Handcyclists heading out on the 16th annual Kelly Brush Ride powered by VBT Bicycling Vacations. The ride draws more than 900 riders from all over the region to raise funds to inspire and empower people with spinal cord injuries to lead active and engaged lives. This year’s ride is on Saturday, Sept. 10, in Middlebury, Vermont. Image courtesy Kelly Brush Foundation.
Cyclists from all over the region will be once again gathering in Middlebury, Vermont, to join in the biggest charity cycling event in the state, the 17th annual Kelly Brush Ride powered by VBT Bicycling Vacations. The ride, devoted to the Kelly Brush Foundation’s mission to inspire and empower people with spinal cord injuries to lead active and engaged lives, returns on Saturday, Sept. 10.
“This year we’ve set a high bar with a fundraising goal that will allow us to award a record number of grants,” said Kelly Brush Foundation Executive Director Edie Perkins. “We’re counting on the hundreds of riders who participate and raise funds to enable the foundation to supply adaptive sports equipment to more than 250 individuals with spinal cord injuries this year.”
For the 2022 ride, the Kelly Brush Foundation aims to raise $975,000, which will allow the foundation to allocate over $1 million for adaptive sports equipment, setting a record for annual grants awarded by the foundation. Last year, the event drew more than 942 in-person and virtual riders, including 47 handcyclists, and raised more than $825,000 to provide direct support for adaptive sports equipment like skiing, basketball, cycling, and tennis.
“We’ve set a big goal because we want to be able to give more people from the spinal cord community than ever the opportunity to enjoy being active,” said Kelly Brush, whose family started the foundation following a ski racing accident that left her paralyzed in 2006. “The money raised from the Kelly Brush Ride directly enables grant recipients to get the cost prohibitive adaptive sports equipment they need to get active.”
In-person participants can ride 100, 50, 20, or 10-mile routes through the scenic Champlain Valley with stunning views of the Green Mountains, Lake Champlain, and the Adirondacks. For those who can’t make it to Vermont, the foundation offers a ride anywhere option that allows participants to join in the fundraising ride from the road or trail of their choosing.
To date, the foundation has awarded more than 1,400 adaptive equipment grants to people in 49 states for adaptive equipment through its Active Fund. The ride also supports the foundation’s ski racing safety program. Each year grants are awarded to non-profit ski clubs and racing programs for improving race course safety.
Registration is now open at www.kellybrushfoundation.org/ride. Online registration closes on September 7.
The Kelly Brush Ride powered by VBT Bicycling Vacations is made possible thanks to the generosity of many participants, volunteers, and sponsors including; VBT Bicycling Vacations, MassMutual, Sugarbush Resort, Murphy Realty Company, LLC, Audi South Burlington, Nokian Tyres, People’s United Bank, Ross-Simons Jewelers, World Cup Supply, Concept2, Gravel & Shea PC, Dinse, Knapp & McAndrew P.C., NBT Bank, Summit Properties, Ursa Major, MountainGuard Insurance, our hosts on the Middlebury Ski Team, and other generous sponsors.
About Kelly Brush Foundation
The Kelly Brush Foundation was founded in 2006 by Kelly and her family after Kelly sustained a spinal cord injury while racing in an NCAA alpine ski race. To date, the Kelly Brush Foundation has awarded more than 1,400 adaptive equipment grants to people in 49 states.
