GREENWOOD — A Maine-based nonprofit organization dedicated to getting children to stay active during the winter months is holding its third annual Downhill 24 event from noon Saturday, Mar. 7 to noon on Sunday, March 8, at Mt. Abram Ski Area.
Rob Wilber, the marketing and communications manager of Portland-based nonprofit organization WinterKids, said teams of skiers and snowboarders see who can do the most runs down the mountain and raise the most money in a 24-hour period.
WinterKids is a nonprofit organization designed to get kids outside and active during the winter, and to help them develop healthy, lifelong habits through fun outdoor winter activities.
“We work with schools to help teachers figure out ways to get kids outside as part of their lesson plan,” Wilber said. “We also allow kids in fifth-, sixth- and seventh-grade to receive a WinterKids Passport, which gives them discounts on different ski resorts, ice-skating rinks and tubing areas throughout the state.”
He said it’s important to focus on keeping kids active in winter.
“This is our third year doing the event,” Wilber said. “It originally started as a fundraiser to support all of our other programs.”
Each participant pays a $25 fee to ski from noon Saturday, Mar. 7 to noon Sunday, March 8. They have until March 7 to raise an additional $175.
Wilber said each individual and corporate team that signs up for the event will receive a fundraising page on the organization’s website, where people can donate money to whomever they wish.
“The website also keeps track of who has raised the most money, and each person or team can write their story on their fundraising page,” he said.
If the participant or the team cannot raise the additional $175 by March 7, Wilber said the difference will be charged to their credit card.
More than 200 skiers and snowboarders participated in the 2014 WinterKids Downhill 24 and raised $58,000 for the organization. In the two years that the event has been in place, WinterKids has raised more than $100,000 toward its programs.
“We’re capping off the number of participants at 400,” Wilber said. “There’s still plenty of time for people to participate.”
Wilber said he is unaware of any other organization that hosts a 24-hour long ski marathon in Maine, though he knows of an organization in Vermont that has done a similar event.
“It’s just a unique and fun way to keep people active and having fun, and it’s for a good cause,” Wilber said. “We’re going to have a ton of music and activities going on throughout those 24 hours. Some participants enjoy skiing and snowboarding for the first day, sleeping at home and then coming back for the second half of the event, while other teams are competitive and will have at least one person doing runs for the full 24 hours.”
For more information or to register, visit d24.org or winterkids.org.
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