above with guide Sonja Baker of New Jersey
Gliders ($500-$999)
Einar Bergh
Joe and Suzanne Brown
Trond S. Jensen
John and Shelley Lamoreaux
Marvin Liewer
Leslie Maclin (Goodfellow fund)
Bonnie O’Day and Robert Hartt
John Paxman
Richard and Priscilla Schmeelk
David Sweeny (Goodfellow fund)
Archer Daniels Midland Co.
Sons of Norway District 2
Waxers ($100-$499)
Renee Abernathy
James and Patience Barnes (Goodfellow
fund)
Daniel Beckman (Goodfellow fund in
honor of Scott McCall)
Ski for Light annual report • 9
Contributors continued
“Just going
skiing
can change
a person’s
whole life.”
—George Wurtzel,
veteran blind skier
Erling Berg (Goodfellow fund)
John Birdsong
Doug Boose (in honor of Deanna
McVeigh and JoAnne Jorud)
Nancy Brown (Goodfellow fund)
Judith Chapman
Robert Civiak
Lee Coleman (in honor of Jean
Replinger)
Julie Coppens (in memory of Bob
Stevenson)
Gerald and Lynn Cox
Gerald and Lynn Cox (Goodfellow fund
in honor of Jean Replinger)
Jean Cronje
Liv Dahl
Robert Denholm
Bjorg Dunlop
Donald Eddy
David Epstein
Sarah G. Epstein
Margaret Erickson (Goodfellow fund)
Duane Farrar (Goodfellow fund)
Silas and Olivia Ford
Susan Friedman (in memory of Richard
Friedman)
Nancy Gerber
Marilyn Gerhard
Paul and Nina Goddard
D
Paul and Nina Goddard (in honor of
Andrea Goddard)
Eileen Goff (Goodfellow fund in honor
of Arne Landvik-Larsen)
Barbara Guinn (in memory of Olav
Pedersen)
Walter and Ardis Hammen (Goodfellow
fund in memory of Mary Lou
Goodfellow)
John Hegge
Eivind Heiberg (Goodfellow fund)
Carlton and Lauren Heine
Wegard Holby (in memory of Aase
Holby)
Leslee Lane Hoyum (in memory of Bud
Keith, Bjarne Eikevik and Egil Almaas)
William and Chris Jansen (Goodfellow
fund)
JoAnne Jorud (Goodfellow fund in
memory of Loraine Mattison)
Jeff Knox (Goodfellow fund in memory
of Velma McMeekin)
Marit and Orlyn Kringstad (in honor of
Leif Andol)
Rick Lipsey
Karen and David Lukacsena (Goodfellow
fund)
Liv Markle (Goodfellow fund in memory
of Brit Peterson)
The Goodfellow Fund
onations earmarked for the Goodfellow Fund are used for guide stipends and guide training at the
International Event. The fund was created in 1990 in honor and memory of Marilou Goodfellow, a
longtime guide at the Puget Sound Regional and the International Ski for Light programs. Goodfellow’s
life ended too soon, the result of an accident. Among the many lives she touched was that of Nancy
McKinney, her niece, who began guiding at her suggestion and eventually went on to become Ski for
Light president.
10 • Ski for Light annual report
Scott and Marilyn McCall
Norma Jean McCorcle
Carolee Miller
Oral Miller (in memory of Bud Keith
and Diane Lemke)
Don Morrow
George Moss
John and Cynthia Olnes
Judy Paul (Goodfellow fund)
Stephen Pearlman (in honor of Peter
Slatin)
Suzanne Pedersen (in memory of Olav
Pedersen)
Don Perlman (Goodfellow fund in honor
of Sonja Baker)
Don Perlman (Goodfellow fund in honor
of Jim Steele)
Gunvor Satra
Larry Showalter (in memory of Bob
Stevenson)
Stony Stondall (Goodfellow fund)
Grethe Winther
Romelle Wojahn (Goodfellow fund in
honor of Brenda Seeger)
Arlington Host Lions Charities, Inc.
Lino Lakes Lions Club
Norwegian Society of Washington, D.C.
Synnove-Nordkap Lodge 1-008
Kristiania Lodge 1 047
Nordic Lodge 1-502
Solglimt Lodge 1-547
Solskinn Lodge 1-550
Norsota Lodge 1-602
Elveby Lodge 1-604
Harald Haarfager Lodge 2-011
Grieg Lodge 2-015
Fedrelandet Lodge 2-023
Svalbard Lodge 2-033
Odin Lodge 2-041
Columbia Lodge 2-058
Lauderdale Lodge 3-475
Hampton Roads Lodge 3-522
Thor Lodge 4 067
Sverdrup Lodge 4-107
Lodsen Lodge 4-138
Blind skier and new SFL
board member Krista
Erickson, left, from
Mundelein, Illinois, with
first-year guide Haim
Wenger from Anchorage,
in the beautifully groomed
tracks at Kincaid Park.
Corporate supporters
O
ur thanks go to the following companies that have
provided products or services to help support Ski
for Light. Many of these companies have stood behind
us for years—and we’re grateful.
