IMPACT
News on how VVF supporters like you are elevating arts, athletics, and education in the Vail Valley
SPRING 2021
Photo by Connor Walberg.
Makin� a�
Welcome back!
The Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater eyes a fresh new future » page 2 Behind the wheel of the Magic Bus with Male and Maria » page 4
Get to know Citizen of the Year Sheika Gramshammer » page 6
Planning to make your impact » page 7
A sign of the times: the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater will unveil fresh new signage this summer.
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VAIL VALLEY FOUNDATION | VVF.ORG
FRESH AIR b�ight �utu�e The Vail Valley Foundation’s outdoor venue has much in store for 2021
seating and sublime views have always been celebrated traits of the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in Vail. Now those traits mean more than ever. It’s a beautiful feeling to look forward to open air and bright, sunshiny days. First, we are VERY much looking forward to welcoming you back to the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater for a complete season. In fact, the venue will open to the public earlier than ever before (May 15) and will likely host more events than any year previous, from our own Hot Summer Nights, to headliner concerts in partnership with AEG Presents, to concerts from our partners at Bravo! Vail music festival, a series of community events, graduations, and of course the VVF’s Vail Dance Festival live and in-person, July 30-Aug. 9. And all of this while adorned with the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater’s new branding and signage. The Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater was created, and has thrived, because of the strong community of people who support, fund, and help vision its future. In 2021, we will be exploring what the next era of the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater will bring, and we look forward to having you play a part. Let us know if you’d like to come by for a visit and tour – we would love to host you at this beautiful oasis of music, art, and community and share ideas with you.
Let’s have some fun, baby!
Complete concessions offerings are back on the menu for 2021.
OUR IMPACT
MAY 15, 2021 the earliest opening date ever 7 Hot Summer Nights concerts set to begin June 22 and continue on most Tuesdays through August
50%–100% capacity expected as summer progresses 1 NEW MAJOR EVENT: the YouthPower365 Stars
Photos by Jon Resnick.
Mountain air, outdoor
Variety Show (formerly the Star Dancing Gala) fundraiser is set for July 13 at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater
SPRING 2021 | VVF.ORG
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A �ide o� the
MAGIC BUS Q and A with Male and Maria Magic Bus instructors Maria Calvo Magdelena “Male” Lopez have been the metaphorical engine of the Magic Bus for years, helping hundreds of children make the ‘giant leap’ from toddler-hood to kindergarten-ready. We sat down with the pair to find out what makes the wheels on the Magic Bus go round and round.
"We’ve used the Magic Bus through two kids and it has always been a huge bright spot in both of our girls’ education. During COVID, we were especially thankful for it as it gave us a sense of normalcy, fun, and connection which was so hard to find anywhere else." Male Lopez
math, literacy, and reading benchmarks; and 2) parents and caregivers feel confident and equipped as their children’s first and most important teacher.
What year did you start teaching on the Magic Bus?
It’s been a year full of challenges: what’s one memory that exemplifies how well YouthPower365 and the Magic Bus responded to the pandemic?
Male: 2012 Maria: 2008
How do you tell if one of your children is ready for kindergarten? Maria: The Magic Bus, YouthPower365’s early childhood mobile preschool, strives for all its children to be kindergarten ready; this means children are comfortable in a classroom, can take direction, practice selfcontrol and sharing, process information, and exercise listening skills. Staff also ensure that 1) students meet
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Male: One of our teachers went out of her way during the year to help a family that had been quarantined. She brought the family food, medicine, and other resources. What was wonderful was when the teacher then also found herself and her family sick and quarantined, the Magic Bus family returned the favor. Maria: Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning – OUR IMPACT we just realize again how important it is. 100 children and their families Not only did it keep with public health served each year restrictions, but none of the teachers got any illness that they normally do working with 88% of Magic Bus children are small children.
Maria Calvo
English Language Learners
25% of Magic Bus families earn below Federal Poverty Level (FPL) or less than $25,000 annually
46% of Magic Bus families earn between $25,000 and $50,000
VAIL VALLEY FOUNDATION | VVF.ORG
What is your favorite part of the day, working on the Magic Bus? Maria: The greeting is my favorite part. Students walk in the door and are excited with their week, what they did. They just arrive with a million stories.
“Because of all your efforts my daughter has a place where she can thrive and learn. She is prepared to start kindergarten in the fall and I feel confident because of the Magic Bus she will excel and get off to a good start in her school career. This momma is beyond thankful for this program.”
Maria and Male at the creative yet unconventional 2020 Magic Bus graduation.
Male and Maria photo by Jon Resnick.
Photo by John Ryan Lockman.
