Get involved

Pick your path.

Three ways to join the fun — choose where you fit, this season. Give, and every dollar closes the gap between what a family pays and what a lesson actually costs.

  1. 01

    Participate

    For people with disabilities and their families. Lessons available year‑round, winter on the mountain and summer on the lake.

    See the programs
  2. 02

    Volunteer

    Train as a volunteer adaptive instructor or in program support. No prior adaptive experience — we teach the rest.

    Volunteer with us
  3. 03

    Give

    Join The Spirit Fund. Every dollar closes the gap between participant fees and the true cost of every lesson.

    The giving tiers

Why the fund exists

A lesson costs more than a family pays.

A half‑day winter lesson is $120 to a family. That covers a private instructor, a lift ticket, and every piece of adaptive equipment for the day. It does not cover what the equipment costs to buy, maintain and replace, or what it takes to keep instructors trained.

The Spirit Fund is the difference. It is why the price on the winter page can stay where it is.

One fund.
Two things it keeps on the mountain.

The Spirit Fund is USARC’s unrestricted fund. Every gift, at every tier, lands in the same place, so USARC can put each dollar where the season needs it most.

A participant rides a Tetra sit-ski down a groomed run while a USARC instructor follows on tethers.

The Fleet

USARC’s library of adaptive equipment, from sit-skis and bi-skis to adaptive watercraft. Bought, fitted, repaired and replaced.

A USARC adaptive instructor guides a participant in a bi-ski across the snow at Big Bear.

The Instructors

The trained adaptive instructors who deliver every lesson safely, one participant at a time, trained again every season.

Annual giving · The Spirit Fund

Donors don’t give to a level.
They become one.

Five tiers, named for the mountain USARC has guided participants up since 1983. Individuals, families and businesses all climb the same one. Every tier includes everything below it.

  1. $50 – $999

    Basecamp

    Where every journey begins. The grassroots foundation.

    SignatureThe on-ramp into a lifelong giving relationship.

    Includes

    • A welcome email and the USARC story
    • Quarterly digital newsletter
    • Annual digital impact report
    • Sticker pack with your first gift
    • Your name in the digital donor scroll

    Ascent Plan members also get monthly stories, an upgraded sticker pack and a digital Basecamp badge.

  2. $1,000 – $4,999

    Ridgeline

    The backbone of operations. Where giving becomes belonging.

    SignatureFirst named in print. First invited to gather.

    Basecamp, plus

    • A welcome call from the USARC team
    • A USARC beanie or cap, new design each year
    • Printed annual report mailed home
    • Your name in the printed annual report
    • An invitation to one annual donor event
    • Seasonal “Day in the Life” video updates
  3. $5,000 – $14,999

    Alpine

    Performance partners. Where staff know your name.

    SignatureA direct relationship with the Executive Director.

    Ridgeline, plus

    • A personal welcome from the Executive Director
    • A USARC technical jacket or vest
    • A private tour of USARC operations
    • Your name on the Alpine Partners plaque at USARC
    • Co-branded recognition on a program
    • Two seats at the annual recognition event
    • A photo and handwritten note from a participant
  4. $15,000 – $24,999

    Cornice

    The overhang, almost at the summit.

    SignatureYour name on a piece of adaptive equipment for three years.

    Alpine, plus

    • Dedicated equipment naming, three years
    • An annual Cornice Mountain Day with USARC leadership
    • Personalized USARC technical apparel
    • Naming of a program week or clinic for the year
    • A quarterly insider call with the Executive Director
    • Your name on the Cornice donor wall at USARC
    • Four seats at the annual recognition event
  5. $25,000+

    Summit Circle

    Legacy and leadership. Shaping USARC in 2050.

    SignaturePermanent naming. Strategic partnership. A seat at the future of USARC.

    Cornice, plus

    • A permanent or long-term naming opportunity
    • A custom-fitted USARC technical kit
    • A private annual Summit dinner with the board chair
    • A custom-bound annual impact book
    • A Summit Mountain Day each season
    • Early briefings on new initiatives
    • Lifetime recognition on the Summit wall
    • A standing invitation to every USARC event

Monthly giving · The Ascent Plan

The ladder is where donors belong.
This is where they enter.

Four monthly gifts. The first three climb through Basecamp, and the fourth crosses into Ridgeline. Ascent Plan members also get monthly stories, an upgraded sticker pack and a digital Basecamp badge.

Other ways to give

Not every gift is a check.

Several of these cost nothing beyond something you were doing anyway.

Sponsor an event

Ski‑a‑thon, the Peak to Peak Pedal and Desert Days all carry sponsors. Event sponsorship is the most visible way a business can support the programs.

See the events

Donate a vehicle

A car, truck, boat or RV you no longer need becomes program funding, and the pickup is arranged for you.

How it works

Shop to give

A share of what you spend with participating retailers comes back to USARC, at no cost to you.

Shop to Give

Thank you

The people and businesses behind the programs.

USARC is a member of Move United, supported by sponsors across the Big Bear Valley and beyond.

  • Move United

    Our national network

  • Big Bear Mountain Resort

    Our home mountain

Give

Every dollar closes the gap.

Whether it is $50 once a year or $84 every month, it lands in the same place — a participant on the mountain with an instructor beside them and the right equipment underneath.