Residence Inn by Marriott Student Scholarships presented by VELO Bike Club

When corporate and nonprofit worlds unite, they can create a synergy that multiplies in its benefit. This year one of the Tin Mountain Conservation Center%u219s Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb (MWARBH) presenting sponsors, Residence Inn by Marriott North Conway, together with the Mt. Washington Valley Velo Club (MWV), created a new MWARBH Student Scholarship program.

The Residence Inn by Marriott North Conway opened in February 28, 2023 and already has rooted itself in the community by becoming a sponsor of the MWARBH (The World%u219s Toughest Hillclimb) and supporting a new student scholarship award benefiting two MWV Velo Club students.

This spring Tin Mountain Conservation Center and Residence Inn by Marriott North Conway contacted the Velo Club about creating a MWARBH student scholarship program. Members of MWV Velo quickly began looking at their membership, calling schools, and visiting bike shops for good potential student racers. The next steps were to sift through the resumes and applications and select the two best candidates, and they found them: Sean Doherty and Teo Jackson.

Sean Doherty, an incoming sophomore at Kennett High School, started road biking in the 6th grade and has done a majority of his cycling on a mountain bike. Sean has frequently participated in the Great Glen Trails Porky Gulch Classic, Summer Mountain Bike series and the Red Jersey Cyclery race series.

Teo Jackson is from Gorham, NH and is currently attending St. Lawrence College. Teo said once he received the call from the MWV Velo Club, he was both excited and hesitant. He has participated in the Mt. Washington foot race and Wildcat%u219s Wildman Biathlon to train for Nordic skiing, but never the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb.

"Neither Sean or Teo has ridden the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb before, but both are outstanding athletes," commented MWV Velo member Becky Oleson. "The Velo Club is excited to get young people involved in the Valley; it is our mission to foster youth cycling in the community."

Kim Jackson, general manager of Residence Inn by Marriott North Conway, is also excited to be involved in this student scholarship program. "What better way for Residence Inn by Marriott North Conway to reach out to the community than by joining with Tin Mountain and MWV Velo Club in creating a student scholarship program benefiting area youth cyclists," noted Ms. Jackson. The program benefits two local riders by providing two highly coveted Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb racer slots.

*Photo From left to right.....Joanne Hastings (Sales & Marketing Coordinator Marriott); Becky Olsen (MWV Velo Bike Club); Sean Doherty and Teo Jackson (student scholarship recipients); Karl Pfeil (Tin Mountain Board member); Kim Jackson (General Manager, Marriott); Munsey Knox (Assistant Manager, Marriott).

About Tin Mountain Concervation Center

Tin Mountain Conservation Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit providing education programs that foster greater awareness and understanding of the natural environment for school children, adults, and families. Since it was founded in 1980 by Barbara Rockwell Henry and David Henry in Jackson, NH, the Center has offered hands-on programs in the schools, at summer camps, and within communities throughout northern New Hampshire and western Maine.

Teacher/Naturalists devote classroom lessons and field trips to the many rivers, ponds, forests, mountains, and special natural areas that cover the region.

The Nature Learning Center in Albany, NH is our headquarters and boasts solar electric and solar thermal energy, local woods and craftsmanship, as well as many innovative environmental education programs. Many activities also are based at the 228-acre Tin Mountain Field Station in Jackson, NH. Tin Mountain manages 1,200 acres of forest land in Conway, NH to demonstrate sustainable forest management and to provide high-quality timber to local processing facilities.

Throughout the school year, Tin Mountain provides environmental learning programs that are tailored to the individual curricula of participating schools. This sustained contact with school children over the entire academic year is a unique feature of Tin Mountain's approach to environmental education. During the past school year, over 5,000 students and teachers in 16 schools in New Hampshire and Maine participated in the Center's activities.

Every summer, Tin Mountain operates camps for ages 4 to 16 in Fryeburg, ME and Albany, Jackson, South Conway, and South Tamworth, NH. Younger children attend day camp, while a variety of weeklong ventures to wild areas in northern New England are offered to older age groups. Nearly 300 local children and families benefit each year from summer programs.

For adults and families, Tin Mountain offers Community Nature Programs -- a diverse array of over 70 programs each year that promote an appreciation of the environment in children, adults, and families. The series includes slide shows, hikes, lectures, and field trips featuring local natural history experts and the region's spectacular natural areas, and sponsored by L.L. Bean and the Evenor Armington Fund.

canoe3The staff at Tin Mountain consists of eight permanent employees: an executive director, education director, communication/PR manager, business manager, outreach coordinator, grounds/maintenance, and two teacher/naturalists. During the summer, 8-10 camp counselors are employed to assist with the increased workload of managing summer programs. In addition, numerous volunteers, many of them current or former schoolteachers, help with a variety of tasks associated with school programs, camps, and office chores.

A 21-member volunteer Board of Trustees oversees finances, assists in fundraising, and sets overall policies which govern the organization. In addition to the annual fund drive, the Board coordinates three special fundraising events -- the First Season Festival auction and dinner, the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb and the Mt. Washington Century Ride. The Center is supported solely by charitable contributions and program fees.

©2012 Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb - A benefit for: Tin Mountain Conservation Center
For Information about this race, contact Mary Power 603.466.3988 - Refund and Exchange Policy - Header Photos by Philbrick Photo
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