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To everyone who has kindly contriubted to Mushing For Bethany:

Greetings and Happy New Year. I hope you had a good holiday and have been safe and well during the pandemic. It has definitely been a challenging year but I am confident that better things lie ahead. We have kicked off the new year with a full slate of dog sled rides here at Snow Mountain Ranch. We still have not returned to in person worship services, but you can catch the live stream of our Sunday messages on the YMCA of the Rockies Facebook page.

I am writing to express how grateful I am to all of you. We have generated just over $51,000 for the endowment fund to date. This is so great as we will be able to send two kids to camp every year forever. Not only have you helped me accomplish a mission which will remain with me for the remainder of my life, more importantly, you have helped us impact kids that would otherwise not have had the opportunity to participate in the life-changing experience of Camp Chief Ouray. I believe this will have a ripple effect that we may never see in our lifetime. Who knows what great things some of these kids will achieve, and part of that will be thanks to the experience they had at camp. 

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am confident that Bethany is looking down from heaven and is very pleased. It was her desire to make a lasting impact and now her life and her story will continue to do that. 

I also hope you are doing well during this unprecedented time. Covid-19 has certainly challenged our entire world. It is my prayer that you and your loved ones have been kept safe and that in the midst of this pandemic you still have all that you need. I pray we get through this as soon as possible. I have been thinking about the demand it places on each of our lives to persevere. Running long distance races has certainly taught me a great deal about perseverance, but navigating through this pandemic is an altogether different kind of marathon. If there is any way that I can encourage any of you in any way, please don’t hesitate to contact me. 

Having said that, this pandemic has certainly challenged Camp Chief Ouray. The camp was unable to run as a resident camp this past summer. Going through a summer without the normal revenue is challenging for any organization but particularly a non-profit like Camp Chief Ouray. Because we want to be sure that two kids will get to benefit from the Mushing For Bethany endowment fund, our sled dog team will be racing again this winter.  However, this winter, instead of adding to the endowment fund we will be raising money for the Camp Chief Ouray Sustainability Fund. This fund will help sustain Camp Chief Ouray through this challenging time.

This year we will be running two back-to-back races totaling 200 miles, and if you could find it in your heart and you are able to make a contribution we would be so grateful. The first race is February 21 and is in Ely, MN. And the second race is February 26-28 in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Our goal is to raise $10,000. We want to make sure the kids benefiting from Mushing For Bethany always have a camp to attend. We have already begun training and putting in the hard work to represent Camp Chief Ouray well. 

Thank you and God Bless!

Chaplain Steve Peterson

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