Team AVSC News
Hearts of Gold | Honoring the winners of AVSC’s new Lift, Local, Love, and Legacy Awards
Last week AVSC held its inaugural Heart of Gold event and recognized four outstanding individuals whose combined time with the club totals over 150 years of boundless generosity and enthusiasm for our mission, our club and our athletes. From Tom Moore’s vision of a clubhouse on a hill to Jeff Gorsuch’s decades of annual gear donations inspiring new generations to explore winter sports to Paradise Bakery’s fueling countless athletes with cookies to Ryan Smalls’ profound and unwavering devotion since his earliest days, these four individuals have Hearts of Gold and a special honorary place in the Club’s 88-year history. They are the first winners of our Lift, Love, Local, and Legacy awards.
Introduction | August Teague, Executive Director
“Tonight is about shining a light on the people whose steady commitment and quiet acts of kindness lift us all higher,” said Executive Director August Teague, who introduced the awards. Teague grew up in the valley, and as a young athlete saw the direct impact of our winners’ contributions to the club. “In concert with AVSC’s core values of teamwork, commitment, and integrity, we have chosen four words to guide tonight's celebration: Lift, Local, Love, and Legacy. But these are not just categories. They are the cornerstones of who we are as a community, and they reflect the values that motivate us every single day.
Tonight, we honor what it means to have a Heart of Gold, whether it is lifting others, like Jeff; building community day after day, like Paradise; loving this club with unwavering devotion, like Ryan; or leaving a legacy that will guide us for generations to come, like Carolyn and Tom. Each story shows us that AVSC is more than a club. We are a family rooted in generosity, vision, and love.”
“These honorees represent the best of AVSC. They don’t just give—they inspire. Their dedication, generosity, and love for this community ensure that every child has the opportunity to experience the mountains, challenge themselves, and grow as athletes and as people.”
Jeff Gorsuch – Lift Award
Our Lift Award honors someone whose dedication helps others rise higher. This year’s honoree has made it possible for hundreds of young athletes to experience the joy of snow by donating more than 300 pieces of equipment each year for the 
past two decades to scholarship youth in our Aspen Supports Kids recreational program. His generosity ensures that every child in our valley has the chance to clip into skis and feel the thrill of the mountain. His steady commitment has supported not only our athletes but our entire community.
“It’s deeply humbling to get this award, but we stand on the backs of giants,” said Gorsuch, who was inducted into the Colorado Snowsports Museum Hall of Fame in 2019 and whose family has a long history in skiing, mountain resorts, Aspen, and supporting youth in these communities.
“The mountain is the magnet, the work has been deeply, deeply planted by a lot of other people who came before me,” he added. “I got involved in the club because our family’s roots and the heritage of this place define our lives. Helping out with the ASK program was really about stepping in and doing the right thing, no credit needed. The roots go in full circle.”
Learn more about Gorsuch’s longstanding gear donation to AVSC youth here.
Paradise Bakery (Mark Patterson, Danny Patterson, and Dyan Bronstein) – Local Award
The Local Award celebrates community members who embody the hometown pride of Aspen. With a generous spirit, and cookies for just about every nonprofit in the valley, Local honoree Paradise Bakery has a way of sweetening life. The team goes above and beyond to show up for our youth, to rally around our community, and to remind us that giving back can be as simple, and as meaningful, as sharing something made with love.
Mark Patterson accepted the award on behalf of Paradise Bakery.
“It means a lot to us to be acknowledged for giving to the community,” said Patterson. “Doing for the community has become our culture and over the years it’s been front and center and creates success. I joined the ski club in 1973 when it was just a small clubhouse at the base of 1A with a rope tow and a few talented athletes jumping around. It was the families that were the pioneers of skiing in Aspen. They built the lifts, cut the trails, won medals, and it was families, but it wasn’t an organization yet. It didn’t have a culture or something that could move and grow. It was amazing, there was such passion.
“And over the same 50 years of my business, I watched AVSC grow. You watch the different eras, leaders who take their passion as far as they can go, and there are ups and down. It’s exciting to see what’s happening now. This year, that same enthusiasm of our original families is there. And it looks like AVSC is going into one of these successful eras where things go right, things go forward and AVSC means more to the community than you ever thought you would. We look forward to supporting the club in this great new era. It’s a simple thing to do, we make a lot of cookies and take them wherever we go. Here’s to the next 50 years.”
