The Story of a Former Fairly Regular Guy

ONCE UPON A TIME....

.....there was a fairly regular guy who lived and worked in Chicago, IL among other fairly regular people, doing what people regularly do who live in the rat race there--living in skyscrapers, driving on freeways, riding in elevators.

Then one day this fairly regular guy heard a wild story that fascinated him, and changed his life forever: he heard about a blind man who learned to snow ski without being able to see, after losing his sight to diabetes years earlier.

The fairly regular guy loved to ski too. He was simply amazed that a blind guy could ski, or would even want to ski, just like him.

He'd never thought that people with disabilities could do things fun like fairly regular people do. The fairly regular guy began to dream dreams of helping blind and disabled people learn to ski and do things in the outdoors like he loved to do.

Then one day, the fairly regular guy could stand it no longer. He sold everything he owned and moved a thousand miles away to Aspen, CO to start a ski camp for blind people and others with disabilities.

He was no longer interested in being a fairly regular guy in the old rat race. He didn't know how it would work, he just knew it was something he had to do.

After arriving in Colorado, the former fairly regular guy contacted his best friend from grammar school---living a fairly regular life in Nashville, TN---and asked him to get involved in his dream of helping people with handicaps learn to ski. It didn't take much persuasion. His friend said yes he'd help and soon the program and its supporters began to grow. Family, friends, other organizations like Wounded Warriors, and even strangers began to come together to help. Today the programs and its umbrella organization is called Challenge Aspen.

At first, the program focused purely on helping people with disabilities in the civilian population learn to ski and that was a big job. But then its mission expanded. The Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan opened up a whole new need and started a new program of outreach: helping wounded soldiers and their families---who were back home from the Middle East---learn that life doesn't have to be over after coming home from the war with injuries and disabilities they didn't have before they went.

Challenge Aspen's programs for veterans have been so well received that the organization is now broadening its programs and outreach to Israeli soldiers wounded from terrorists attacks. These wounded warriors will be arriving in Colorado from the Middle East March 1.

These new programs started bringing together more family and friends in a new sense of community who stepped up to the bat to help raise awareness and funds to see that these new programs---including summer as well as winter ones---would be successful and that everyone who wants to attend them, can.

Even a couple of ruffians off the street were anxious to help. Right, fellows? (Actually, they've been helping for almost a decade.)

Right, ladies? Where ever did you sisters find those guys?

Which brings us to today. Challenge Aspen itself has its plate full of challenges as its mission and expenses grow. Monday night a new program to help with its expansion was introduced in Nashville. Called Challenge America 2008, it will include a performance and party on June 17, 2008 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. with a star -studded line-up of stars, supporters, participants and ruffians to raise money for operations and new programs.

In order to do this, the original family and friends, are asking new people to participate and open their hearts and pocketbooks to help them meet the challenges this year. I will put up new links soon, but anyone who wants to help---as a volunteer, a ski coach, or donor, a participant in any way---can contact me at webutante07@gmail.com, and I'll pass the info on to the right people. And to the man who once, long ago, was a fairly regular guy. He will tell you how much it's changed his life forever for the better.

BTW, here are two people who'll be spearheading the Challenge America 2008 event by singing for their supper on June 17 in D.C. and loving every minute of it.

One of them, incidentally, is a fairly good skier and the other is challenged to even get down a beginner slope. ...but I'll never tell which one it is.

Only the former fairly regular guy knows for sure.