IMAGINE DONATING THE MAGIC OF SNOW― BY SPONSORING A DOUBLE H WINTER SPORTS ENTHUSIAST―

Lake Luzerne, NY – January 25, 2011 – 200 children and 120 volunteer instructors are marking their calendars and counting down to their days on the slopes this 14th season of the Double H Ranch Adaptive Winter Sports Program. Continue the magic on the Double H slopes this winter season by sharing your love of snow with a Double H winter sports enthusiast dealing with a life-threatening illness. Winter student sponsorships range from $50 for a day to $600 for a season.

Says one mom, “I never thought my son, who cannot walk, would ever be able to ski. When I saw the huge smile on his face, I knew we were in the right place, and there was nowhere else on earth we would rather be.” Says one instructor, “Double H is a magical place that fosters children’s abilities and strengths to learn and be creative, to explore and be adventurous, and most of all laugh and have fun!” Says one sponsor, “I was brought up by parents who were big on skiing, and I’ve instilled a passion for the sport in my own family. To be able to share our love of skiing with others who might not otherwise experience its challenges and thrills, makes us feel good.”

The Double H Ranch hosts the only privatized Adaptive Winter Sports Program in the northeast, solely available to children and families with special needs, not open to the public and free-of-charge. The season consists of five family sleepover weekends and a total of ten regular ski days, two alumni ski days and two night skiing events. The diagnoses served in the winter program are various neuromuscular diagnoses such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida and muscular dystrophy (nearly half the children served in the winter), cancer (including leukemia), sickle cell anemia and hemophilia, HIV/AIDS, autism spectrum, mitochondrial and other rare diseases. More than half of the students come from Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties.

For more information about sponsoring a winter sports enthusiast, call Linda Smith, Development, 518-696-5921, ext 238 or donate online at www.doublehranch.org