April 29, 2011 – AspenPointe has teamed up with the USA Pro Cycling Challenge to promote volunteerism, which can positively impact wellness and mental health. The USA Pro Cycling Challenge is a new professional stage cycling race coming to Colorado August 22-28, 2011.
AspenPointe, which began 135 years ago as the volunteer organization Colorado Springs Relief Society, has agreed to be volunteer sponsor for the seven-day race across Colorado that begins in Garden of the Gods on Aug. 22. More than 4,000 volunteers are needed to make the inaugural event a success.
“I can think of no better time to announce this partnership than in April, National Volunteer Appreciation Month,” said Morris L. Roth, president and CEO of AspenPointe. “We are very proud of the work our clients have done to make Colorado a better place. We want to highlight those remarkable efforts and encourage others to invest in their community.”
AspenPointe clients, some with severe and persistent mental illnesses that prevent them from working full time, volunteered more than 1,000 hours in 2010, earning them the Center for Nonprofit Excellence’s Volunteer of the Year Award for the Adult Group category. One of their projects involved packaging 12,000 sets of books that were delivered to new moms and dads in hospitals in an effort to improve child literacy.
Numerous studies, such as The Health Benefits of Volunteering:A Review of Recent Research, show a significant connection between volunteering, health and social functionality. Volunteers have greater longevity, higher functional ability, lower rates of depression and less incidence of heart disease, researchers concluded.
“Volunteering gives hope to others that people do care," said AspenPointe client Sally McDermitt, who volunteered 130 hours last year. "It helps build self-esteem, not just in myself but others. It’s helping others accomplish goals, which gives me courage to accomplish my goals.”
For more information on AspenPointe, go to www.AspenPointe.org, or call 1-800-285-1204. For additional information regarding volunteer opportunities for the 2011 USA Pro Challenge, please visit www.quiznosprochallenge.com/volunteer-registration.
The USA Pro Cycling Challenge is expected to be the largest spectator event in Colorado history and one of the largest sporting events to ever take place in the United States. For seven consecutive days, 128 of the world’s top athletes will race across nearly 600 miles through the majestic Rockies, reaching higher altitudes than they’ve ever had to endure, more than two miles in elevation. It’s the best of the best in professional cycling, competing on a physically and mentally challenging course through some of America’s most beautiful scenery.
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