Colorado Community Helps Adaptive Sports Center Grow

CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. (CBS4) - When a Colorado high country nonprofit was running out of space, organizers turned to the community to help make their dream of a new building a reality. The Adaptive Sports Center has served a very unique group of participants since 1987.

Now, they are in their brand new building that is a true community effort.

"Really takes a village to make it all happen," Allison Butcher, the development director, told CBS4.

On a recent weekend morning, workers were fitting a new group of adaptive sports athletes for gear. Being busy is just fine for programs coordinator Christopher Read.

"This place is awesome, I've been doing this for a long time and there's never really a dull moment around here."

The center worked together with this unique community and supporters across the country to raise money for a new building located at the base of the ski resort, towering above with plenty of big windows letting in the natural light. It was built with the people who use it in mind down to every last detail.

"We are a mission-based nonprofit. We use outdoor adventure activities to help people achieve things like self-confidence, self advocacy and independence is a big part of our mission," Read said.

Combined, adaptive sports programs like the one in Crested Butte help serve thousands of people in Colorado every year.

"They find this as an outlet after whatever life-changing event they had. They become super passionate skiers, climbers, mountain bikers, you name it they find these activities as a resource after whatever event they had to send them our way," Read added.

The programs give them the skills to find independence and success tackling people powered sports.

"To become involved in something that is bigger than themselves that is literally changing lives," Butcher said.