Copper Mountain Donates Over $150,000 To Non-Profit Partners Through Seasonal Lift Ticket Giving Program

As the winter season winds down at Copper Mountain, the resort is celebrating the success of another season of giving. Copper has raised over $150,000 for partner non-profit organizations through the resort’s Play Forever Thursdays program. Proceeds from the program benefit organizations whose focus is to provide support for local relief, on-mountain participation and environmental causes.   

• The resort raised over $150,000 for community partners through Play Forever Thursdays in its most successful lift ticket giving program to date

• Copper Mountain has been named a finalist for the National Ski Area Association’s Golden Eagle Award for Community & Partnerships following the success of the resort’s Play Forever Giving programs

As part of Copper Mountain’s Play Forever commitment to protect the environment and support the community, the resort established a lift ticket giving program to raise funds for partners on select dates throughout the season. Through the Play Forever Thursdays program, on select Thursdays throughout the 2022-23 winter season, Copper donated $5 from every $99 discounted lift ticket purchased online and in advance to 18 non-profit organizations over the course of 14 weeks. 

“We are honored to play an important role in our community by generating funds and support for our partners through our Play Forever Thursdays program. What started as a small innovative program to help a few community groups has grown to be a substantial funding mechanism for many meaningful non-profits,” said Dustin Lyman, president and general manager of Copper Mountain Resort. “We are grateful to our guests whose commitment to our mountain has helped strengthen the support we can offer.” 

In 2020, Copper Mountain launched its first lift ticket giving program. Since then, the resort has operated a lift ticket community giving program for four winter seasons and two summer seasons, raising over $470,000 in the past three years to support 22 different organizations. As part of the program, Copper also invites each organization to join on-site on their select date to share their mission and ongoing projects with the Copper community. 

Beneficiaries from the 2022-23 Play Forever Thursdays program included the Summit County Rescue Group, Summit Advocates for Victims of Assault, Smart Bellies, SheJumps, Get Outdoors Leadville!, Colorado Rapid Avalanche Deployment, Friends of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, Blue River Watershed Group, Summit Community Care Clinic, High Country Conservation Center, Summit County Safe Passages, Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center, Leave No Trace, Building Hope, the Family & Intercultural Resource Center, Friends of the Dillon Ranger District, Adaptive Action Sports, and the High Fives Foundation. 

Copper Mountain has recently been named as a finalist for the National Ski Area Association’s (NSAA) Golden Eagle Award for Community & Partnerships. Copper is being considered for the award following the success of the resort’s multi-year lift ticket giving program and the resulting donations to environmental organizations in the community. Copper's Senior Operations and Sustainability Manager, Jeff Grasser has also been selected as a finalist for this year’s Golden Eagle Hero of Sustainability award. Winners will be announced at the annual NSAA Conference on May 10 in Savannah, Georgia. 

To learn more about Copper’s Play Forever initiatives and community programs visit CopperColorado.com. 

Quotes from participating non-profits: 

