The 2023 ski season starts today for our beneficiaries, who have already been waiting impatiently for it.

The 2023 ski season starts today and tomorrow for our beneficiaries in French and German-speaking Switzerland, children and adults who love the thrill of skiing, snowy landscapes and the great outdoors. We wish them a great season and lots of fun on the slopes of Switzerland and neighbouring France!

The steepest slopes are open to our beneficiaries thanks to the tandem and dual skis, which are piloted by qualified and specially trained ski instructors from the Swiss Ski School. These machines give them the opportunity to experience the thrill of skiing on the slopes.

Safety and comfort

The ingenious tandem ski with its unique tilting movement allows people with multiple disabilities to experience these days of escape in complete safety and comfort. The same is true of the piloted dual ski, which also allows you to steer your own descent with a simple movement of the body or head.

The machines are also specially designed to take chairlifts without difficulty. And thanks to Just for Smiles, the infrastructure of the ski resorts is adapted to be easily accessible to our beneficiaries and their carers from institutions and associations. This is achieved through access platforms or ramps to the facilities, automatic doors, lifts, access gates to the lifts, etc.

More tracks for more inclusion 

For almost 20 years, Just for Smiles has been creating the framework conditions to allow any person with a disability affiliated to an institution or association to ski. Our vision for inclusion and diversity is that one day everyone will be able to ski freely with family, friends, etc. To this end, Just for Smiles is working to expand the range of skiing opportunities on other slopes in the country.

If you would like to contribute to our vision, you can support us with a donation. For example, with CHF 75 you can donate one hour of tandemskiing. And CHF 450 will offer two people a day in the snow. (ew)

The cheque from the fundraising event on the four Alemannic lakes was handed to Just for Smiles in Zurich at the end of November.

LAKERlDE, une organisation suisse alémanique à but non lucratif qui propose chaque année en été une journée de sorties en bateau à moteur aux personnes en situation de handicap ou à mobilité réduite, avait consacré cette année sa collecte de fonds aux activités voile de Just for Smiles.

Cette belle initiative, qui s’est déroulée le 28 août sur quatre lacs de Suisse alémanique, a permis de récolter un total de 10’255 CHF. C’est donc tout naturellement que la remise du chèque correspondant aux dons récoltés par les responsables de LAKERIDE a eue lieu sur l’eau, sur notre catamaran amarré à Zurich. (ew)

 

LAKERlDE, a Swiss-German non-profit organisation that offers a day of motorboat trips for people with disabilities or reduced mobility every year in the summer, had dedicated its fundraising this year to the sailing activities of Just for Smiles.

This great initiative, which took place on 28 August on four lakes in German-speaking Switzerland, raised 10255 CHF.

It was quite natural that the cheque corresponding to the donations collected by the LAKERIDE managers was handed over to our team on the water, on our catamaran moored in Zurich. (ew)

Sven and Thomas, both Nespresso employees and triathlon enthusiasts, have decided to undertake a great action: under the slogan “Run for Smiles”, they will run the Iron Man and use the opportunity to raise funds for Just for Smiles.

Sven and Thomas, after having qualified to participate in the Ironman World Championships, in Hawaii (6-8.10.2022) and Ironman 70.3, in St. George, Utah (USA, 28-29.10.2022), will use these competitions to support access to sport for all and in particular for people with disabilities. To this end, the two friends and collaborators of Nespresso have just launched a fundraising campaign in favor of Just for Smiles.

Donations open to the general public

This support of our sports and leisure activities for people with disabilities and reduced mobility is supported by Nespresso. The company will double each donation received to CHF 2,500. The fundraising is done with the colleagues of the two athletes, but also with the general public.

Whatever the amount donated, each donation counts. For example, with 30 CHF, you can offer an hour of sailing on one of our catamarans to one of our beneficiaries, as the two friends point out on the platform made available by Nestlé.

To participate in the fundraising and to follow the two athletes during the preparation of the competition and on site, it is HERE

We will of course keep you informed of the evolution of this fundraiser, which will last one month, and of the results that these two big-hearted athletes will achieve. And above all, we say a big THANK YOU! to Sven and Thomas for this generous action and wish them a great competition! (ew) (ew)