Each year in Tahoe, California, thousands of snowboarders gather to spend a fantastic day on the mountain for a very important cause. The BBC Foundation has hosted annual events for the past five years, bringing together professional and amateur snowboarders, industry sponsors, and musicians. The all-day event has been well-attended from the get-go, and all proceeds go to the BBC Foundation, where it is streamed into cancer research organizations.
Read what two of the foundation's five founders have to say below, and don't forget to stop by the withitgirl, Chickabiddy and Modart booths at this year's event in Sierra on April 14, beginning at 9 A.M. Register soon, because lift tickets for this event go like hotcakes!
Kathleen Gasparini:
"Five years ago we founded Boarding for Breast Cancer, and now it's a nonĞprofit foundation. We have a grant selection process where people can apply for specific grants for what they want to do in June, and then in July during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we make the decision about who will receive the grants for the year. In the past, we have given money to the Breast Cancer Fund, the Nina Hyde Foundation for breast cancer research, the Susan G. Cohen Foundation. This year we have the Barton Memorial Hospital which is a local breast cancer center in Tahoe, and Healing Legacies, which is an art sculpture studio in Vermont. A new addition this year is Modart. You have probably checked it out. [Mona and Shaney Jo] applied for a grant and we gave them one. It covers their expenses and materials to be here. In exchange, they are doing a silent art auction. The proceeds go to the BBC Foundation.
We have about 70 pro riders, some of the best riders in the world: Michelle Taggart, Tina Dunn, Tara Dakides, Mikey Basich, Tina Basich. We have about 40 amateurs. What we try to do is make it an event for the pro riders who want to come, but because we are a grassroots kind of event, we want amateur riders to be able to ride alongside boarders like Tina Basich. We give everyone the opportunity to drop into the pipe."
Lisa Hudson:
"There are five [founders]. Myself, Kathleen Gasparini, Dawn Kish, Tina Basich, Shannon Dunn, and Fuse who produce our event.
I started snowboarding in 1989 and haven't skied since. Basically my connection with the cause is that I had a grandmother who passed away as a result of the disease, and my mother was diagnosed at the same time as our friend Monica Stewart, who was 26 at the time of her diagnosis. A year later, we were all sitting around talking about doing something to increase awareness among younger women. Monica called us in December of 1995 and said, "I don't know if I am going to make it, and I really want you guys to make this happen." So, in four months, we pulled off our first event. The Beastie Boys played on a stage right here that was a 20 by 30 piece of plywood. My boyfriend built the stage and he was the bouncer. It was a call out to the music and the snowboarding industries. Monica was a snowboarder and a well-known designer in the snowboarding industry. She was well-loved, and we are all so happy to be involved with such a great cause.
FROM The WITHITGIRL ARCHIVE 2000
Text and interviews by Cory Peipon & Images by Maya Hayuk
Boarding for Breast Cancer (B4BC) is a 501(c) 3 non-profit foundation founded in 1996. Our mission is triple focused to prepare young people with education on early detection, promote the importance of maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle as the best means of breast cancer prevention, and provide survivor support for those affected by breast cancer.
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