This picture was taken today (Saturday, 7/23/2022) when I, along with Justin and Hazel the pup, reached our first 4,000+ foot summit in NH. There are 48 4k footers in NH, and it's a rite of passage to hike them.

Today was hard, but it was just a training hike for the real thing in one week - climbing Mt. Washington with a team of athletes and volunteers, all to fundraise for Adaptive Sports Partners. You *might* have heard me talk about what an amazing experience Sunrise Ascent was last year. On July 31, at approximately 2am, we'll start to climb up the Mt. Washington road until we reach the summit at 6,288 feet.

I am psyched to be back this year as a volunteer, and also now a board member with Adaptive. Growing up, I played many organized sports: soccer, softball, basketball (briefly!), track & field, lacrosse, and found my true calling with rugby in college. Sports gave me an identity and a community, and made me who I am today, and so I was happy to join the Adaptive team.

Adaptive is AMAZING! We offer: hiking, biking, skiing, kayaking, swimming, rock climbing, disc golf, bocce, gardening, tennis, snowshoeing, and more. Right now, we serve athletes in northern NH and groups that travel to Cannon Mountain to ski, but we are working to expand so that we can offer sports to people in northern VT as well. I've volunteered with kayaking, swimming, and skiing so far.

If you played sports as a kid or young adult - or even still today - and it has positively impacted your life, you know how life-changing sports can be. Please make a donation so that we can offer our programs to even more athletes.

THANK YOU!

Julie