To the editor:

We want to thank all the businesses in the Whiteface Region who were exceedingly generous in support of the Steven Weinstein Memorial Fundraiser event held at the Twisted Raven in Wilmington on Friday, Jan. 24.

We hosted the event to express our appreciation for all the ski patrollers who help make it possible for us to enjoy safe skiing throughout the winter. My late brother suffered a tragic skiing accident while working as a volunteer ski patroller in December 1984. In commemoration of the 40th anniversary of his accident, we created the Steven Weinstein Memorial Scholarship to benefit current and future members of the Whiteface Mountain Volunteer Ski Patrol who are pursuing their EMT Training and Certification.

We received gift cards and certificates, monetary and merchandise donations from countless businesses in nearby communities. Those in Wilmington included: Adirondack Chocolates, Alpine Images Photography, Cadence Lodge, Elevation Planning & Events, Fratelli Pizza, High Falls Gorge, Hungry Trout Resort, River Stone Wellness, Twisted Raven Restaurant, Unicorn Square, Up a Creek Restaurant, Wilmington Farm B & B, and Whiteface Mountain and the Whiteface Mountain Ski Patrol. In Lake Placid: Adirondack Decorative Arts & Crafts, Adirondack Fitness Center, Adirondack Foot Sanctuary, ADK Mtn. Club Cascade XC Ski Area, Adirondack Snowmobile Rental, Balanced Bodywork & Massage, Bluebird Hotel, Bookstore Plus, Cinderella’s, Cornell Maple Program, Cunninghams Ski Barn, Emma’s Creamery, EMS, Green Goddess, Hampton Inn, High Peaks Cyclery, High Peaks Resort, High Peaks Yoga Shala, Imagination Station, Lake Placid Brew Pub, Lake Placid Center for the Arts, Lake Placid Club, Lake Placid Ski and Board, Luna’s Restaurant, Marriott Courtyard, Mirror Lake Inn, Origin Coffee Co., Palace Theatre, Placid Audiology, Placid Planet Bicycle Shop, Pure Placid, Saratoga Olive Oil, Starbucks, Stewarts Shops, Subway, Terry Robards Wine, The Fallen Arch, The UPS Store, The Wine and Spirit Shoppe, and USA Spirit Store. Jay/Upper Jay/Keene Valley: Adirondack Mtn. Coffee Cafe, Dawn Tonneau Massage, Ice Jam Inn, Hernance Imaging, Jay Craft Center, Monday-Tuesday Grill, The Mountaineer, Valley Grocery, and Young’s Studio. In Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake: Raquette River Brewing and River Trail Beerworks. And in Plattsburgh: Maui North Ski, Bike & Board, Staples, The Strand Center and Viking Ski Shop. Other donated items were received from Chris Barnes, Janice Flesher, Phyllis Fox, Marty Lawthers, Gary Marchuk and Elyse Roller.

And lastly, I want to thank Bob Zande, volunteer ski patrol coordinator, for his “behind the scene” brainstorming with me and communicating with the ski patrollers; to Michelle Preston of Elevation Planning and Events, who helped make this event much more impactful; and my team of special friends (you know who you are!), without whom the event wouldn’t have happened at all.

We were equally overwhelmed by all the former and current ski patrollers as well as our friends and family members who came to join us and help us fund the memorial scholarship with their raffle ticket purchases and silent auction bids. What an amazing tribute to Steven’s memory and a great show of appreciation for the Whiteface Ski Patrol. On behalf of the entire Weinstein family, we thank you all!

Susan Weinstein Albert

Jay