Military Winterfest Scholarships
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Military Winterfest Scholarship Program
The 3rd annual Military Winterfest, held in Angel Fire, NM, Feb. 9 -13, is a 5-day winter celebration for veterans, Active Duty Military & their families! Highlights include: Skiing, snowboarding, tubing & snowshoeing, a KidsFest, and lessons FOR vets, BY vets!
HELPING FAMILIES THAT SUFFER FROM PTS -- Winterfest directly supports the National Veterans Wellness & Healing Center, which provides treatment for military individuals, & families that suffer with Post Traumatic Stress (PTS), the “invisible wounds of war.”
This Go Fund Me Campaign will bring some relief to our heroes who suffer from PTS! Funds raised here will go to a scholarship program to help veteran families in need take a break from their usual tough realities & have a little fun.
HISTORY -- The Winterfest Scholarship Program began in 2016 with one person’s idea to ask friends for a few dollars each to buy lift tickets for veterans during Winterfest. The idea blossomed into a scholarship fund for entire military families with the greatest need. Couples, families & individuals living with PTS in desperate need of some fun, but have little money for winter sports. The “few dollars each” turned into more than $2,000 in the program’s inaugural year!
Deserving couples who have completed Wellness Center retreats & who are waiting to attend are eligible to receive financial assistance for lodging, lift tickets, ski lessons, and children’s ski & snowboard school. Center leaders consider dozens of families & individuals impacted by PTS & choose those in greatest need. Assistance is tailored to each family’s needs & interests.
OUR DREAM -- The goal for Military Winterfest 2017 is to raise $4,000 and double the number of families that receive scholarships! Just $25 (Bronze Medal) pays for a lift ticket for a deserving vet or family member, $50 (Silver Medal) pays for a ski or snowboard lesson & $100 (Gold Medal) buys lodging for a night.
Contributions will be gratefully accepted until the end of Winterfest on February 13, but early donations will maximize our ability to contact scholarship families in time for them to make arrangements to participate in Winterfest. All donations are tax-deductible.
Please consider bringing some relief to our heroes who suffer from PTS & make a donation.
SUCCESS STORIES -- Family 1: An Iraqi War 100% disabled veteran suffering from multiple physical injuries & PTS. He & his wife (and caregiver) rarely leave their home. He had painted the windows black so he can’t see outside. The landscape gives him flashbacks of Iraq. The couple was in financial stress & could barely afford gas money to drive to Angel Fire. A Military Winterfest Scholarship provided lodging, a ski lesson, a sleigh ride & chuck wagon dinner. The couple met numerous veteran families in Angel Fire in similar situations and discussed their common experiences with PTS and ways to reduce the impact on life & relationships. This couple is returning to Angel Fire in June to participate in a National Veterans Wellness & Healing Center retreat. The Winterfest experience created hope for their future.
Family 2: This Albuquerque family attended a National Veterans Wellness & Healing Center retreat in 2015. They arrived at the retreat on the verge of divorce, but left committed to their marriage & a new life. They have a 9-year old son. Their financial situation had become desperate late in 2015 so the Military Winterfest was a welcome relief. A generous donor in Angel Fire provided a condo for their use. And the Military Winterfest Scholarship paid for two days in Children’s Ski & Snowboard School for their son. After two days on a snowboard for the first time he loves it almost as much as hockey…he is a star goalie in youth leagues. The Resort provided a 2-hour ride-along for father & son one evening on the huge snow-cat grooming machine that truly capped off their weekend. They left ready to cope with their real world problems.
Family 3: This New Mexico couple had participated in a Center retreat & served as a Sponsor Couple during a 2015 retreat in which they mentored other couples. The family had limited financial means so village residents loaned the family winter sports clothing. One of their two sons suffers from limited mental function & had never engaged in any snow sports. The scholarship covered special instruction & he learned to ski! The family also participated in the sleigh ride & chuck wagon dinner with the First Family. They spent several hours afterward sharing hope for successfully dealing with PTS.
Family 4: The husband of this family of five is an Iraq war veteran & 100% disabled by PTS. The couple has participated in Center retreats & has been the Sponsor Couple for numerous retreats. The children have grown up in a very difficult environment sadly typical in families of PTS veterans. They have been remarkably resilient! They have even coached veteran couples on improving their own relationship with their children. The family is very financially limited, but was able to drive to the Winterfest. A local veteran provided a home for them free of cost. The Scholarship Fund provided a snowboard lesson for each of the three children. Their first snow sports experience was a highlight of their year!
Family 5: This New Mexico veteran family wanted to come so their children could enjoy winter sports for the first time. Like many other veteran families, they had a very tight budget. The scholarship provided lift tickets for four children & a tubing session for the youngest boy.
Veteran 6: One of our special guests was a wheelchair veteran who is a passionate bi-skier. The Scholarship Fund provided her with four lift tickets & the resort provided a free adaptive ski instructor to tether her each day.
Thank you for your consideration!
(I am a communty volunteer & US Air Force veteran who is helping organize Military Winterfest. I do not work directly with the National Veterans Wellness & Healing Center. See MilitaryWinterfest.com for festival details.)
