Since he was a kid, Tyler Blumenfeld was an avid skier. He had experience skiing all over the United States, plus he took a trip out to France to ski the French Alps, where he did the daring act of jumping out of a helicopter to start his trek down the mountain. Whether it was what he wore or how he glided down the mountain with ease, every time Tyler hit the slopes, he did it in style. A friend of Tyler’s once said, “he was the coolest guy on our trips because he had the coolest style and was easily the best skier on the mountain.”
“Skiing gave him a sense of freedom,” Tyler’s mother Jeanine said. “We started him on skis at age three, and he just loved it.”
Last September, Tyler passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 29. Heartbroken, his family wanted to do something meaningful to honor the life of their deceased son and brother. That’s when a family friend told Jeanine about the Adaptive Sports Foundation.
“My best friend told me about the Adaptive Sports Foundation,” Jeanine said. “After Tyler passed away, she called me and told us about your foundation. I looked it up and said ‘wow, this would be a great thing to do’ because it’s just a good fit for him and for us.”
Jeanine, her husband, Jim, and Tyler’s sibling, T, started an Anython through the ASF website, with the goal of raising $30,000 by what would be Tyler’s 30th birthday, May 20, 2022. The Blumenfelds not only reached that goal, but with the help of a total of 183 donors, they exceeded it, collecting over $36,000 at the time of writing. The Blumenfeld’s Anython page is still open and can be found here.
“The response of the donation means so much to my husband and I and our other child,” Jeanine said. “It’s a reflection of the love that people had for our son.”
“He was just very loved, and he loved deeply. He really cared about the people in his life, and that just came through will all of these donations. People just loved him very much.”
The Adapted Sports Foundation is honored to accept this donation from the Blumenfelds in Tyler’s name. With these funds, Tyler’s love of skiing will be shared with all participants who walk through the Gwen Allard Adaptive Sports Center’s doors and will give them a chance to experience the joy of skiing and snowboarding, just as he did.
The Adaptive Sports Foundation’s Anython allows anyone to set up a cause or an activity, and every dollar raised goes to the ASF. If you would like to learn more about our Anython, or if you have a cause and would like the ASF to receive the funds, CLICK HERE.
(Article photos provided by the Blumenfeld Family)
