The Sheridan Arts Foundation invites you to be a part of one of the most meaningful and exciting festivals of the Telluride community, the annual Wild West Fest. In 2013 we celebrate our 22st anniversary, with many exciting community events and enriching and educational experiences for all!
Since 1990, the Sheridan Arts Foundation has raised $50,000 each year to bring 50 inner-city youth from Boys & Girls Clubs and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America to Telluride for a week of nurturing, child-centered mentorship programs and fascinating cultural experiences as a part of the Chip Allen Mentorship Program (C.A.M.P). Children travel from cities across the United States, including Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Farmington N.M., Dallas/Ft. Worth, and Colorado Springs.
Here in Telluride, we enjoy many privileges, and Wild West Fest is a chance to share our community with kids who can really benefit from what it has to offer. This is our chance to open our town and our hearts to kids in need. The goal of the Sheridan Arts Foundation every year is to provide an esteem-building experience for each child that allows them to challenge themselves in a supportive and non-competitive environment.
For many of these kids, this trip to Telluride marks their first time out of their home cities, their first time on an airplane, their first real vacation or first summer camp experience. Kids who come to the Wild West Fest learn about themselves, the world and the possibilities that exist.
During their week in Telluride, the inner-city and Native American youth work with nurturing mentors in the fields of drama, dance, horsemanship, fly fishing, outdoor adventure and music, as well as take part in exciting outdoor adventures and meaningful cultural experiences.
Help Us Help A Child
The Wild West Fest is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for each and every one of our children, most of whom have never traveled out of their own home town. From its inception, it has been the Sheridan Arts Foundation’s goal to make money a non-determining factor in their participation.
The SAF, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit, has taken on the task of providing all lodging, meals and transportation in and around Telluride, as well as admittance to each event free of charge to the youth throughout our week-long festival.
In 2011, the WWF Mentorship Program Scholarship Awards provided by the Sheridan Arts Foundation totaled more $40,000. You too can make a difference in a child’s life with a much needed donation to the SAF’s Wild West Fest.
Your generous contribution of $1,000 will allow one child to participate in the SAF’s Wild West Fest in its entirety. As an expression of our gratitude, sponsors will receive 2 VIP tickets to each of the 2013 Wild West Fest events as well as a tax donation letter from the Sheridan Arts Foundation.
Those interested in pledging their support for the Wild West Fest should contact Ronnie Palamar by calling (970) 728-6363 or emailing [email protected] or click below to donate online. All proceeds benefit the production of the Wild West Fest.
Local Involvement!
With the regional school calendar ending on June 1 this year, the SAF will once again extend its Wild West Fest program to local youth ages 12-18. Space is limited to 8, so the SAF will be collecting a short statement of “Why I’m Interested” from each student hoping to participate. Please email this to [email protected] by May 8, 2012 to ensure your participation. Also, please note that the program runs the majority of each day (June 4 – 9), starting at 9 a.m. All local youth interested in participating must be able to provide their own transportation to and from town throughout the event. Please call Jennifer at 970.728.6363 x2 for more info.
For more information
Please call Jennifer Julia at 970-728-6363 ext.2 for more information about the Wild West Fest or to sponsor a child.
DONATIONS CAN BE MADE TO:
SAF PO Box 2680
Telluride, CO 81435
Here’s what some of our past participants have to say
about their experiences in our program:
“Wild West Fest helped me to see a part of the world I never saw before. It also made me be able to meet new people and create new friendships that hopefully will last a lifetime. It opened my eyes to a new beginning” – Marcus Gamble, Atlanta, age 15
“Everyone in the whole town treated us like we were really important, and it felt good!” – Valerie, Farmington NM, age 14
“I loved everything about our trip to Telluride. I will remember most the kindness that everyone showed me.” – Heather, Denver, age 15
“It was fun meeting kids from small towns and big towns, everyone got along so well with each other. I liked the Opera House, it was fun to be able to perform on the stage.” – Brandon, Atlanta, age 13
“This place made me feel like a princess!” – Alta, Atlanta, age 10