Steve Prothers owned Amherst Landscape and Design for 40 years. He always had his winters free, and many days, he hit the slopes—or “played in the mountains,” as he puts it.
Also no stranger to summer golf tournaments, Steve got the idea in 2010 to create a fundraiser around skiing that would support United Way of Hampshire County. In the fall of that year, a committee of United Way leaders and supporters—and other avid skiers like Steve—planned how the fundraiser could work.
Ski United got on the lift in February 2010. About 40 skiers headed to Mount Snow via bus, paying $150 for the ride, lift ticket and food. They had a great day and attended a banquet that evening, complete with dinner, raffles, and an auction. We reaped the $2,500 profit in that first year.
“The second year, it tripled, and I wrote a $7,500 check to United Way,” Steve says. “The event had resonance. It had meaning, and people started to think, ‘This is a fun activity.’ It really grew in popularity.”
It also grew each year in dollars earned.
Last year, the 10th anniversary of Ski United, the event raised a record high of $15,000. And this year, under the leadership of Stephanie Burbine, a longtime member of the Ski United Committee, the ski trip raised $14,000—even with the restrictions put it place due to COVID-19.
These funds, raised by roughly 50 skiers, pushed the 11-year fundraising total over the $100,000 mark, to $104,000. “That feels amazing,” says Steve, who passed the reins of chair to Stephanie a year ago. “I feel so humbled and blessed that it has taken off and now has a mind of its own.”
Stephanie is the vice president of cash management at Florence Bank, and she has taken part in the planning of Ski United—and skied on the annual day trips, too—for many years. She said taking over in the midst of a pandemic was daunting. “I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, what have I gotten myself into?’” she says.
At the first planning meeting, held via Zoom—as meetings were all fall—committee members felt a bit deflated. “All of us were very skeptical as to whether we could pull it off,” Stephanie said. “As we started talking and sharing ideas and brainstorming, we quickly realized it wasn’t a good idea to skip a year. Steve instilled that this was a tradition, and we should carry it on.”
The 2021 Ski United was held locally, at Berkshire East in Charlemont, and participants drove on their own and took the chair lift individually, too. The usual races were held, like the dual slalom. Boxed lunches and dinners were served. People warmed up in the afternoon at a bonfire, and a virtual auction completed the fundraising efforts.
“We were really pleased with the event and the location,” says Stephanie. “I’m thankful to the committee. Everybody brought their best ideas this year.”
Steve says, “Ski United’s got a foundation, a good footing. People have a really good time, and they know the money goes to a good cause. It’s an amazing way for a community group to give back.”