Silicon Valley techies are getting into the charity act by doing something fun: skiing for inner-city kids and the Special Olympics.
"Your best friends were always made on the playground," said Doug Hartley, director of Youth Expeditions, a program that pairs at-risk kids with Silicon Valley employees for ski and snowboarding day trips. The program will sponsor five trips this year.
Youth Expeditions works with after-school programs like East Palo Alto's Plugged-In, as well as other schools in lower-income districts throughout Northern California, such as Marin City.
Marshawn Garner, a fourth-grader who participates in Plugged-In, will see snow for the first time this year.
"I'm excited about skiing down the mountain and the guy teaching us a [ski] lesson," Garner said.
"We put a face behind these dot-com companies," said Hartley, who runs the organization by himself with the occasional help of an assistant. He hopes the program will bolster young people's self-esteem and inspire them to succeed, as well as expose them to an activity that they may not have experienced before.
It's not just the kids who have fun.
"For the guys that are working a 70-hour week, it's a chance for them to get out of the office," Hartley said.
The trips cost $15 per kid, and the participating company and Youth Expeditions covers the rest, including a ski lesson, lunch, and equipment.
Other Silicon Valley companies plan to use the slopes as a way to benefit another cause.
On 4 March, 15 teams made up of Special Olympics advanced alpine ski athletes, company employees, and celebrities will race through a slalom course at Kirkwood Ski Resort in South Lake Tahoe.
Craig Jones, director of marketing for the Special Olympics in Northern California, credits the success of the friendly ski competition to the support of CEOs like Remedy's Lawrence Garlick, who trains with the athletes and chairs the event.
"We found that by speaking their language, doing business like they do business, and getting personal involvement from some key CEOs, we've really been able to [gain support from] high tech [companies]," Jones said.
The funds raised for the event will underwrite the cost of Northern California's Special Olympics Winter Games, and pay for a portion of training programs for Special Olympics athletes.