• “Money raised from this year's Play Forever Thursdays will support Summit Advocates' most critical programming for survivors, including our 24/7 crisis hotline, advocacy, legal support, emergency shelter and financial assistance. Thanks to programs like this, we are able to continue working to advance our mission of enhancing the safety and justice for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault while promoting peace in our community. Copper Mountain is helping to create a safer Summit County for all." - Mandi Kennedy, Development Director for Summit Advocates of Victims of Assault  
• "Friends of the Dillon Ranger District (FDRD) was honored to be selected as a Play Forever participant in 2023. Copper Mountain has been a long-time partner of FDRD and we are grateful that they continue to see the value in caring for our local National Forest as we do. We look forward to conducting dozens of stewardship projects, educational hikes and youth programs with the support received through this program. Thank you, Copper Mountain!"  -Doozie Martin, Executive Director of the Friends of the Dillon Ranger District  
• “Colorado is an area that offers amazing opportunities for outdoor activities, but playing outside requires more than just mountains. Getting outside safely requires local knowledge, skills, and community. Thanks to the support and partnership from the Copper Mountain's Play Forever Thursdays program, SheJumps will be able to offer more education, outreach, training, and opportunities for women and girls to get outside in Colorado.” - Claire Smallwood, SheJumps Co-Founder and Executive Director  
• “BOEC relies on our Key Partners like Copper Mountain whose support and generosity allow us to provide access to life-changing adventures that include adaptive skiing and snowboarding on the slopes of our local mountains including Copper. We can’t thank Copper Mountain enough for choosing BOEC as one of the non-profits to benefit from this great program. We feel extraordinarily fortunate to have this strong partnership with the leadership and staff at Copper Mountain Ski Resort who believe, just as we do, that everyone should have the ability to enjoy the mountains, learn a new skill and feel the thrill of skiing or snowboarding." - Sonya Noris, Executive Director of Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center   
• "Building Hope is so grateful for the partnership we share with Copper Mountain. We always have a great time at our Play Forever Thursdays and the proceeds we receive go straight back into our community through the support of our Scholarship Program. With the funds received, we are able to provide free therapy to those in need in Summit County!" - Kellyn Ender, Interim Executive Director of Building Hope  
• “Colorado Rapid Avalanche Deployment relies on the generosity of our communities for funding to continue to train and prepare avalanche rescue dogs and teams. The funds provided are crucial for our organization to perform at the highest level.” - Erich Swartz, President of Colorado Rapid Avalanche Deployment  
• "Copper Mountain and Summit County Rescue Group are long-time local partners and for many years have shared ski patrollers, rescuers and avalanche dog teams; participated in Copper SafetyFest together; and found other ways to collaborate in the interest of outdoor safety.  We were the grateful recipients of the Play Forever program for the first-time last year and we were thrilled to be chosen again in 2023. The program has contributed to our capital campaign for a much-needed new headquarters building.  We are also sharing an important milestone with Copper this year - it's the 50th anniversary for both of our organizations." - Anna DeBattiste, Public Information Officer for Summit County Rescue Group  
• "The money Get Outdoors Leadville! received through Copper's Play Forever Thursdays program will support GOL!'s Afuera Sin Barreras program, which increases outdoor recreation access for Latine families through monthly, culturally informed, dual-language, outdoor experiences. Afuera Sin Barreras provides participants with support, education, outerwear and equipment to safely access the outdoors with their friends and family. Through Afuera Sin Barreras, GOL! promotes a sense of place and belonging in our community, and the natural world." - Kerri Quinlan, Finance and Development Specialist at Get Outdoors Leadville!  
• “I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for organizing a successful fundraising event, Play Forever Thursdays, to benefit Adaptive Action Sports. Your generous efforts in supporting our cause are truly commendable.” - Daniel Gale, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Adaptive Action Sports  
• "Leave No Trace was thrilled to be a part of the Play Forever Thursdays program this year. Funds raised will help us directly train people in Leave No Trace skills essential towards protecting the places we play in Colorado and beyond." - Dean Ronzoni, Director of Corporate Development at Leave No Trace  
• "We are so grateful to Copper Mountain for supporting Summit County Safe Passages through their Play Forever Thursdays program over the last several years. The money Copper has donated to us has been critical to keeping our all-volunteer organization going so that we can focus on our mission to make the roadways in Summit County safer for wildlife and motorists. This year, we are very excited to finally be able to hire our first paid position. This wouldn't be possible without the support of Copper Mountain and the Play Forever Thursdays program. Thank you!" - Paige Singer, Summit County Safe Passages Board Treasurer  
• "Participating in the Play Forever program has allowed HC3 to grow our partnership with Copper Mountain, helping to achieve our shared sustainability goals. Through the activation day, we connected with guests and locals by sharing our community’s environmental values. Copper’s support makes the conservation programs and services we provide to our community possible.” - Lauren Richmond, Marketing and Events Manager for the High Country Conservation Center  
• “The Blue River Watershed Group is excited to have partnered once again in this year's incredibly successful Copper Mountain Play Forever Thursdays program. Each year this event generates much needed resources to help fund our work in the restoration and protection of the Blue River Watershed. The funds from this event will be used for community river cleanup events, water quality monitoring along the Blue River, and towards large-scale restoration projects in the Blue River Watershed. We're glad to partner with Copper Mountain to make this event happen and look forward to being a part of this community partnership again!” - Vanessa Logsdon, Advancement Director for the Blue River Watershed Group