Dear Friend of Nick Would,

Welcome to the first quarterly update from the Nick Would Foundation.

Sarah, Natalie, and I want to thank each of you for your notes, calls, texts, mail, love, and support. We also want to thank you for honoring Nick’s legacy by supporting the Nick Would Foundation. We are still adjusting to our lives without Nick, but the love, support, and kindness we’ve received have buoyed us through the darkest days. Despite all of the pain, we remain grateful for the wonderful 25 years we had with Nick, and for the community in which we live. Each of you is an important part of our community and your participation will spread joy to thousands of people for generations to come.

Below is an update on what we’ve accomplished so far. We are confident Nick would be thrilled to see how we’ve chosen to honor his time on earth. We remain humbled by the outpouring of love for Nick and the activities for which he was so passionate.

Funds Raised to Date: $245,000 as of April 30, 2023. Our long-term goal is $1M.

Board of Directors: For 2023 we’re delighted to be joined by a powerful group of friends and family who have experience in not-for-profits, business building, explorers/writers, outdoor enthusiasts, and musicians, each with a deep understanding of Nick and his passions. The 2023 Nick Would Foundation Board includes Scott Burridge, Spencer Dietrich, Eugene Buchanan, Brooke Buchanan, Matt White, Jack Vanderbeek, Jack Craig, Nathan Brickman, Sarah Simon, Natalie Simon, and me. Our intention is to set Nick’s friends up to run the Foundation into the future. Us “old folks” will spend the next few years coaching/mentoring the next generation, setting up the processes and vision, then supporting Nick’s friends to lead the foundation into the future. We’ve set up committees and have board meetings quarterly, and will provide oversight as long as we are alive. It’s inspiring to see the energy and creativity the younger generation brings to the foundation. It strengthens our convictions and we’re thrilled we are able to deliver tangible benefits to thousands of people.

Website: The website is live at www.nickwould.com and is continually being improved and updated. The idea is for it to serve as a portal for information about the Nick Would Foundation and to provide a location for Nick’s family and friends to communicate and remember Nick’s legacy.

Nick’s Music: We’ve recently published Nick’s first album and it is available on most music websites including Spotify. As some of you know, Nick was quietly writing a song a month in his last few years with us. With the help of his friends, we’ve collected about 50 so far. As you listen, recognize that we chose not to redo his recordings, leaving them in raw form, recorded with his iPhone. So, you’ll hear him occasionally turn pages or change notes as he plays. It gives us a more real feel for the progression as he writes the songs. We’ll be publishing a second album in the near future.

Donations: As an endowment fund, the Nick Would Foundation exists to fund three areas close to Nick’s heart: artistic development; wildland preservation and exploration; and helping people get outside and pursue their dreams. As such, it plans to make annual donations to these three categories based on a percentage of its annual investment return, through the Yampa Valley Community Foundation. Below are the fund’s first three donations as of early summer 2023:

• Steamboat Stars: This is an incredible organization that provides life-changing programs to promote independence, self-esteem, and a healthy lifestyle for people with disabilities. The Nick Would Foundation committed $2,500 to sponsor the Nick Would Team this spring, which raised an additional $13,275 to become the third-largest fundraiser for the event. The Nick Would team consisted of 13 of Nick’s friends and family. We had a blast and it was the perfect way to put the Nick Would Foundation name in front of the community. We’ll be doing this each year going forward.

• Steamboat Springs Free Concert Series: This is our planned second donation, in which we are sponsoring the Grey Boy Allstars free concert in Steamboat Springs on June 23, 2023, supporting the “Artistic Development” aspect of the foundation’s mission. As part of the sponsorship, the City has given us the right to set up a VIP section with a full bar and will let us donate sales back to the Nick Would Foundation. You are all invited to join us at this incredible event.

• Windansea Surf Club – Day at the Beach Program:  This is another one of Nick’s favorite surf spots and a great way to “share the stoke” by giving people with physical, cognitive, or economic challenges an opportunity to surf. Amount: $1,000

• Yampa River Youth Camps: This program, designed and operated by nonprofit Friends of the Yampa and Colorado Mountain College, provides scholarships for local youth to join one of four three-day “river camps” on the Yampa River, learning everything from ecology and habitat preservation to river navigation and safety. Amount: $3,250 (enough to fund one camp’s worth of scholarships).

• Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club:  Celebrating and leveraging Steamboat’s winter sports heritage, instilling a life-long passion for sports, health, and physical fitness.  We intend to make an annual donation to support the organization’s growth and stewardship.

• Others: We will decide on the fund’s other 2023 donation allocations at the June 2023 board meeting. If you have ideas, please let us know.

Fund Raising:

• Grey Boy Allstars Concert – As described above, our first large-scale fundraiser will be at the Summer Concert Series on June 23rd at 5 pm.  Please join us as our special guest in a VIP tent for the show.  With a minimum donation of $50, you will gain access to a VIP tent with an excellent view of the stage and free food, drinks, and schwag during the show.  If you can’t make it, feel free to donate, and we’ll send you stickers and Koozies.

• A Ride 4 Nick – A 2,134-mile bike ride from Canada to Mexico. Ryan Doherty (Rydoh), one of Nick’s closest friends, fellow adventurer, passionate rock climber, and roommate in Santa Barbara, is riding his bike from Canada to Mexico on a self-supported journey to honor Nick’s legacy and raise money for The Nick Would Foundation. For those who are interested, please feel free to meet up with Rydoh for various parts of the ride.  A group of us are trying to meet him in San Diego.   This is the perfect embodiment of what created the “Nick Would” concept.  We are ecstatic to see Rydoh deliver on what Nick and he had dreamed up as recently as last summer. 

Thank you for spending a moment to catch up on the Nick Would foundation, and we wish each of you a pleasant summer filled with health, love, and a whole lot of fun. We thank you for making this all happen.

And remember, if you are ever wondering if you should go do that thing, help that person, or spread a little love, remember “Nick Would”.

With all our love and appreciation,

Dan, Sarah, and Natalie Simon

Here are a couple of examples of retractable posters we’ve printed to share at the various events we volunteer for and/or donate funds: