Our Impact
“We think the next best thing to come out of Leadville, is going to come out of our local high school.”
— Ken Chlouber and Merilee Maupin
The Leadville Trail 100 Legacy Foundation is the original charity partner of Leadville Race Series. The sole purpose behind the Leadville Trail 100 was to bring visitors to Leadville and reignite the economy, after the closure of the Climax mine devastated the town in 1982. No one could have imagined the extent to which that would be achieved!
Even more unexpected is how many lives have been changed by The Race Across the Sky. From the 1,000’s of athletes who have discovered how to DIG DEEP on their quest for the elusive finishers buckle - to the local students who have seen the doors of opportunity blast open in ways they never could have imagined!
When Ken Chlouber & Merilee Maupin created the Leadville Trail 100 Legacy Foundation in 2002, they saw one single need, had one single purpose - to provide a way for athletes to give back. As the Leadville Trail 100 races grew in popularity so did the Leadville Trail 100 ‘Family’. Athletes and their supporters wanted to contribute back to Leadville, because Leadville has played such a big part in what makes these races special.
Initially it was small contributions and donations from long time Leadville racers that went to support some of the basics for those in need. But today the Legacy Foundation hosts a series of robust programs, with the goal to make Leadville a better place to live, work and raise a family.
The inaugural LT100 MTB in 1994
Trail 100 Scholarships
Our most well-known and highly regarded program, the Legacy Foundation awards a $2,000 scholarship to every Lake County High School graduate who wants to further their education. These scholarships are not provided based on a student’s grades or financial need – they are all about providing these Leadville graduates with an opportunity to go out and do something worthwhile with their life. Ken & Merilee have long believed that the next great thing to come out of Leadville is going to come out of our local High School!
Since the program began in 2009, the Legacy Foundation has awarded over $1.5 million in Legacy Scholarships. We are proud to share that our scholarships support Leadville graduates far and wide - from Dartmouth College & Colombia University - to welding & fire academy certificates right here at Leadville’s own Colorado Mountain College campus! Contributions from our generous donors are making a real and lasting difference in the lives of these young people.
Legacy Grants
The LT100 Legacy Foundation provides funding to local programs and initiatives that are focused on building a better, brighter future for Leadville and Lake County. Since the program began, the Legacy Foundation has invested more than $550,000 in grants supporting a myriad of community programs.
Recent grant funding includes:
Cloud City Wheelers Bike Club - Mini excavator for trail building: $16,000
St. George’s - Community Meals & Mobile Food Pantry bus: $15,000
Cloud City Mountain Sports - Uniforms & radio equipment upgrades: $5,000
Full Circle of Lake County - Family Resource Center: $10,000
Cloud City Conservation Center - Community Farm Expansion: $10,000
Imagination Library - Early childhood book program: $2,000
St. Vincent’s Hospital - Funding for a new CT scanner: $10,000
Lake County Search & Rescue - Funding for automated external defibrillators: $11,850
Friends of Twin Lakes - Firehouse II new building appliances: $3,499
National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum - Leadville mining heritage documentary video: $5,000
Cloud City Conservation Center - School based environmental education programming: $5,000
Leadville Main Street - New “We Love Leadville” sign: $2,500
Friends of Fish Hatchery - Window replacement: $5,000
Cloud City Ski Club - New ski equipment for youth ski program: $5,000
Tabor Opera House - Technical & performance enhancements & stage area upgrades: $15,000
Leadville Senior Center - Healthy aging & senior enrichment programs: $5,000
Project Dream - Before & after school programming (STEM, field trips, cooking club): $15,000
Leadville Irish Miners Memorial - Final phase Evergreen Cemetery installation: $5,000
St George’s Community Meals - Annual funding for school-aged youth summer meals: $5,000
Annual Giving
From the beginning of the Leadville Trail 100, Ken & Merilee supported the people of Leadville in small ways, like covering rent and dental bills. Every year since 1983 the Legacy Foundation has hosted a holiday party for the youngest kids in the school district. In the early days, they asked the local police and emergency service staff to help hand out gifts, as many of these local kids only saw these officers when there was trouble at home (and for some there was plenty of trouble at home!) This tradition continues today and is a welcome way to start the holiday season.
In the 20+ years since it was created, the Leadville Trail 100 Legacy Foundation has contributed to community partners from all branches of the Emergency Services, to funding for the School District, Recreation Department, Mineral Belt Trail, Huck Finn Park, Community Field, Economic Development Corporation and so many more. And today the Legacy Foundation continues to strive toward the goal of ensuring a better, brighter tomorrow for Leadville & Lake Co.