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  The Chill Foundation brings

Press release:

The Chill Foundation will be in Vail, Colorado from Tuesday, March 3rd through Saturday, March 7th for the 33rd Annual Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships Presented by MINI.

Chill, Burton Snowboards’ non-profit, provides opportunities for underserved youth to build self-esteem and life skills through snowboarding and other board sports.  The organization will bring one stand-out youth from each of its 12 sites across North America to participate in this once-in-a-life-time opportunity. These youth will get the chance to meet Jake Carpenter, Founder and Chairman of Burton Snowboards, and his wife, Burton President Donna Carpenter. Chill youth will also meet some of the industries’ best snowboarders and see them compete!

Throughout the five days, Chill will host a fundraising event on Wednesday, March 4th from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. at the Colorado Ski and Snowboard Museum in Vail.  The event will feature an exclusive silent auction, US Open athletes, music, and food. Be sure to stop by and support a great cause. This event is open to the public. A $20 minimum donation is required.

In addition to Chill’s charitable event, the organization will also hold a meet and greet for Chill youth with Jake and Donna Carpenter on Friday, March 6th at 10 am.

“The Burton US Open is a life-changing experience for our youth who participate,” said June Heston, Executive Director of The Chill Foundation. “This event gives these kids incredible opportunities that they would never otherwise get. To see them be a part of something like this for the first time is truly amazing,” she said.  “Being part of the Burton US Open has a profound impact on the life-skills we are trying to instill in the youth that participate in our program.”

About Us

Chill is a non-profit youth development program with sites in 13 cities across North America.  The mission of the Chill Foundation is to provide opportunities for underserved youth to build self-esteem and life skills through snowboarding and other board sports. Each year, we take 1200 youth to the slopes. We provide them with everything they need to learn to ride: lift tickets, lessons, transportation, and head-to-toe gear. We use snowboarding to motivate youth to accomplish goals they never thought they could, while teaching them some of the most important lessons in life about respect, patience, persistence, responsibility, courage, and pride – our weekly themes within the program. The non-profit youth development program has served nearly 20,000 kids since its inception. Our programs take place in Baltimore, Boston, Burlington, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, Portland, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver, and Washington D.C.

Our History

Jake and Donna Carpenter, the owners of Burton Snowboards, founded Chill in 1997 in Burlington, Vermont, to bring snowboarding to youth who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity. The program had such an immediate and profound impact that we have continued to expand into new cities, new board sports, and new countries.

Who We Serve

Chill serves youth facing a multitude of challenges such as poverty, addiction, and mental health issues.  Many of the youth have never left their cities, and most have never been to the mountains. Chill gives these youth the chance to break boundaries and find their opportunities to be successful in life. More than that, Chill helps them look forward– to see beyond the circumstances of today and encouraging them to focus on positive alternatives for the future.

Why Chill Rocks

With positive adult role models, engaging activities, and incredible mountain environments we build self-confidence and raise self-esteem. The impact of snowboarding can be particularly inspiring.

Become a Chill Partner

Chill is heavily dependent on the support of individual and corporate donors. To find out how you can partner with Chill, e-mailchill@chill.org or call 802-383-6920. For more information, or to donate, visit www.chill.org.

About the Burton US Open

The world’s best snowboarders will come together in Vail, Colorado from March 2nd – 7th to partake in the longest running, premier snowboarding event, the Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships presented by MINI. By day, experience world-class halfpipe and slopestyle competition, then at night keep the momentum high with FREE concerts, events and activities for all-ages. A big thanks to the following partners for their support of the 33rd edition of the Burton US Open: MINI, Vail Mountain, Town of Vail, Garmin, Paul Mitchell, 3M Thinsulate® Insulation®, G-Shock, Pacifico, Shiseido, Clif Bar & Company, CHILL, anon., Analog and World Snowboard Tour.

Founded by Burton Co-Owners Jake Burton and Donna Carpenter, Chill’s core youth development program revolves around a six-week curriculum that uses snowboarding and other board sports to teach life skills and increase self-esteem in underserved youth between the ages of 10-18. Our six weekly themes; respect, patience, persistence, responsibility, courage, and pride, provide a framework for learning and personal growth. We use our time on the bus to the program to introduce the weekly theme through an activity, and reinforce the concept during our time on the mountain, at the beach, or at the skatepark. This structure allows participants to make meaningful connections to the curriculum while experiencing the innate joy of snowboarding. For more information about Chill, head to www.chill.org.