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December 18, 2007
Aspen Club 30th Anniversary / Fundraiser - Tuesday December 18th, 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm
I am writing to invite you to a very special 30th anniversary (it is actually closer to the 31st, but I have always been a little slow on the draw) celebration we are holding here at the Club tomorrow, December 18th from 7:00 - 11:00 pm. The event is called 'Pursuing Possibilities' as it will benefit three extraordinary individuals in our community: Amanda Boxtel, Leah Roland and Kasie Burtard. Amanda, Leah and Kasie each have spinal cord injuries and will be receiving promising stem cell therapy in India.
This cause is very near and dear to my heart, as it was just ten years ago that Challenge Aspen, co-lead then by Amanda Boxtel, was the beneficiary of our grand re-opening party. From the moment I met Amanda, I have always marveled at her energy and optimism. When she first told me about the novel stem cell therapy she was participating in, I was fascinated by the prospect. When she returned from India this past summer having received her first series of treatments, I was astounded by the progress she had made. After fifteen and a half years of being in a wheelchair with no improvements in her condition, her toes were moving, her bladder and bowels were beginning to function again and she has increased muscle power in her legs. The stem cell therapy Amanda received is at the forefront of medical science, and this technology over time will be both life-changing for Amanda, Leah and Kasie, and revolutionary for the future of millions of people.
Amanda, Leah and Kasie's quest is a dramatic metaphor for the journey we are all on. I believe that the Aspen Club should help facilitate their quest, as the Club has always been more than a health club. We are a community dedicated to performance and achievement at all levels. The Aspen Club was founded with an openness to non-traditional healthcare and human possibilities. In the years the Club has been in business, many treatments that were once on the fringe of acceptability have now become mainstream. I believe stem cell therapy will follow this pattern.
This fundraiser is more than helping a few deserving people in our community achieve a better life; it is about creating a better future for all of us, starting with these three early pioneers. Because of this, this event is important to all of us here at the Club and the larger Aspen community.
I look forward to seeing each of you there to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Aspen Club and the timeless anniversary of human ingenuity and the boundlessness of the human spirit.
Sincerely,
Michael Fox, CEO
Aspen Club International
For more information on events in Aspen-Snowmass, please visit us at www.stayaspensnowmass.com
Posted by Dina at December 18, 2007 08:34 AM
