Snowarama for Easter Seals Ambassador Zachary Pylychuk has been at the Grand Portage Lodge and Casino event for eight years now, delighting organizers and riders with his positive attitude. He was at a planning event at Grand Portage Lodge last week, along with organizers Dana Logan of the Grand Portage Trail Riders; Rhonda Harrison of Easter Seals Ontario; and Billi Carlson of the Grand Portage Lodge and Casino. The 2016 Snowarama event—which takes place on the wonderful Grand Portage trail system—will be Saturday, February 20. All proceeds from Snowarama benefit children and youth with physical disabilities in the Thunder Bay area. For more information, call (800) 688-6252.
Thirteen may be an unlucky number for some, but for participants in the 2016 Snowarama for Easter Seals, it could become the luckiest of numbers. To celebrate the 13th year at Grand Portage Lodge & Casino, with every $100 in pledges earned by participants, riders have a chance at one of 13 prizes—with the grand prize a 2016 Polaris 550 Indy snowmobile!
There are a number of other great prizes for Snowarama participants, such as overnight stays at the Valhalla Inn in Thunder Bay, an Edgewater Water Park package in Duluth, overnight stays at Grand Portage Lodge and at Hollow Rock; and much more.
In addition to great prizes the event includes a day of great riding on Grand Portage trails, there is a bonfire at the Mineral Center trailhead, a complimentary dinner at the Grand Portage Community Center, and Saturday night entertainment.
And it is all for a great cause, support of Easter Seals, Ontario and the children and families it serves. Over the past 13 years, the Grand Portage Lodge and Casino Snowarama has raised over $333,000 for children and youth with physical disabilities.
Funds raised at the event help provide financial assistance for essential mobility and communication equipment and fully accessible summer camping opportunities.
Zachary Pylychuk, 12, of Thunder Bay, is returning to the Snowarama Easter Seals as ambassador for the event for the ninth year. Zachary’s condition—spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), sometimes referred to as children’s Lou Gehrig’s disease—confines him to a wheelchair. Despite his challenges, Zachary is a cheerful pre-teen and he is looking forward to seeing all the riders at the event. Zach likes to help out at the registration and raffle tables.
Rhonda Harrison, senior development officer for Easter Seals, expressed appreciation to the Grand Portage Lodge and Casino as well as the Grand Portage Trail Riders and the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. And she added thanks to all the riders who participate. “Snowarama would not be a success without the snowmobiling community,” said Harrison, adding, “Together we are helping kids be kids.”
For more information about Snowarama for Easter Seals or to donate to a rider, visit www.snowarama.org.
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