Vail Valley Charitable Fund: All about heart — and perseverance

There is a spirit of perseverance that emanates throughout our community, seeded from our founders, whose dream required a community to pitch in when there was a need. That meant for the first couple of decades, most everyone wore multiple hats from working the ski area to working in restaurants to plowing roads. As the seed of a world-class ski mountain community took hold, the Vail community began its boom, growing from dirt roads to today’s billion-dollar revitalization projects.

Along the way, the communities’ needs and resources shifted, and in 1996, there was a young wife and mother well known in the community who received news we all fear: a cancer diagnosis. Cindy’s prognosis was not promising, but the heart in our community knew there had to be more we could do for Cindy, her husband, and their child. It was then, our genesis, that the Vail Valley Charitable Fund was founded.

The Charitable Fund’s mission is and has been to support local Eagle County residents in medical crises or long-term illnesses. Lori and I have been fortunate to raise our family here and experience all the wonders the Vail Valley provides. My involvement with the Vail Daily over the past 33 years has provided insights into the wonders and the challenges throughout our valley. Today, we aspire to continue the dream of an amazing world-class ski community that pulls together so everyone can achieve more.

At the beginning (1996), we were fortunate to have Rohn Robbins step up and provide then and now leadership to ensure the Vail Valley Charitable Fund is a well-organized nonprofit with a clear mission and sound operating principles. From the beginning to today, the need in our community outpaces the resources of the Vail Valley Charitable Fund and others who work diligently to raise funds to serve our neighbors in a time of medical and financial hardship.

Over the last 30 years of involvement, the Vail Valley Charitable Fund has endeavored to rise to the occasion to live that spirit of hope and perseverance through organizing events, shows, concerts and many other efforts. This dedication has resulted in providing over 2,200 grants to members in our community when their chips were down.

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As a founding board member, I, along with Lori, have been dedicated supporters of the VVCF and don’t see the need diminishing. We encourage others who have the ability with resources or their time to consider contributing to the Charitable Fund. It is a vital investment in our community and our neighbors. With heart and perseverance, we … you can make a difference.

Bob Brown is the publisher of the Vail Daily. He and his wife, Lori, are donors to the Vail Valley Charitable Fund. To learn more about the mission, go to VVCF.org.