Amanda D. Walton Scholarship Fund


"Thanks so much for your support!"

-Amanda D Walton

I am writing to raise money for the ADW Scholarship Fund through Sun Valley Adaptive Sports that my brother Will set up in 2004.  Thanks to your support, the fund has grown to $183,000 to help countless people with disabilities gain access to the magic of sports and recreation. Through a unique and innovative process involving sports, family, and coping therapies, individuals with disabilities are able to discover their own limitless potential and reclaim their lives.  In addition to providing these opportunities to local and out-of-town participants, SVAS also implements programs for veterans with traumatic brain injuries (TBI), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and other disabilities who are in need of rehabilitation and healing.   SVAS is an amazing organization that has made a difference in so many lives, including my own.

My accident left me with a TBI, and I suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, severe anxiety, and other hardships similar to what our wounded veterans suffer from; I am fighting my own personal war. Participating in recreational outdoor activities rejuvenates my soul and allows me to once again feel enthusiastic about living.  Whether it is adaptive skiing, waterskiing, biking, or swimming, these outdoor activities increase my self-confidence, my sense of well-being, and bring huge smiles to my face.   If I am meeting my SVAS instructor on the slopes at 9am, I am eager to get dressed, eat a hearty breakfast, and race to the mountain, my heart beating fast in anticipation of speedy and challenging runs.

Last ski season, I skied powder! I did this joyfully with my siblings and an SVAS instructor and good friend Rob who faithfully holds onto my adaptive sit-ski. Whether I am floating on powder or carving turns on groomed runs, every time I have the chance to ski, my soul goes wild and I forget my disability for the entire time I spend on the mountain. On this particular day, I was blessed to experience so much fun with my friends and family!

 So many people with disabilities are not as lucky, nor as fortunate, as I am.  SVAS and my scholarship fund enable incredible individuals who are facing challenges bigger than they ever imagined to experience these liberating outdoor activities.  Like me, these individuals are learning to focus on what they CAN do, and experience the joy, confidence and power that derive from being outdoors.  With the devastating increase of veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq with cognitive and physical injuries, the need for programs like SVAS is greater than ever.  I hope you will consider making a generous gift to the ADW scholarship fund. 

To donate to the Amanda D Walton Scholarship Fund, please click on the donate button below.  Upon clicking on this button, you will be taken to our secure PayPal page where you may enter any donation amount that you wish.  Money donated to this fund is separated from our regular fund and ear-marked specifically to the Amanda D. Walton Scholarship Fund.