Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports, a nationally recognized nonprofit providing sports and recreation year-round to people with disabilities, has named Molly Tobin, program coordinator for the organization, winner of the 2021 Kellen Sams Memorial Leadership Award.
The award recognizes Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports staff, volunteers and interns who show the greatest commitment to professional development and leadership within the organization. Sams was a teacher and adventurer who died in an avalanche in 2010 while backcountry skiing the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.
“We are thrilled that Molly is this year’s recipient of the award,” said Christine Parsons, Sams’ mother who created the award in her son’s memory. “Kellen’s name is linked to an amazing adaptive sports program, which does the type of work that resonated with his heart."
Tobin began volunteering at Vermont Adaptive in 2018 and then interned for both Burlington summer programming and Pushback/CORE Connections. In fall 2020, she returned as the Bolton Valley/Chittenden County/Burlington region program coordinator.
“Molly dove in headfirst, taking charge of programs in order to continue to provide services to those that we could” during the coronavirus pandemic, said Erin Fernandez, executive director of Vermont Adaptive. “She didn't flinch when asked to take on the responsibility of administering the new online volunteer off-snow training portal, which was brand new to the organization due to the pandemic. She did an amazing job, was efficient and stepped up without any questions, taking on a role that was new to her.”