Learn more about Paradise Bakery’s commitment to community here.
Ryan Smalls – Love Award
The Love Award recognizes a passion and loyalty that runs deep. This AVSC alum and past board president's spirit, devotion, and heart beats in AVSC colors, and this award honors how his passion for AVSC shines through everything he does. Ryan’s heart for our athletes, our families, and our mission reminds us that love is at the core of our community. Born and raised here in Aspen, Ryan’s love for this valley, this club, and the place we all call home runs deep. He brings a love of the mountains, love of sport, and love of one another to all that he does for our club.
“I am far more excited about the future of the club than the past, and that has everything to do with the extraordinary people who work for the club and bring everything they have to make a difference in the lives of kids, and that’s the true source of love at AVSC,” said Smalls.
Smalls’ life was deeply impacted as a boy when his close friend and fellow athlete Charles Wilder Dwight fell down a mine shaft on Aspen Mountain in 1986 after an AVSC training and died.
“The single thing that has held my heart for as long as I’ve been in this club is that little kid. I got to see how this club and community came together to grieve and celebrate. We came together in a way that was truly special. All the kids who endured that together created an incredible bond that was the foundation of the values that every kid at AVSC comes away with. There’s been a race in Wilder’s honor that has endured for nearly 40 years. It’s the longest running event of its kind anywhere in the country and maybe the world. This community has kept his memory alive, and that came full circle for me when our son Luka swept all four races two years ago. I think Wilder would have loved that.
“As parents, we all wear different hats in this club, but the one that means the most to me is parent. It’s the most beautiful thing in the world to have AVSC as a partner to help raise your kids. To watch these incredible coaches and staff give these kids everything they have and transform them from little groms to incredible adults who are equal parts grit and resilience and compassion and yes, they all come out of AVSC with hearts of gold. I’m honored and humbled to accept this award on behalf of Wilder and my mom and dad because the best thing they ever did for me was to sign me up to be a part of this club.”
Carolyn and Tom Moore – Legacy Award
This award honors a lifetime of vision, leadership, and lasting impact at AVSC. Carolyn and Tom’s influence is woven into the very fabric of our club, and Tom has been with the club for a remarkable 76 years.
“Legacy,” said Teague, “is the reason we’re all here.”
Moore grew up in Aspen as an avid skier and racer and returned to Aspen with his wife Carolyn in the 1960s. Since the 1970s, Tom has served the club as an AVSC coach, as a board member, as president, and as a race official and consultant. The Moore family donated the land for the current clubhouse and was instrumental in building the 5 Trees lift that moves our athletes quickly from the Clubhouse to Highlands and our Stapleton Training Center. He and Carolyn also helped our Nordic program by preserving the Moore Open Space, keeping trails open for our athletes and the public.
“Thank you to anyone in these programs carrying all this stuff on for the betterment of kids’ lives, these youngsters’ lives and what they’ll carry on into their own families as they kick it up a notch. We did a lot of stuff back in the day, and we’ve got a hell of a community here.”
Learn more about Carolyn and Tom in this Aspen Hall of Fame piece here.
The Heart of Gold evening, held at the Willow Creek Bistro at The Ritz-Carlton Club, Aspen Highlands, drew more than 100 supporters and marked two major milestones for the organization: the honoring of these deeply impactful individuals and the rebranding of its National Council donor group to Club 1937.
“Club 1937 reflects the rich history and bright future of AVSC,” said Ash Farrington, AVSC’s Director of Stewardship. “As we approach our 90th anniversary, we wanted to honor the enduring support of our donors and community members who make it possible for us to thrive as the valley’s largest and oldest youth organization. Heart of Gold is not just a celebration—it’s a reminder that AVSC has always been powered by people with passion, generosity, and heart.”
Special thanks go out to Aspen Snowmass and CEO Geoff Buchheister, the Ritz-Carlton Club, Aspen Highlands, and Willow Creek Bistro for their partnership and dedication to our organization.
(Left to Right): Board President Beth Tom Moore Jeff Gorsuch August Danny Patterson Dyan Bronstein Ryan Smalls Mark Patterson David Stapleton