The 3rd annual Military Winterfest, held in Angel Fire, NM, Feb. 9 -13, is a 5-day winter celebration for veterans, Active Duty Military & their families! Highlights include: Skiing, snowboarding, tubing & snowshoeing, a KidsFest, and lessons FOR vets, BY vets!
HELPING FAMILIES THAT SUFFER FROM PTS -- Winterfest directly supports the National Veterans Wellness & Healing Center, which provides treatment for military individuals, & families that suffer with Post Traumatic Stress (PTS), the “invisible wounds of war.”
This Go Fund Me Campaign will bring some relief to our heroes who suffer from PTS! Funds raised here will go to a scholarship program to help veteran families in need take a break from their usual tough realities & have a little fun.
HISTORY -- The Winterfest Scholarship Program began in 2016 with one person’s idea to ask friends for a few dollars each to buy lift tickets for veterans during Winterfest. The idea blossomed into a scholarship fund for entire military families with the greatest need. Couples, families & individuals living with PTS in desperate need of some fun, but have little money for winter sports. The “few dollars each” turned into more than $2,000 in the program’s inaugural year!
Deserving couples who have completed Wellness Center retreats & who are waiting to attend are eligible to receive financial assistance for lodging, lift tickets, ski lessons, and children’s ski & snowboard school. Center leaders consider dozens of families & individuals impacted by PTS & choose those in greatest need. Assistance is tailored to each family’s needs & interests.
OUR DREAM -- The goal for Military Winterfest 2017 is to raise $4,000 and double the number of families that receive scholarships! Just $25 (Bronze Medal) pays for a lift ticket for a deserving vet or family member, $50 (Silver Medal) pays for a ski or snowboard lesson & $100 (Gold Medal) buys lodging for a night.
Contributions will be gratefully accepted until the end of Winterfest on February 13, but early donations will maximize our ability to contact scholarship families in time for them to make arrangements to participate in Winterfest. All donations are tax-deductible.
Please consider bringing some relief to our heroes who suffer from PTS & make a donation.
SUCCESS STORIES -- Family 1: An Iraqi War 100% disabled veteran suffering from multiple physical injuries & PTS. He & his wife (and caregiver) rarely leave their home. He had painted the windows black so he can’t see outside. The landscape gives him flashbacks of Iraq. The couple was in financial stress & could barely afford gas money to drive to Angel Fire. A Military Winterfest Scholarship provided lodging, a ski lesson, a sleigh ride & chuck wagon dinner. The couple met numerous veteran families in Angel Fire in similar situations and discussed their common experiences with PTS and ways to reduce the impact on life & relationships. This couple is returning to Angel Fire in June to participate in a National Veterans Wellness & Healing Center retreat. The Winterfest experience created hope for their future.
Family 2: This Albuquerque family attended a National Veterans Wellness & Healing Center retreat in 2015. They arrived at the retreat on the verge of divorce, but left committed to their marriage & a new life. They have a 9-year old son. Their financial situation had become desperate late in 2015 so the Military Winterfest was a welcome relief. A generous donor in Angel Fire provided a condo for their use. And the Military Winterfest Scholarship paid for two days in Children’s Ski & Snowboard School for their son. After two days on a snowboard for the first time he loves it almost as much as hockey…he is a star goalie in youth leagues. The Resort provided a 2-hour ride-along for father & son one evening on the huge snow-cat grooming machine that truly capped off their weekend. They left ready to cope with their real world problems.
Family 3: This New Mexico couple had participated in a Center retreat & served as a Sponsor Couple during a 2015 retreat in which they mentored other couples. The family had limited financial means so village residents loaned the family winter sports clothing. One of their two sons suffers from limited mental function & had never engaged in any snow sports. The scholarship covered special instruction & he learned to ski! The family also participated in the sleigh ride & chuck wagon dinner with the First Family. They spent several hours afterward sharing hope for successfully dealing with PTS.
Family 4: The husband of this family of five is an Iraq war veteran & 100% disabled by PTS. The couple has participated in Center retreats & has been the Sponsor Couple for numerous retreats. The children have grown up in a very difficult environment sadly typical in families of PTS veterans. They have been remarkably resilient! They have even coached veteran couples on improving their own relationship with their children. The family is very financially limited, but was able to drive to the Winterfest. A local veteran provided a home for them free of cost. The Scholarship Fund provided a snowboard lesson for each of the three children. Their first snow sports experience was a highlight of their year!
Family 5: This New Mexico veteran family wanted to come so their children could enjoy winter sports for the first time. Like many other veteran families, they had a very tight budget. The scholarship provided lift tickets for four children & a tubing session for the youngest boy.
Veteran 6: One of our special guests was a wheelchair veteran who is a passionate bi-skier. The Scholarship Fund provided her with four lift tickets & the resort provided a free adaptive ski instructor to tether her each day.
Thank you for your consideration!
(I am a communty volunteer & US Air Force veteran who is helping organize Military Winterfest. I do not work directly with the National Veterans Wellness & Healing Center. See MilitaryWinterfest.com for festival details.)
Organizer and beneficiary
Linda Gimbel Hughes
Organizer
Angel Fire, NM
Chuck Howe
Beneficiary
