KILLINGTON, VERMONT — Gould Academy was awarded a grant by the Killington World Cup Foundation to further its mission to aid winter sports infrastructure and access to winter sports across the northeast. Created to support the women’s FIS Ski World Cup at Killington Resort and benefit local and regional youth athletic development programs, the Killington World Cup Foundation (KWCF) recently awarded $252,000 to 22 nonprofits in the northeast region as it prepares for the upcoming HomeLight Killington Cup in November.

Gould Academy was chosen for its dedication in preparing academically motivated students for college by helping them to become independent-minded, ethical citizens who lead lives of purpose, action, excellence and compassion. The grant they were provided with fund the next phase of their Competition Venue Improvement Campaign.

KWCF grants are supported through the sale of tickets to the HomeLight Killington Cup. Combined with matching funds and multi-year grant commitments, the KWCF 2019 grants are a direct result of the 2018 women’s World Cup at Killington with funds from every Killington Cup VIP ticket and Premier Grandstand ticket allocated to the KWCF to benefit winter sports programs throughout the northeast.

“When making the decision to host the World Cup, one of the objectives was to give back to the athletic community in the area,” Herwig Demshar SAID, Senior Vice President of International Business Development at POWDR, Killington Resort’s parent company. “This partnership has proven an effective way to give directly to supporting young, aspiring skiers and snowboarders who are the future competitors and supporters of the sport.”

The Vermont-based foundation strives to support the women’s World Cup while increasing winter sports participation for youth and assisting with competition and training infrastructure. Awarded projects include trail expansion and equipment for various racing venues in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and North Carolina, participation scholarships for adaptive, nordic and alpine programs in Maine, Vermont and Massachusetts, a Learn to Ski program in Vermont and Maine and the expansion of adaptive learn-to-ski programs in Massachusetts.

Taking place November 29-December 1, 2019, the FIS Ski World Cup tour will once again bring the women’s giant slalom and slalom races to Vermont and will feature U.S. Ski Team superstars like Mikaela Shiffrin competing against the best women’s technical alpine skiers in the world. Ski racing fans can directly support the KWCF and grant recipients by purchasing VIP and Premier Grandstand tickets to the HomeLight Killington Cup at www.killington.com.

For additional information about the Killington World Cup Foundation and the 2019 Audi FIS Women’s Ski World Cup, please visit www.kwcfgivesback.org.