LETTER: Middle schoolers will ski and ride thanks to Eli Brookens Memorial Fund
October 15, 2023 | By Colleen Ovelman
A memorial bench in honor of Eli Brookens sits near the Waterbury Public Library gardens and Dac Rowe Park. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
To the community:
As we have just passed the 7-year anniversary of Eli's passing, I wanted to thank all in the community who have contributed to and supported the Eli Brookens Memorial Fund.
We started the fund in 2019 with the generous donations of friends, family and community members to honor Eli's spirit. Since then, the fund has supported a beautiful bench placed behind the Waterbury Public Library overlooking Dac Rowe Park, and the ongoing mission of the fund is to support students to participate in the Crossett Brook Middle School Ski and Ride Program.
We live in a beautiful environment that tourists flock to in order to ski and snowboard, yet these activities are out of reach to many in our community. We wanted the school-based program to be more accessible, so other children would have the same opportunity Eli did.
Memorial bench detail. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
We’re happy to report that for the last four years, Eli’s fund has helped students who have applied for scholarships to receive seasonal ski and snowboard rentals, so they could participate in the school program. The fund has also helped to offset program costs, such as busing.
This year, the CBMS Ski and Ride program has expanded to include all 5th- through 8th-grade students, truly realizing our hopes of making the program accessible to all students. Eli's fund will cover the cost of the registration fees for students who need assistance. In addition, Vermont Adaptive will work with any students in the program who need their support.
We are happy that all of the middle school children in our community will have the opportunity to fall in love with winter in the mountains as Eli did.
Eli Brookens, 2000-2016
In addition to the wonderful volunteers and staff at CBMS supporting the Ski and Ride Program, we would also like to thank the local businesses that have partnered with us in the past to make this possible: Cypress Woodworks, Waterbury Sports, and Race Stock Sports.
We are planning some fundraising events in the spring, but if anyone would like to donate now to help us continue this support for the CBMS Ski and Ride program and the mission to get all middle schoolers in our community out enjoying the mountains in the wintertime, please visit our website: elibrookensmemorialfund.org.
Another great way to contribute is to purchase a beautiful star kit, ready to be assembled and displayed outdoors, from the Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce: madrivervalley.com/star-kits-for-sale. Proceeds from the kits support Eli's fund as well as the funds set up in honor of the four friends who lost their lives alongside Eli in October 2016.
Many thanks from us to our wonderful community!
~ Colleen Ovelman for the Brookens, Ovelman, DeVoe family