Hey friends! This year I am going to donate to the Vermont Food Bank a matching amount to what I raised here up to $1000.

Edit: as of Valentine’s Day I did the ski and we are up to $905!!!

Your donation will go to the Alzheimer's Association - an organization with a mission to "eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected, and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health."  I've done some digging and I found that this organization is the 3'rd largest funder of Alzheimer's research worldwide, behind the E.U. and the U.S. Government.

A few years ago I prepared an open letter about my thoughts in general about how we can continue to make the world a better place.  It is below.

I need your support to do my part! Please make a donation to help us fight such a crippling disease.

Thank you for your contribution!

Steve Melamed

PS - Marisa will not be able to ski the CHC this year, which means that if you are planning to support her, you should support me this year instead!

Open Letter:

Hello Friends, Hello Family!

Firstly I am asking you to think about how much non-profit’s, NGO’s, and charities will need your support this year more than ever. From what I can tell, It looks like charities this year will be seriously struggling under the tax overhaul. Since the mission of these entities is generally to make the world a better place, they need our support whether it is in our financial interest or not.

If you have made it this far I am adding this hokey but heartfelt plea: If you do donate to this cause, I ask you to commit to being a kind of compassionate warrior: one that does not finger-point and name-call nor retreat to a fall-out shelter to await a brighter future. We have to remain witness to what is happening to our country and our world, and to recognize that we do not have a monopoly on Truth, we merely seek it. We are not “Right” and they are not “Wrong,” but we are witness to the structural greed that lies at the heart of the money’d interest in our world. Moreover, I do not want you to donate to this cause if it is the only cause you will support this year. By this I am not strictly speaking of money. Support of a cause may come in different forms. We can contribute to a cause through employment, we may do so by being kind to our neighbors or volunteering our time, we may even be doing so simply by staying informed. What I am asking is that you join me in considering those little things we can do to improve the generosity of this world, and do them - that is all.

For my part I am skiing around Mt. Camel’s Hump because it is a fun thing to do with my friends and the cause is worthwhile. I have sought our charitable organizations that I believe are bringing authentic healing to those they touch, and I am learning how to pay attention to the news without getting sucked into its mania. I continue to support Marisa as she makes our health-care system work better for everyone. I teach skiing and find ways to help the people I teach to confront their anxieties and feel the exhilaration of being in the winter environment, and I remain active with Outward Bound because it provides a platform of truth-discovery for youth who are starving for authentic experience. I continue to pursue woodworking because the subtle joy of the handmade is the antidote to the alienation of the disposable or the mass-produced. I am, moreover, acutely aware that my actions are not nearly enough, and that there are structural problems that I am blind to because of my place of privilege in this world. Yet I can, at least, listen to my neighbors and be a compassionate witness to the tragic beauty that is our shared existence.

This has been a difficult letter to write, and I want to thank you for the time you spent reading it.

Warm Regards,
Steve Melamed Jr.