Bancroft Sponsors Veteran Charity Event at Iron Mountain, Michigan

Bancroft founder Paul Jenkins poses with specialty skiing equipment for disabled veterans.

Bancroft Architects + Engineers is an event sponsor for the annual “Moving Mountains” fundraiser at the Pine Mountain Resort in Iron Mountain on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  The event is a coordinated effort between Pine Mountain Resort, local VA and other interested medical professionals and many highly energized and dedicated volunteers.  Instructors involved with this program have been trained by, and follow the processes and procedures of the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA). The program’s intent is to provide ski instruction to Veterans and others with disabilities as part of their healing process.

Now in its third year, the Moving Mountains program has grown exponentially in its first two seasons, as the Veteran population at the Iron Mountain VA Medical Center has exploded.  “We recognized the need and the value for providing Veterans with disabilities the opportunity for rehabilitation on so many levels,” said Sally Webster, one of the program’s principals.  “There are obvious health benefits in terms of confidence and self-esteem for the individual, the reconnection with the outdoors, and of course it’s a heck of a lot of fun.  Every participant leaves Pine Mountain at the end of a Moving Mountains day smiling, and for some that’s most important—just getting their smile back”

For Bancroft Architects + Engineers, Moving Mountains is another Veteran-specific charity that follows the company’s mission to provide the best possible healing environment for Veterans.  “We work hard to incorporate the latest evidence-based designs and Planetree models into our medical facilities design,” said Dennis Mika, Bancroft’s lead medical architect.  “But at the end of the day, connecting to and interacting with nature and the environment has been shown to be invaluable for patients.  Moving Mountains achieves that in a direct and meaningful way.”

Moving Mountains founder, James Webster, calls Bancroft Architects + Engineers sponsorship vital to the local Veteran community.  “The program is growing quickly, and as we grow we need more equipment and more trained volunteers and staff.  It’s rewarding for me to have a disabled-Veteran owned firm like Bancroft involved in the effort.  It sends a signal to the volunteers and staff that we’re doing the right thing and are appreciated by the disabled Veterans who are a few years ahead in their recovery.”

For Bancroft founder Paul Jenkins, the event is one that gets circled on the calendar every year.  “As a firm, we’re lucky to be extremely busy with contracts.  Still, this is one of the ‘drop-everything-and-be-here’ events on my calendar because of the direct impact it has on healing Veterans,” said Jenkins.  “We’re proud to be a part of it, and encourage other firms to do the same.”

The Moving Mountains website is at www.MovingMountainsAP.org.