JanSport
Acorn
Baggallini
Blue Ridge Chair Works
Borton Overseas Travel
Bridgedale Socks
Byer of Maine
Camelbak
Clif Bar
Columbia
Cowbells.com
Crazy Creek
Dansko
Darn Tough Socks
Eagle Creek
ECOS LLC
FasterSkier.com
Fox River Mills
Haiku
Honey Stinger
Hydro Flask
Independent Living Aids
Kavu
Klean Kanteen
Leki
Liberty BottleWorks
Live Eyewear
McConnell Design &
Printing Co.
Olly Dog
Patagonia
PEET Shoe Dryers
Peppers Polarized Eyewear
Polar Bottle
Powertraveller
Ruffwear
Sierra Designs
SportHill
Turtle Fur
Ski for Light annual report • 11
Contributors continued
“I used to
be able to do
things like this
myself. Now,
with a guide,
I can move
freely again.
That’s just a
tremendous
gift.”
Wergeland Lodge 4-247
Sidney Lodge 4-489
Smaa Fjell Lodge 4-557
Nordlandet Lodge 5-620
Edvard Grieg Lodge 5-657
Roald Amundsen Lodge 6-048
Sol Byer Lodge 6-134
Vestafjell Lodge 6 146
Desert Troll Lodge 6 165
Sons of Norway District 3
—Chris Leghorn,
visually impaired
skier, pictured
above in Anchorage
First-time VIP Eliza
Cooper, from Brooklyn,
New York, with
guide Joan Holcombe,
from Lebanon, New
Hampshire. Both ladies
made an impact on the
Anchorage event: Eliza
with her incredible skiing,
Joan by helping to raise
more than $2,000 for
Ski for Light through a
memorable stunt involving
a herd of reindeer run
amok and some gutsy SFL
men. We’ ll say no more
about it.
12 • Ski for Light annual report
Friends ($50-$99)
Jim and Sharon Allen (Goodfellow fund)
Robert and Koni Arnold
Helene Baouendi
Kathleen Barkmeier (Goodfellow fund)
Larry Behne (in memory of Bud Keith)
Sue Birdsong (in honor of Suzanne
Brown)
William Burgunder
Jody Carman (Goodfellow fund)
Karin Grossman (Goodfellow fund)
Ray Charles Harrison
Gary Hayward (in memory of Tim
Hayward)
Chelsea Hill
Linda Hill
Julie Hobart (Goodfellow fund in honor
of Eileen Goff and Don Perlman)
Susan Hooker (Goodfellow fund)
Leslee Lane Hoyum (Goodfellow fund in
honor of Leif Andol)
Billie Jean Keith (in memory of Bud
Keith)
Caroline Lavanhar (Goodfellow fund)
Helen McIntyre
Sharon McKinley (Goodfellow fund)
Geoff Miller (in honor of Carolee Miller)
Jody and Grady Miller
Scott Miller (Goodfellow fund in honor
of Carolee Miller)
Inger Moen
Astrid and Ken Mullen
A.N. and Inger Olsen
Helge Rommesmo (Goodfellow fund in
honor of Leif Andol)
Megan Schrauben
Carol and Frank Schultz
Dennis Sorheim (Goodfellow fund in
honor of Leif Andol)
Erlene Stevenson (in memory of Bob
Stevenson)
Sheila Styron (Goodfellow fund)
Haarfager Lodge 1-040
Fedraheimen Lodge 1-059
Valdres Lodge 1-503
“SFL has
Elvidal Lodge 1-509
motivated me to
Vennekretsen Lodge 1-559
Norskfodt Lodge 1-590
stay fit.”
Marsteinen Lodge 1 596
Hjemkomst Lodge 1-599
—Bonnie O’Day,
Elvedalen Lodge 2-129
visually impaired skier,
Norge Lodge 3-337
Bondelandet Lodge 3-612
2014 Ridderrenn Team
Mollargutten Lodge 4-478
Trollhaugen Lodge 5-417
Sonja Henie Lodge 5-490
Stein Fjell Lodge 6-114
F
In memoriam
irst Aid Bob was an apt nickname for
longtime friend and volunteer Bob
Stevenson, of Edmonds, Washington,
who died in October. Bob attended the
International SFL event eleven times,
usually with his wife Erlene. Along with
guiding many skiers over the years, he
tended our blisters and bruises, bandaged
our pride, and taught us how to avoid more
serious injuries. “Bob was always ready
to help in whatever way needed, offering
a friendly smile, a positive outlook, and
encouraging words,” Larry Showalter said.
“He will be deeply missed by all.”
Ski for Light annual report • 13
Financial Summary
SKI FOR LIGHT, INC.
June 30, 2014 and 2013
Statements of Financial Position
ASSETS
2014
2013
CURRENT ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents
$83,894
$110,962
Prepaid expenses
$1,907 $969
TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS
$85,801 $111,931
PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT
Equipment
Less accumulated depreciation
NET PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT $0
$8,305
($8,305)
$0
OTHER ASSETS
Endowment investments
$392,286
$349,852
TOTAL ASSETS
$478,087 $461,783 UNRESTRICTED NET ASSETS
Undesignated
$85,800 $108,430
TEMPORARILY RESTRICTED NET ASSETS
Time and purpose restricted
$69,302
$39,193
$322,985
$314,160
$478,087
$461,783
NET ASSETS
PERMANENTLY RESTRICTED NET ASSETS
TOTAL NET ASSETS
The entire financial statement for fiscal years 2013 and 2014 is available upon request.
