Grand Teton Lodge Company (GTLC) was founded in the mid-1950s by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. with the construction of Jackson Lake Lodge. Not only is this group a long-time favorite among park guests, GTLC is also one of the Foundation’s longest standing supporters as well as our largest corporate partner. It was the first lodging company in the country to devise a way for guests to participate in national park support.
On a gorgeous fall day this September, GTLC showed their commitment to enhance Grand Teton National Park through volunteerism by participating in Vail Resorts’ annual EpicPromise Day. In its seventh season, EpicPromise Day is a one-day, employee volunteer event that features a service project in each of the resort’s communities. This year’s project in Grand Teton focused on the Swim Beach at Colter Bay.
The 2016 EpicPromise crew. Photo courtesy of GTLC.
The crew—62 GTLC employees, their families and friends—decompacted close to 1000 feet of social trail, built 200 feet of restoration fencing, installed 15 restoration signs, brushed 1/2 mile of trail, placed 26 wooden check/steps to help fix two sections of trenched trail, installed new hardware for 20 sections of old fencing, picked up one 10 gallon bag of micro-trash, and had a whole lot of fun—all in the span of three hours!
Thank you Grand Teton Lodge Company for your inspiration and hard work!
The images below capture the defining values of the day: purpose, contrubtion, camaraderie, and fun. All photos are courtesy of GTLC.
The annual EpicPromise day leaves an incredible impact in communities that Vail Resorts serves. In 2015 alone, 1,802 employees donated 7,208 volunteer hours to support 10 projects to build and improve trails, restore public lands, revamp local youth organizations, and improve vital stream systems across the country.