Dover, VT – When it comes to riding snow, K2 Snowboarding athlete Griffin MacFadyen is all about having fun while helping others. Last year, the precocious 11-year-old grom started a pledge program for injured winter sports athletes by competing and spending time on his board. This year, his idea has transformed into Griff’s Pledge: The High Fives Winter Action Sports Ambassador Program.
“Snowboarding is a lifestyle, a hobby and an overall blessing which unfortunately can result in serious injury especially for those calling it a job,” said Peter Mullenbach, K2 Snowboarding’s Team Manager. “It’s really rad to see Griffin pursue this opportunity of supporting his injured friends and fellow riders.”
The new ambassador program allows competitive skiers and snowboarders to leverage their hard work and achievements to bring positivity into the world of winter action sports. High Fives is a national non-profit that is dedicated to raising money and awareness for athletes who have suffered a life-altering injury while pursuing a dream in the winter action sports community.
“As we have grown as a foundation and developed a brand, kids have requested to be sponsored by High Fives,” said Roy Tuscany, Executive Director and Co-Founder of High Fives. “We have always said you don’t want to be sponsored by us, but be grateful we are here. However, now, with the program established by Griff, we can have ambassadors that sponsor the Foundation. It is incredible what he has created to give back.”
By competing and spending days on the mountain, Griff’s Pledge encourages young athletes to raise funds to boost the program services of High Fives. Each athlete will receive branded gear so they can represent High Fives on and off the mountain.
“I am stoked to be helping the High Fives athletes,” said MacFadyen. “When High Fives told me they wanted to take my pledge challenge and turn it into a national program I was real excited because I knew it could help lots of injured action sports athletes with their recovery. It feels good to help people who get hurt doing the same things I love to do.”