By: Seth Johnson

To kick off 2025, groups of students from Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ISBVI) will make their way to Perfect North Slopes for adaptive skiing lessons thanks to a grant the Indiana Blind Children’s Foundation (IBCF) received from the Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation as part of their Sports Matter program.

Since being connected with IBCF executive director Laura Alvarado through A Taste of Indiana owner Mark Kolbus, Dick’s Sporting Goods Field Marketing Manager Susan Myers has worked to push the mission of IBCF forward, bringing Dick’s Sporting Goods on as a supporting sponsor of the 2024 Through the Looking Glass Gala. As discussions between IBCF and Dick’s Sporting Goods continued following the Gala, Myers suggested IBCF apply for a grant through the Sports Matter program to help fund an adaptive skiing trip for students at ISBVI.

As Myers explains, the Sports Matter program was started in 2019 because of the company’s belief that “sports change lives.” At that point, a goal was set to help one million kids participate in sports by 2024. Since then, the Sports Matter program has helped over two million kids participate in sports, more than doubling their initial benchmark.

“The goal is to give kids opportunities to play sports that may not otherwise have the opportunity to do so,” Myers says of the Sports Matter program.

As someone who has personally never been skiing before, Myers’ ears perked up when Alvarado approached her about supporting an adaptive skiing experience for students at ISBVI.

“When she was talking to me about it, I was like, ‘This would be so cool for these kids to get a chance to go,’’ Myers says. “I have a big heart for exposure to sports. I feel like it could be a dream come true for some of the kids who never would have been able to do this.”

A longtime teacher of skiing lessons, Perfect North Slopes Assistant Snowsport Director Sonja Rom says Perfect North’s adaptive skiing program has grown a great deal as of late.

“My director Dave had faith in me that I could move the program forward along with the support of some of our key staff,” Rom says. “The end result is we’ve built a very inclusive program, where last year we doubled the amount of lessons that we gave.”

In reflecting on what impact the adaptive skiing experience could have on ISBVI students, Myers hopes the trips to Perfect North Slopes help to broaden horizons.

“Maybe someone is nervous about participating, and they can be a testimony to what a great time it was and how it was safe and a fun experience,” she says. “We’d love for those opportunities to transcend into more participation and more involvement, while also being able to encourage others to give it a try.”

Stay tuned to IBCF’s social media pages for photos from the adaptive skiing trips in the coming weeks.