Vail Valley Charitable Fund: This ‘Vail Valley’ org is one worth supporting

Our first involvement with the Vail Valley Charitable Fund occurred due to geography. In the spring of 2021, we were preparing to move from Frisco to Eagle. By chance, we noticed that the LG Triathlon, which was scheduled for soon after we moved, was looking for volunteers. Upon checking the route, we discovered that it ran very near to where our new residence was located. At the time, we knew very little about the Vail Valley Charitable Fund or the Vail Valley for that matter.  

We decided to sign up to volunteer as race marshals for the LG Tri. As luck would have it, Rohn and Deb Robbins worked with us at our station. In addition to helping manage the race, we learned a bit about the Vail Valley Charitable Fund’s mission and its history. We learned how the organization formed to fill a need within the community some 25 years ago (now 29 years old). That need was to support locals suffering from financial burden due to various medical conditions and crises. We also learned the heartwarming story behind the establishment of the LG Triathlon. The event came about as a way to honor the memory of Laura Genelin, a local triathlete who succumbed to cancer in 2008.

Since its inception, the Vail Valley Charitable Fund has expanded its programs to include access to direct aid, dental and physical therapy services, and soon free mammograms to our uninsured population. It works with a small dedicated staff that we have come to know and appreciate over the years, and a vast cadre of volunteers helping with its efforts. We are proud to be among that group.  Not only do we give our time, but we always remember them in our annual giving.

To anyone following the news, it should come as no secret that people’s access to affordable health care could become jeopardized in the future. That will make the Vail Valley Charitable Fund’s mission that much more critical if certain cutbacks come to fruition. Our belief is that everyone should have access to health care and that no one should suffer needlessly because of their financial condition. The Vail Valley Charitable Fund’s contributions to the community do a lot to put that belief into action.  

Numerous organizations use “Vail Valley” in their name. Many of them are also nonprofit, performing some sort of service to our community. Vail Valley Charitable Fund is one of a number of “Vail Valley” organizations that we support.

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When the others provide programs and services needed, wanted, and appreciated in our locality, Vail Valley Charitable Fund is the only one that provides such a critical service of addressing the needs of individuals and families going through health crises on an individual basis. We intend to commit whatever resources we can to help it continue its mission, and invite you to do the same. Join us for the LG Tri on July 12 to see this organization in action.

Don and Helen Gerstein are the Vail Valley Charitable Fund donors and volunteers. Find out more about the mission at VVCF.org.

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