CME donates van to FIRC as part of EpicPromise program

As part of Vail Resorts’ EpicPromise program, Colorado Mountain Express (CME) has partnered with the Family & Intercultural Resource Center (FIRC) by donating a Ford E350 van to the organization.

Through education and support, FIRC helps families make healthy choices and provide an environment for children to thrive. FIRC has been serving Summit County, Colo. since 1993 and offers two food banks in Summit County, which served more than 2,000 visits last year from those facing hunger. The non-profit also provides parenting education, emergency assistance, family support, cultural integration and two affordable Summit Thrift & Treasure thrift stores.

“We’ve been pleased to support FIRC through EpicPromise and CME’s Fill the Van food drive in recent years and it made sense that we support the organization even further this year with the van donation,” said John Dawsey, vice president and general manager of Colorado Mountain Express. “FIRC’s work in Summit County is well-aligned with the values of our company and the mission of Epic Promise and we’re proud to be a part of building a stronger community through this donation.”

Vail Resorts’ philanthropic giving council determined that the vehicle donation would be a valuable opportunity to support FIRC’s operations. The vehicle will be used as a cargo van to move donations and inventory between the organization’s facilities as well as supplies for classes and events.

“We are incredibly grateful to be the recipient of this year’s van donation,” said Tamara Drangstveit, executive director of FIRC. “Owning this van will significantly improve our ability to support our programs and thrift stores. We really appreciate CME’s and Vail Resorts’ commitment towards helping Summit County nonprofits in unique ways.”

This is the fifth consecutive year that CME and Vail Resorts have donated a van to a deserving nonprofit organization in Summit or Eagle County. Vans have previously been donated to the Keystone Science School, Friends of Dillon Ranger District, SOS Outreach and The Cycle Effect.

Additionally, EpicPromise and CME support FIRC through the annual food drive program, Fill the Van. More than more than 13 tons of food and cash donations equivalent to more than 11 tons of food were collected last fall, much of which was delivered directly to FIRC.

EpicPromise is Vail Resorts’ sustainability brand, which includes all of the Company’s environmental and community giving efforts. Through the brand, Vail Resorts contributes more than $8 million each year in cash and in-kind donations to critical non-profits that carry out youth and environmental programs in the communities where the Company operates.