John and Marree Townsend are a couple who want to make a difference. A big difference. Whether it's in academics, medicine, arts and culture, or sports, the Townsends give with intent and meaning in a way that upholds their core values. When asked about inspiration and the joy of giving, John said, "Doing it [giving] is very liberating and easier than you thought it would be. All the reasons for not doing something seemed less important than they did previously. There are a lot of unanticipated benefits where you don't necessarily want the publicity that goes along with it, but if it inspires others to do more and think positively about philanthropy then maybe others with even greater means could do something more significant than what they had planned on doing."
John and Maree's generosity extends to many organizations, including U.S. Ski & Snowboard. They have supported our organization for more than 20 years and have committed to a planned gift. John came to be involved with U.S. Ski & Snowboard and serves as a trustee through friends who were already serving on the board. "They saw how enthusiastic I was and thought I'd enjoy getting involved," John said. When asked about his passion for skiing, John said it's something he came to later in life. "I didn't ski as a kid. I became passionate about it in my mid-30s when we were raising a family. We thought it would be a great family sport. We came to Utah for a couple of holidays, got a lot of instruction, and it evolved from there. Now I've spent much of the last 25 years skiing and it has developed a lot of friendships." U.S. Ski & Snowboard is incredibly grateful for the Townsends' generosity, and their passion for our athletes and our organization.