Chantelle racing in Kirkwood, CA. Photo by David Clock

Former Town of Webb School alpine skier Chantelle Heroux is known around the area as an extreme skier. She has competed in national and international Big Mountain Races and freestyle skiing events in such locations as Lake Tahoe and New Zealand.

As a member of the local Polar Bear Ski Club, she is proud to call McCauley Mountain her home mountain and Old Forge her second home.

Heroux, the daughter of Maureen and Roger Heroux, also has a passion for skateboarding. Her love of the sport has inspired her to work with Bridge To Skate, a California-based 501(C)(3) public charity that uses skateboarding and play to aid in the creation of life skills, promotion of health, fostering peace and the education of cultural differences internationally.

Chantelle in Honduras

Her involvement with the charitable organization has taken her to Los Laureles, a tiny community that borders Nicaragua, where she hopes to fulfill her dream of building a school.

To follow is a letter she wrote in hopes of gaining financial support of the project.

—

Hello,

Exhausted, I stood there. I stared at the acres of un-inhabited forests bordering the neighboring country of Nicaragua with wonder and astonishment. It is so beautiful, I can’t possibly understand how this area of the world has been forgotten.

The village has no electricity. They have no running water. They live a simple life: eating what they grow and making what they need.

As I question how I would get a single bag of cement up this monster, I tell them, “I’ll do it.” I can’t believe the words out of my mouth. Without hesitation, I clarify, “I’ll build the school.” Continue reading →