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She Opened The Door To Soar
Written By: Jenny King | Issue: 2018/06 - June
If you want to know anything about what to do outdoors, ask Marianne Vines. There is certainly no one who loves it more or has done more to encourage folks to take advantage of all our area has to offer.
She and her husband Gordy moved here in 1990 and many may still remember The Candy Basket they owned next to The Dry Sink. They also rented mountain bikes, provided llama tours, and operated the Adventure Depot where they offered rappelling adventures, kayak trips, and equipment.
They were also instrumental in starting SOAR, Special Operations Adventure Race, here in Highlands. Marianne said she’s been involved for 15 years and when asked why she chose to participate, she answered with one word, “Outdoors.”
Former mayor Allen “Buck” Trott had been approached by the Special Operations Warrior Foundation in hopes of holding a fundraiser in our area. Marianne and Gordy recently had been introduced to adventure racing and thus SOAR was born. It is now a 501(c)3 organization with all proceeds benefiting the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, and SOAR has donated over $600,000 to the foundation since its inception in 2002.
Marianne is the President of The Board of Directors of SOAR and would like to see more people get involved. You do not need to be a veteran or a current member of the military to help them continue to support the Special Operations Warrior Foundation and she says, “Unfortunately, not many people are aware of what we do.”
The Special Operations Warrior Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1980 to provide college scholarships and educational counseling to the surviving children of Special Operations personnel killed in the line of duty. They also provide immediate financial assistance to severely wounded and hospitalized special operations service members.
The next race will be held June 2019 as the board regroups and recruits more members; but Vines will not sit by and twiddle her fi ngers. S he’s active with the H ighlands Chamber of Commerce, works with children through her church, is on the board of The Gorges State Park, and in her “spare time” helps maintain family-owned rentals. For more information about how to support SOAR, visit SoarHighlands.org.
