Lake Tahoe boys and girls clubs receive $50,000 grants
Bill Rozak / Tahoe Daily Tribune
The boys and girls clubs on both shores of Lake Tahoe have received grants from Vail Resorts Ceo Rob Katz and his wife Elena Amsterdam, who have donated to youth organizations in communities where it does business.
The Boys & Girls Club of South Lake Tahoe and the Boys and Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe each received $50,000 out of the total $1.5 million donation to several clubs across the country.
The donations are part of a five-year, $10 million commitment from the Katz Amsterdam Charitable Trust and Vail Resorts to expand its youth access program and broaden engagement in skiing and riding. However, due to the challenges presented by COVID-19, this year’s grants will fund the top priorities determined by each organization for the kids they serve, said a press release.
“We’re honored to be partnering with these organizations now and look forward to our future efforts to enhance access to winter sports for underserved kids,” Katz said in the release. “As youth of color and their families have been especially hard hit by the pandemic, it’s essential that the nonprofits receiving grants this year are able to determine the best use for their community. All of these organizations have had to pivot their services due to COVID-19, and, additionally, many are helping the youth they serve find their voice to be part of the national dialogue on systemic racism.”
In Dec. 2019, Vail Resorts announced an initiative to expand its youth access program to all 34 of its North American resorts, including over a dozen that serve major metropolitan areas.
Currently, Vail Resorts said they host nearly 4,500 underserved kids across many of its resorts each year and hopes to double that number when the new programs launch. The company provides free lift tickets, ski school, and equipment rentals while funds from the Katz Amsterdam Charitable Trust will help develop and expand programs and fund transportation. Nonprofit partners will combine those services with youth mentorship for enriching, on-mountain programs.
The youth organizations receiving this year’s grants from the Katz Amsterdam Charitable Trust include:
Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston (Boston) – $200,000
Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio (Cleveland) – $200,000
Good Shepherd Services (New York) – $200,000
Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Baltimore (Baltimore) – $175,000
Chicago Youth Centers (Chicago) – $150,000
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis) – $150,000
SOS Outreach – $85,000
Girls. Inc. (Chicago) – $75,000
Boys & Girls Clubs of Salt Lake City (Salt Lake City) – $50,000
Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver (Denver) – $50,000
Boys & Girls Clubs of Lake Tahoe (South Lake Tahoe, Calif.) – $50,000
Boys & Girls Clubs of North Lake Tahoe (North Lake Tahoe, Calif.) – $50,000
Zero Ceiling (British Columbia) – $15,000 (USD)
This grant announcement from the Katz Amsterdam Charitable Trust is part of a larger announcement from June, which also included grants for COVID-19 relief and social justice.
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