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State Senate gives thanks to 2015 Worlds volunteers

Kerry Donovan
Daryl Wilson |

VAIL — While we’re still in the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships’ afterglow, Colorado’s state Senate is taking a moment to say thanks to the thousands of volunteers.

Sen. Kerry Donovan is a Vail native and was around for the World Championships in 1989, 1999 and now 2015, so she’s clear about how many people it takes to put something like that together.

“When I was reflecting on the 2015 World Championships, what stood out most was the skill and support that poured out from the community,” Donovan said.



For 2015, 2,200 people volunteered 175,000 hours to help make this year’s World Championships the success they were in Beaver Creek and Vail.

“The 2,200 volunteers who served during the 2015 Alpine World Ski Championships made all the difference between hosting a good event and hosting a great event,” said Ceil Folz, president of the Vail Valley Foundation. “Time and time again, the comments and feedback that we received from the athletes, members of the media and our guests were related to the warmth and hospitality our volunteers demonstrated. It is a simple but true statement, these Championships could not have occurred without the aid and support of the volunteer force.”

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Donovan is a freshman state senator and said she caught as much of the World Championships as she could — between Senate sessions.

She made the proposal to honor the volunteers to Senate President Bill Cadman, who liked the idea.

Donovan provided the suggested wording for the proclamation, and the Senate approved it.

“The tribute is our way to put the full weight of the Colorado Senate behind this,” Donovan said. “We like to compare ourselves to ski races in Europe, and the fact is that they don’t get anywhere near this kind of volunteer support.”

Proclamations like this are often read and presented on the Senate floor.

Not this time, though.

“Two-thousand-and-two-hundred people is too many to get on the Senate floor, so the Vail Valley Foundation sent it to the volunteers,” Donovan said.

Staff Writer Randy Wyrick can be reached at 970-748-2935 and rwyrick@vaildaily.com.


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