Glen Torres of Waterbury, Andy Holt of Burlington, Jay Schulz of Reno, Nevada, and Ben Hamilton of North Chittenden have been named 2023 Volunteers of the Year by Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports, a nationally recognized organization that empowers people of all abilities through inclusive sports and recreational programming.
Torres, a Vermont Adaptive volunteer for the past 30 years, taught 44 individual lessons at Sugarbush Resort this past winter. During the summer, he volunteered at every open-enrollment paddle programming day, every CORE Connections programming day and many school group bike path rides. Combined, Torres taught the most lessons in the winter 2023-24 season at Sugarbush and the summer 2023 season in central Vermont.
Schulz has been a year-round volunteer since 2021. In addition to his time volunteering at Bolton Valley and in Burlington during the summer, he also has played an active role in Sunday ski team at Sugarbush. Though he recently relocated to Reno, Nevada, for work, Schultz's efforts will long be remembered by his students and colleagues alike.
Holt has been a dedicated volunteer for many years. He participates in skiing, biking, climbing and paddling and enjoys working with the Veterans Ventures program. He’s also been known to stop by the Sailing Center to help work on the bikes when Vermont Adaptive is at a loss as to what needs to be done.
Hamilton has served as a Vermont Adaptive volunteer for two years. Whether on the snow, bike paths or water, his steadying nature and dedication is obvious to everyone participating and the public. A skier by nature, Hamilton has been known to help on the occasional snowboard lesson, too, if needed. He plans to attend medical school so he can continue to learn and help others in his community upon graduation.