$26,225 raised by 105 donors
100% complete
$25,000 Goal
Our mission: Preserve, promote, protect. Your generous donation goes toward the trails, amenities, historical structures, the ground-breaking Track Chair Program, and more at Staunton State Park. If you love the great outdoors, please join us in helping to preserve it for future generations to come!
As a recent spinal cord injury patient at Craig Hospital, one of the highlights of my stay in Colorado was "hiking" with Ted Hammon at Staunton State Park in the track chairs.
Previously as an avid outdoors person the injury obviously limits what I can and cannot do. The track chair was a true blessing as it allowed me to get back outside in the great outdoors! It was a great feeling to be back on the trails just like I was before the accident.
Every moment I was on the track chair I temporarily forgot I was injured. The freedom they provide a disabled person is amazing!
I hope you all can gather the funds to have one permanently parked for use at your state park.
Kind regards,
Jason P
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Got another hike in with my buddy P.J. thanks again to Staunton State Park's Track Chair Program. This volunteer and donation based program is the first of its kind in ANY state park in the country. They're all about inclusion! So lucky to have it in our backyard!
Our volunteer helper, Nelson, was awesome and I'm so thankful that P.J.'s mom, Cindy, had me accompany him. P.J. was REALLY into that controllable joystick!
Helen Gardner
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Big shout out to Friends of Staunton State Park for an amazing experience! We were able to bring two groups up from the city for the Track Chair Program and fishing. This state park provides an exceptional and unique experience for individuals who may not have the mobility to hike, to actually get out and do what they enjoy with friends and family. We cannot wait to bring another group out this summer to use the track chairs again! If you want more information or you know anyone who could benefit from this program, please let us know!
HILLS INC
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Had an amazing day today being able to hike as a whole family! Thanks for such a wonderful program and making the trails accessible to all!!
Shannon Adam
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A huge thank you to Wayne Parkinson for showing the Ignite youth group how the Track-Chairs work!! Keep up the great work Staunton Sate Park!
Kristin Giambartolomei
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Thank you Friends of Staunton Park for the amazing experience of using the Track chair yesterday. It was a blast and special thanks to my guides Jack and Deborah for sharing your knowledge of the wildflowers, plants and trees of the park. I can't wait to come back again and explore the other trails!
Bev Davis
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Thanks, Friends of Staunton State Park for the awesome track chair adventure today! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_2N3JiHGWc
Rich Sweeney
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Adaptive hiking has arrived at Staunton State Park - Colorado Parks and Wildlife! Trackchairs are safe, user-friendly vehicles that allow individuals with limited physical mobility to more fully enjoy nature's wonders. Proud of and impressed by the innovative leadership demonstrated by Friends of Staunton State Park, Craig Hospital, and the generous donors who've made this program possible.
Phillip James
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Thanks to Friends of Staunton State Park for having Red Rocks Community Colleges' Outdoor Education and Park Ranger programs take the accessible wheelchairs for a spin! What a great opportunity!
Red Rocks Community College
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Had an amazing time at Staunton state park! We were granted permission to try out these amazing track chairs! This is a great program that will help hundreds, if not thousands of people to enjoy the outdoors once again! I can't wait to take my grandma on a ride through the park!
Shelby Johnson
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My granddaughter Morgan demoed the track chair today and loved it. Thank you so much. You are terrific!
Pam Mueller
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My son Hudson was injured in October of 2015 during a football game. Hudson is an avid outdoorsman. He loves to hunt and fish. We are almost a year out from his injury and he has longed to get outdoors. With the help of Craig Hospital and especially Ted Hammon, Hudson was able to enjoy your park via the track fab chair. We had an incredible day! We spent over three hours trekking through some of nature's most beautiful areas. Words cannot express the joy felt in a dad's heart watching his son get back outside. This was made possible because of you! The trails were perfect for the all terrain chair. Ted Hammon is an incredible guide who loves Staunton! He went out of his way to make this event special. Your mission to provide access to your park to everyone is a tremendous blessing. Every dollar you have raised and invested has already been well worth it...
Working in partnership with others to preserve, promote and protect the wildlife, natural beauty and historic legacy of Staunton State Park for present and future generations.
Staunton State Park is the legacy of the Staunton family, who bequeathed over 1,700 acres to the state of Colorado in 1986 with the understanding that it would be turned into a state park and preserved in its natural state for generations to enjoy. Over the following years, Colorado purchased or received additional donations of surrounding land and created a plan for what would become their latest jewel.
In developing their goals for Staunton, Colorado Parks & Wildlife gathered feedback from, and worked with, neighbors around what would become the park. Some of those neighbors recognized what a special place Staunton was destined to become and decided to become more deeply involved; thus was born the Friends of Staunton State Park, a 501(c)3 dedicated solely to the preservation, promotion, and protection of this one park of Colorado Parks & Wildlife's 42 parks. The founding members were integral in building and measuring trails, installing boundary fencing, clearing land for parking lots, raising funds for the Grand Opening in 2013, and much more.
A cornerstone project for the Friends of Staunton State Park is the restoration of the Staunton Homestead Cabin.
We were awarded a $50,000 Colorado History - State Historical Fund grant on November 1, 2020, to begin the major restoration work on the Staunton Cabin which began in April 2021. We were able to combine donated funds for the grant match, and partner with Colorado Parks and Wildlife to raise enough money to replace the roof, porch deck and stairs, and do some earthworks to divert rain and snow melt from flowing directly into the cabin. Phase I of the restoration work was completed in August of 2021 with the help over 3000 volunteer hours.
We are pleased to announce that in May of 2023 the cabin has been restored to museum quality. On the 10th anniversary of Staunton State Park, volunteer-led tours were given to the public to explain the legacy of the Staunton family and how life was lived in the Rocky Mountains over 100 years ago. It will provide a unique teaching opportunity for park visitors of all ages.
Another cornerstone of Friends of Staunton State Park's focus has been the first Track-Chair program at a state park in the United States. This program has expanded in all directions, and continues to grow and thrive. The program offers people who otherwise would not be able to enjoy the park and the outdoors due to disability or other challenges, to "hike" with their friends and families in comfortable, park-provided suspension track chairs. There is no cost for this amenity and chairs are available for reservation and will be assisted by a park volunteer.
Staunton isn't just a park. It's the amazing volunteers, the staff, the visitors, and the glorious Rocky Mountains we call home. Famed conservationist John Muir once said "Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life." We are all proud to be the stewards of a rich legacy for Colorado's people!
Organization name
Friends of Staunton State Park
2012
Tax id (EIN)
46-1422154
Category
Public & Societal Benefit
Organization Size
Small Organization
Address
12102 South Elk Creek RoadMailing
P.O. Box 695Jefferson County, CO, US
Phone
303-653-5272
Other
303-229-5439