Male inspects the new all-electric Magic Bus. Photo by Adam Fenton.
SPRING 2021 | VVF.ORG
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SHEIKA G�am�hamme� Vail’s biggest heart
It’s often said that Vail has always welcomed the world with open arms. There is no better example of that than Sheika Gramshammer. Sheika and her late husband, Pepi, founded the Gasthof Gramshammer lodge in Vail’s earliest days. Together with a small group of pioneering early locals, they helped create a culture in Vail that welcomed every new guest as an old friend, and old friends as family. It’s a significant part of the valley’s success. The spirit of giving, too, is a major part of Sheika’s way of life. That’s why she is the 2021 Vail Valley Citizen of the Year, one of the highest honors in the community, awarded since 1981 to deserving citizens who have provided broad support, vision, and leadership to the betterment of the community and its many nonprofit organizations. She has been a member of the Board of Directors for the Vail Valley Foundation since 2004, and has served on the Vail Dance Festival Committee since the event began. Her “Crystal Ball” event was the foundational event for what later became the VVF’s “Black Diamond Ball.” Pepi and Sheika’s life and story have become the stuff of legend, Sheika helped filled with create a welcoming, encounters with giving spirit in the celebrities and “Sheika is one of the most recognized and beloved Vail Valley. heads of state, Photo courtesy of the person in our community...Since she first arrived in Vail chronicled Gramshammer family. in books and in the 1960’s she has never stopped working to improve newspaper this community and the lives of those around her.” articles in mountain —Mike Imhof, President of the Vail Valley Foundation, communities had never skied before) and the which administers the Vail Valley Citizen of the Year award from here to pair soon fell in love. Austria, where Sheika once said of her late she was born and lived her early life. She later worked husband, “He was like Rocky Mountain water as a model in Paris and immigrated to Las Vegas in 1959 – clear, honest, beautiful.” Together they raised as a performer. daughters Kira and Sheika, who are currently involved in She headed to Aspen to visit her friend Barbara, and to helping to run the family business. learn to ski, where she met Pepi while he was training for a Read more about Sheika at vvf.org/annual-report. ski race there. He helped her navigate Ajax Mountain (she
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VAIL VALLEY FOUNDATION | VVF.ORG
Plannin� �o� �
LASTING IMPACT There are smart ways to approach planned giving in 2021 and beyond There are many ways to invest in the Vail Valley Foundation’s impact. Here are some simple ideas on how you can make a difference:
BENEFICIARY DESIGNATION. Adding the VVF as a beneficiary of your retirement plan or other assets is simple. Since the funds are granted after your lifetime, you can maintain your family budget today.
GIFT IN YOUR WILL. With as little as one sentence, you can create a brighter tomorrow at the VVF without parting with assets today. You can designate the VVF as the beneficiary of a specific asset or, as many of our donors do to ensure that their families are protected, as the recipient of a percentage of the total estate.
GRANT FROM YOUR DONOR ADVISED FUND (DAF).
DISTRIBUTION FROM YOUR IRA. If you are 70½ or older, you can use your IRA to make a gift directly to the VVF without having to pay income tax on the distribution. Beginning in the year you turn 72, you must take
your required minimum distribution (RMD). (This had been suspended in 2020 but is required again in 2021.) You can use a gift from your IRA to satisfy all or part of your RMD.
PLANNED GIVING
Photo by Jon Resnick.
This popular one-stop giving solution lets you care for multiple causes and organizations with minimal paperwork. Consider it a charitable savings account where money waits until you’re ready to distribute it. And, when you use your existing DAF to recommend a grant, it means you can invest in our future without impacting your budget today.
Learn more about how YOU can support the VVF through planned giving by contacting Christina Miller at (970) 748.5988 or cmiller@vvf.org.
SPRING 2021 | VVF.ORG
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SUMMER IS BACK! He�e’� � look at what’� ahead JUN 27 The Allman
JUL 2 Randy Rodgers Band
JUL 15 Comedian Rob Schneider
JUL 16 LeAnn Rimes
JUL 22 Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
JUL 31 A NEW WORLD RECORD
AUG 5 Amy Grant
AUG 21 Del McCoury Band
A Tribute to the Music of the Electric Light Orchestra
AUG 28
JUNE 10-13
JUN 22 – AUG 31
JUL 1 – AUG 12
Learn more about ALL our upcoming VVF events at vvf.org/events.
Vail Valley Foundation
Phone 970.777.2015
Fax 970.949.9265
Avon, CO 81620
Email info@vvf.org
Join us on:
Volunteer. Donate. Connect. vvf.org
P.O. Box 6550 90 Benchmark Road, Suite 300