The producers of Telluride Gay Ski Week (TGSW) announced today that its 2010 Presenting Sponsor* will be the Matthew Shepard Foundation, one of the leading GLBT education, advocacy and awareness organizations in the United States. Matthew Shepard’s mother and chair of the foundation, Judy Shepard will be attending the event along with other representatives of the organisation.
Telluride Gay Ski Week 2010, the Seventh Annual Telluride Gay Ski Week, will take place from Saturday, February 20, 2010 to Saturday, February 27, 2010.
“We are pleased to have partnered with such a well-known event that brings positive visibility to the GLBT community in the United States and around the world,” said Jason Marsden, executive director of the Mathew Shepard Foundation. “This event provides an ideal platform for our education, advocacy and awareness work.”
Ranked the #1 Gay Ski Week in the U.S.A. by Gay.com, Telluride Gay Ski Week, since its inception in 2004, has played host to thousands of guests from throughout Colorado to as far away as New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, Hawaii, Australia and the United Kingdom over the past six years.
Organizers also announced that the Telluride Mountain Village Owners Association will be Founding Sponsor of the event and that LOGO, the leading GLBT cable network, has returned as Major Media Sponsor for event. 2010 sponsors to date include the Capella Telluride, the Peaks Hotel, Telluride Ski Resort, Telluride Sports, Pink Banana Media and Gay List Daily.
Telluride Gay Ski Week 2010 will boast a full schedule of events in addition to its acclaimed skiing. Planning for a number of activities is underway; including a special fundraiser for the Matthew Shepard Foundation. The schedule of events can be found on the official Telluride Gay Ski Week website (www.telluridegayskiweek.com).
Telluride Gay Ski Week 2010
When: Saturday, February 20 – Saturday, February 27, 2010
Where: Town of Mountain Village, CO and the Telluride Ski Resort
Info: Event pricing, lodging and travel information available at www.telluridegayskiweek.com
*The Mathew Shepard Foundation presenting sponsorship was made possible by the generous support of a member of the Foundation’s Leadership Council from Oklahoma.
About Telluride Gay Ski Week
Telluride Gay Ski Week (TGSW) is an annual week-long gay ski event produced by StraightOut Media & Marketing with support from the Telluride Mountain Village Owners Association and benefitting the Telluride AIDS Benefit locally and the Mathew Shepard Foundation nationally. An alternative to other gay ski events, TGSW provides a unique vacation experience in a spirited and unpretentious ski town. Nestled in a box canyon surrounded by the majestic 13,000 ft peaks of the San Juan Mountains, Telluride Gay Ski Week brings the charm of Telluride together with the European-style town of Mountain Village. For more information, visit www.telluridegayskiweek.com
About the Matthew Shepard Foundation
The Matthew Shepard Foundation was founded by Dennis and Judy Shepard in memory of their 21-year old son, Matthew, who was murdered in an anti-gay hate crime in Wyoming in October 1998. Created to honor Matthew in a manner that was appropriate to his dreams, beliefs and aspirations, the Foundation seeks to “Replace Hate with Understanding, Compassion & Acceptance” through its varied educational, outreach and advocacy programs and by continuing to tell Matthew’s story. In addition to dozens of visits to public and private high schools and colleges by Judy Shepard and Foundation staff each year, the Foundation also provides a youth-oriented LGBT resource directory, MatthewsPlace.com, which has been visited by more than 250,000 unique visitors since inception, and which will be expanded next year with live chat, news and educational video and other interactive features.