During the 2008 annual event in Bend, four long-time supporters of Ski for Light were honored for their financial generosity to the organization. Valerie Anders, Liv Markle, Jean Replinger and Kjell Skavnes were each presented the Brit Peterson award. The award goes to individuals whose cumulative lifetime giving to the organization is in excess of $25,000. It is named in honor of Brit Peterson, who was the first recipient of the award.
Valerie became acquainted with SFL back in the seventies when Bud Keith first journeyed to Norway to visit the Ridderrenn. At the time, her husband, former astronaut Bill Anders, was the United States Ambassador to Norway. Valerie and Bill attended Ridderrennet with Bud, and they became fast friends. They attended SFL in 1981, and again in 1999. Valerie got the SFL Endowment Fund off the ground with a gift of $25,000, in Bud's honor, during the 1999 event. She has continued to support SFL with subsequent gifts to the fund.
Liv attended her first SFL event in 1980. She had known about Ridderrennet while growing up in Norway, and had heard of SFL after immigrating to the U.S. After attending her first event, she was struck by how much the program affected the lives of those who attended, and decided to do all that she could to support it. Since that first event, she has hosted holiday SFL fund-raising parties in her home in Indiana nearly every year, while also continuing to guide at most events.
Jean Has attended every SFL event as either a guide or worker-bee since her first event in 1980. A college professor in Minnesota, Jean found that SFL combined many of the things she valued in life: teaching, helping others and fun in the out-of-doors. She decided to do what she could to make the benefits of the SFL experience available to others, and over the years has sponsored about 40 attendees. She has also supported the program annually with significant gifts to the general operating, Goodfellow and/or endowment funds.
Kjell emigrated to the U.S. from Norway back in the early seventies. He first attended SFL in 1977, and has guided at most events since then. For more than a decade, he transported skis and equipment to and from each event, and handled ski fitting for participants. For many years he also donated his earnings from competitive sport car racing to Ski for Light, and flew the SFL flag on each of his cars.
Please join us in thanking each of these people for all that they have done for Ski for Light over the years. They truly have made a difference, and it is greatly appreciated.