2014 Community Five Award Recipient: Tony Schmiesing
The High Fives Non-Profit Foundation emphasizes a strong sense of community through its continued effort to realize its vision of becoming the safety net for the winter action sports community. Beginning in April 2014, the Foundation will annually recognize five shining examples of community leaders with the Community Five Award.
Co-Founder and Executive Director, Roy Tuscany has witnessed firsthand how important a community can be in the recovery process from a life-altering injury. Since his skiing accident in 2006, Tuscany has enjoyed seeing the greater Lake Tahoe area come together as a tight-knit collective of families, business and philanthropically minded residents. It is with the ever-increasing reach of the High Fives Foundation that the time has come to recognize five distinguished members of the greater Lake Tahoe and Reno, Nevada community for their efforts to increase the overall well being of everyone around them.
On Wednesday, April 23, 2014 the High Fives Foundation hosted The Biggest Little High Five Gala at the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno, NV. With a packed venue of 180 distinguished guests, the High Fives Foundation showcased the power of positivity and perseverance with highlighted stories and videos from High Fives Athletes as well as support from notable contributing partners such as SpineNevada (a regional center of excellence for back and neck conditions based in Reno, NV). To cap this wonderful evening of giving, the High Fives Foundation’s Roy Tuscany announced five special recipients to receive a Community Five Award — The first of its kind to come from the Foundation; the Community Five Award recognizes those that embody the ideals of community in the context of growth and positivity.
Tony Schmiesing – Berkeley, CA
A C4-5 quadriplegic as the result of the spinal cord injury suffered at a beach where he grew up, and currently battling Syringmyelia, Tony Schmiesing’s tenacious surf/skate/ski DNA has pushed him through all sorts of obstacles and has lead him into an endlessly beautiful life. Tony found a renewed love for skiing when he hooked up with the folks at Disabled Sports USA – Far West at Alpine Meadows, and the stoke hasn’t subsided. This passion has equated to a unique perspective on life for Tony. He sees opportunity as a distinct possibility and in March 2014 his point of view was validated when he became the first quadriplegic to ski in the Chugach Mountains in Cordova, AK (thanks to Points North Heli-Adventures Inc.). From Berkeley, California to Alaska, Tony makes his mark with his exuberant energy and smile.
It is with this, that High Fives Foundation is proud to recognize Tony Schmiesing as a recipient of the 2014 Community Five Award!
