ACES Wins ACRA Nonprofit of the Year Award

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It is such an honor for us to receive recognition as “Nonprofit of the Year” for 2023, awarded by the Aspen Chamber Resort Association, as part of Aspen’s annual Wintersköl celebration. Wintersköl is a beloved Aspen tradition and the town’s unofficial “toast to winter”, now in its 72nd year.

Photo by phomomedia.com.

“The purpose of this award is to recognize and appreciate businesses and nonprofits that consistently provide outstanding quality, excellence and service in the Roaring Fork Valley,” according to the Aspen Chamber. Among many qualified and deserving nonprofits, the voting committee selected our team and the work we do as this year’s nonprofit of the year award. We take pride in standing as a pillar of our community, and are so proud to be Nonprofit of the Year as a longstanding organization with deep roots running throughout the valley. Read on below to find out what we’ve been up to that got us this award recognition:

ACES has been a cornerstone in the Aspen community since 1968 when it was founded by Elizabeth Paepcke, a firm believer in what is now ACES’ mission to “educate for environmental responsibility.” Since the organization’s creation, we have sought to connect locals and visitors of all ages to ACES sites, each other, and the natural world through a variety of educational experiences in the region led by ACES program staff and visiting instructors. ACES continues to be a welcome community space at all three of our sites-—Hallam Lake, Rock Bottom Ranch, and The Catto Center at Toklat, which is reopening this year following exciting renovations!

Photo by ACES Staff.

Through education, research, and initiatives like our regenerative agricultural production programs, ACES provides a wide range of opportunities for engagement in our community. Not for nothing, our Rock Bottom Ranch team was also awarded “Best Farmers’ Market Vendor” in the annual Aspen Times “Best Of” readers’ poll in 2023.

At ACES, everything we do, we do for our community and for the beautiful place we call home. As a longstanding organization with deep roots in the valley, ACES leverages many partnerships with other organizations and schools from Aspen to Rifle. We provide meaningful and engaging events and programming because of community trust and a long track record of thoughtful, engaged (and engaging) nonprofit work.

And our efforts continue to pay off. During the 2022-2023 winter season, for example, our Naturalist-guided snowshoe tours on Aspen Mountain and Snowmass—in partnership with Aspen Skiing Company and the White River National Forest—reached a record number of 1,842 participants!

Photo by ACES Staff.

As Nonprofit of the Year, our long term vision is, in part, to connect locals and visitors of all ages to ACES’ three sites, each other, and the natural world through a variety of educational experiences led by ACES program staff and visiting instructors in the region. ACES will be a welcoming community space that brings together participants over a shared desire to learn about and protect our environment.

We would be delighted to welcome you (or welcome you back!) to one of our programs or locations today, and are grateful to ACRA for this honor. We are so proud to be your Nonprofit of the Year and look forward to more achievements alongside our community in 2024!

Featured photo by Stonehouse Pictures.