News

Annie's House nears its fund raising goal

By Tyler Ohmann

12/06/2011

The Annie’s House project that is a joint effort between the Bottineau Winter Park (BWP) and the New York Says Thank You Foundation (NYSTY) has neared their fund raising goal.

The board of the BWP and Jeff Parsness, the founder and chairman of NYSTY, met with Bottineau area merchants and the public last Thursday to announce the news.

“There has been a lot of very exciting things happening from a fund raising standpoint,” said Wally Brandjord, president of the BWP board. “We have a long ways to go, so I don’t feel really confident and say that we are there.”

To date the project has raised more than $1 million including $115,000 and $20,000 from the North Dakota Tourism Board grants, $50,000 from both the Garrison Diversion Conservation District and the Pearson Family Foundation and $25,000 from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. Both the City of Bottineau and Bottineau County also chipped in $25,000.

The biggest news was that the Englestad Family Foundation has agreed to chip in the final $250,000 if the project can raise the remaining funds.

“They have committed that if we raise the $1.25 million by March 1 that they will donate the final $250,000,” Brandjord said. “So we are excited and certainly motivated to get there. It is a pretty big carrot, that hanging out there.”

The project was conceived by Parsness after he met with the parents of North Dakota’s lone victim in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Anne Nelson.

Parsness learned from Jenette Nelson, Anne’s mother, that Anne had a bucket list, which included one day building a house in her native North Dakota. Since Anne was an advocate for causes involving children and a frequent visitor to BWP, Parsness and the Nelsons decided an adaptive ski facility at the BWP would be a fitting way to honor Anne.

Parsness is confident that Annie’s House will come to fruition despite the $1.5 million price tag that is required to complete the ski lodge and adaptive facility.

“This is happening. The money is going to be there. The building is going to be there,” Parsness said. “I have total confidence that it is going to succeed.”

Parsness is excited about the prospects of the adaptive ski center that he says will benefit the entire area, including the neighbors to the north.

“It is going to be a new ski lodge, but it is going to be an incredible opportunity to transform lives of kids and families in North Dakota and Canada.”

The head of construction for the project is going to be Charlie Vitchers, who was in charge of the entire ground zero cleanup. He has been working with Parsness on NYSTY projects since the beginning.

“To give him the opportunity to build stuff on the 9/11 anniversary, every time we do that is like sticking it to the Taliban one more time,” Parsness said of Vitchers.

The Annie’s House project, if the fund raising is completed, will be constructed in one weekend near the 9/11 anniversary. Parsness estimates that 300 to 400 volunteers, including some New York firefighters will make the trip.