News

Annie's House groundbreaking set for May 17

By Tyler Ohmann

05/08/2012

With the fundraising completed and the $250,000 check from the Englestad Family Foundation in the bank, the Annie’s House Project at the Bottineau Winter Park has finalized a date for a ground breaking ceremony.

The groundbreaking will be held at BWP beginning at 11 a.m. on May 17. What’s special is that would have been Anne Nelson’s 41st birthday.

Nelson, a Stanley, N.D. native and avid visitor of BWP, was the sole victim of the 9/11 terror attacks from North Dakota.
The Annie’s House project is being set to build a new chalet and an adaptive ski program in Nelson’s honor to help those with disabilities to learn how to ski.

“We’re extremely gratified,” said Cedric Jacobson, treasurer at BWP. “We had hoped to have this constructed last year, but the funding wasn’t adequate enough to move forward last year, but it is this year.”

Jacobson said that the project didn’t fully sink in until he knew the check was on its way from the Englestad Family Foundation.

“Once we knew that had happened, we knew we were ready to move forward and that everything was in place,” Jacobson said. “Without that big contribution it still would have been raising money. Not that the fundraising is done, but we have enough to move the project forward.”

The Annie’s House groundbreaking will begin at 11 a.m., with an address by Wally Brandjord, board president at BWP. Also speaking during the ceremony are: Jeff Parness, Founder of New York Says Thank You Foundation; Jenette and Gary Nelson, parents of Anne Nelson, as well as many leaders of organizations that donated and will help run the adaptive ski facility at BWP.

Jacobson said that some work will be done throughout the summer, but the bulk will be done prior to the 9/11 anniversary during Labor Day weekend.

“Throughout the summer there will be some work done,” Jacobson said. “But, the majority of the work will be done September 5-9 when all the volunteers from across the country will be here.”

Project organizers expect hundreds of volunteers and dozens of news crews from national media outlets to flock to BWP during the Labor Day weekend construction.

Jacobson is just delighted to see the project come to fruition.

“The weekend is set, and everything looks pretty positive,” Jacobson said. “What was a wild idea a year ago, is happening. It is going to be a really neat thing for the community.”