Tuesday, December 15, 2009

SkiDUCK Wins Microsoft Video Contest


Microsoft announces the sixth winner of the 7 Ways to Change the World competition. Congratulations to Clint Lunde who submitted the video on behalf of SkiDUCK. The video explains how technology can help the team at SkiDUCK to be more efficient, spending more time helping deserving children, and less time on administration.



Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Welcome to SkiDUCK!!


In the few short months since SkiDUCK launched, I’ve been asked dozens of times… “How did you come up with the idea of providing skiing and snowboarding for disadvantaged children?”

Without getting too personal, there are times in most of our lives when we face some really big questions.  The past year has been one of deep reflection for me, and some of the questions I kept asking of myself were:  What is my purpose? – How can I make a larger difference? – How can I better use my passion and skills for a greater good? – If money weren’t an issue, what would I be doing? – And, rather than focusing on a job or career, how can I turn my passion into a life-long vocation?

These questions and period of self-reflection can be a tremendous opportunity for anyone to discover new directions.  In retrospect, I can’t believe the idea of creating SkiDUCK didn’t occur immediately!  The concept of a national organization dedicated to providing opportunities for children to experience the joys of skiing and snowboarding is such an obvious and natural fit!  (And imho, it’s a WONDERFUL CAUSE!)

Since August 12th we’ve recruited a high-quality Board of Directors, filed as a legal entity, applied for and received our 501(c)3 non-profit status from the IRS (which alone often takes 9+ months), created a fun and interactive website and social network, partnered with some of the top athletes in the industry (more on the way!), and most importantly… have established initial partnerships with ski resorts and youth service organizations to put children on the slopes for their first time ever!

In early 2010 we’ll begin to see the fruits of our labor as we kick off our first on-slope programs in the Lake Tahoe area!  The success of those programs and others around the country will depend entirely upon the wonderful volunteers who come forward with their time, enthusiasm and talents – and the generous donors and sponsors who help provide opportunities for deserving children.

Whether you’re surfing, interested in volunteering, or considering donating… we welcome you to the SkiDUCK community!  Keep an eye on us; we’re going to do wonderful things together!

And stay tuned for future posts … we’ll chat about our long-term vision of where SkiDUCK’s headed in the future!

--Clint Lunde