Pedal or Putt at this Year’s Kelly Brush Ride

GOLF ADDED TO EVENT THAT SUPPORTS ADAPTIVE SPORTS AND SKI RACING SAFETY 

Participants in the 13^th annual Kelly Brush Ride powered by VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations can opt to participate via pedal strokes and golf strokes this year. The state’s largest charity ride, scheduled for September 8, is offering a golf option for the first time.

“The Kelly Brush Ride start and finish is next to the Ralph Myhre Golf Course at Middlebury College, and many of our participants play a round the day before or go out after the ride. We thought ‘Why not make it an official part of the event?’” said Zeke Davisson, executive director of the Kelly Brush Foundation. “Kelly and her family are avid golfers and the foundation has given grants for adaptive golf equipment, so it seemed like a natural fit.”

The event raises funds for the foundation’s Active Fund, which provides grants for the purchase of adaptive sports equipment for people with spinal cord injuries. The ride also supports the foundation’s ski racing safety program.

The Active Fund has awarded more than 650 grants in 47 states. The foundation has also awarded more than 150 grants to improve ski racing safety in every state with alpine racing venues and funded more than 15 miles of safety “B” netting to make courses safer.

Timo Shaw, president of title sponsor VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations, is looking forward to this year’s event.

“We feel strongly about the work done at Kelly Brush Foundation, and have been title sponsor of the ride for seven years,” said Shaw. “It is very special to see over 800 bicyclists, handcyclists, families, ski teams and community members all coming together to get outside and support a great cause.”

Participants can register online through Thursday, Sept. 6 or in person at the event to ride 100, 50, 20 or 10 miles, and/or sign up for a tee time.

The ride that rolls through the Champlain Valley was voted “Best Century Ride” by Vermont Sports magazine in March 2018. In addition to offering golf for the first time this year, the event will feature a beer tent serving locally brewed Switchback.

For registration and information visit:  www.kellybrushfoundation.org/kellybrushride

The Kelly Brush Ride powered by VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations is made possible thanks to the generosity of many participants, volunteers and sponsors including: VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations, Key Bank, Sugarbush, Shearer Audi, Murphy Realty Company, Aerie Consulting, Nokian Tires, Catamount Financial Partners, World Cup Supply, our hosts on the Middlebury Ski Team and more than 30 other generous sponsors.

About Kelly Brush Foundation

The Kelly Brush Foundation is a dynamic and growing Burlington, Vermont-based non-profit inspiring and empowering people with spinal cord injuries to be active and working closely with the alpine ski racing community to improve safety. 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 650 adaptive equipment grants to people in 47 states.