The most recent IRS Form 990 is also available upon request from the Ski for Light office.
14 • Ski for Light annual report
SKI FOR LIGHT, INC.
Statements of Activities and Changes in Net Assets
For the year ending June 30, 2014 and 2013
2014 2014 2014 2014 2013
UnrestrictedTemporarily PermanentlyTOTAL TOTAL
Restricted
Restricted
PUBLIC SUPPORT and REVENUE
PUBLIC SUPPORT
Contributions
Auction and raffle revenue
Direct costs of auction and raffle
TOTAL PUBLIC SUPPORT
$59,108
-
$8,825
$8,042
- ($2,020)
$65,130
-
$8,825
MERCHANDISE SALES
Revenue
$7,241
-
Cost of Sales
($2,235)
- NET MERCHANDISE SALES
$5,006
-
OTHER REVENUE
Participant fees
$216,925
-
Investment interest and dividends
$15
$13,981
Realized gain on investments -
$3,762
Unrealized gain on investments
-
$31,366 TOTAL OTHER REVENUE
$216,940
$49,109 Satisfaction of purpose restriction
$19,000
TOTAL PUBLIC SUPPORT and REVENUE $306,076
($19,000) $30,109
$67,933
$8,042
($2,020)
$73,955
$53,324
$7,567
- -
-
$7,241
($2,235)
$5,006
$10,579
($4,865)
$5,714
-
- - - - $216,925
$13,996 $3,762
$31,366
$266,049
$60,891
$214,331
$12,083
$14,060
$6,747
$247,221
-
-
$8,825
$345,010
$313,826
EXPENSES
PROGRAM SERVICES
SFL Event
Ridderrenn
TOTAL PROGRAM SERVICES
SUPPORTING ACTIVITIES
Administrative and General
Fundraising
TOTAL SUPPORTING ACTIVITIES TOTAL EXPENSES
$284,728
$7,449
$292,177
-
-
-
-
-
-
$284,728
$7,449
$292,177
$268,677
$10,167
$278,844
$29,277
$7,252
$36,529
-
-
-
-
-
-
$29,277
$7,252
$36,529
$22,351
$10,538
$32,889
-
-
$328,706
$311,733
$328,706
INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS ($22,630)
$30,109
$8,825
$108,430
$39,193
$314,160
$461,783
$459,690
$85,800
$69,302
$322,985
$478,087
$461,783
NET ASSETS, BEGINNING OF YEAR
NET ASSETS, END OF YEAR
$16,304
$2,093
Ski for Light annual report • 15
Board of Directors
S
Scott McCall accepts the
baton—the weight of the
world, actually—from
outgoing Ski for Light
president Marion Elmquist,
who led the origanization
for six successful years.
Scott previously served as
president from 1992-94,
and has been active in SFL
leadership for many years,
so we’re in good hands.
Robert Civiak, Director-at-Large
ki for Light, Inc. is an all-volunteer
Lebanon, New Hampshire
organization, managed by an elected
Marion Elmquist, Immediate Past
Board of Directors. The affairs of the
President
organization are managed between meetDes Moines, Iowa
ings of the full Board by an Executive
Committee of the Board. Board members
serve four-year terms; executive commitDirectors
tee members serve two-year terms. Here
Renee Abernathy - Dallas, North Carolina
is the roster for 2014-15.
Heather Berg - Colchester, Vermont
Wendy David - Seattle, Washington
Executive Committee
Krista Erickson - Mundelein, Illinois
Scott McCall, President
David Fisk - Post Mills, Vermont
Atlanta, Georgia
Nicole Haley - Peterborough,
Julie Coppens, Vice President
New Hampshire
Juneau, Alaska
Robert Hartt - Alexandria, Virginia
Judith Dixon, Secretary
Eivind Heiberg - Minneapolis, Minnesota
Arlington, Virginia
Ken Leghorn - Juneau, Alaska
Brenda Seeger, Treasurer
Leslie Maclin - Evanston, Illinois
Red Lake Falls, Minnesota
Tim McCorcle - Seattle, Washington
Cara Barnes, Director-at-Large
Bonnie O’Day - Alexandria, Virginia
Eureka, California
Laura Oftedahl - Berkeley, California
Lawrence Povinelli - Madison, Alabama
Holly Schmaling - Delafield, Wisconsin
Larry Showalter - Seattle, Washington
Peter Slatin - New York, New York
David Sweeny - Brooklyn, New York
Honorary Director:
Jon Tehven,
President, Sons of Norway
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Directors Emeritus
Leif Andol - Huron, South Dakota
Nancy McKinney - Seattle, Washington
Einar Bergh - Stavanger, Norway
Jean Replinger - Marshall, Minnesota
16 • Ski for Light annual report