WinterKids is celebrating 25 Years! Learn More ➔

About WinterKids

WinterKids is an industry leader dedicated exclusively to inspiring and increasing outdoor physical activity for children and families in Maine, turning our longest season into a time of adventure, health, and connection.

We help children develop healthy lifelong habits through education and fun outdoor winter activity.

Snowflake - MINION YELLOW

Our Story

WinterKids began in 1997 as part of the Ski Maine Association with a Learn to Ski program for fifth graders.  With the increasing rates of childhood obesity and the downward trend in physical fitness in Maine and across the country, there was an opportunity to help children and families enjoy healthy and fun outdoor winter lifestyles while nurturing a connection to the natural environment, at home, at school, and in the communities in which they live.

In 2000, WinterKids became an independent non-profit and continues to develop and expand innovative health education programs for kids in the winter and year-round.

Belonging and Inclusion:

At WinterKids, we believe that every child deserves the opportunity to experience the joy, health, and confidence that comes from exploring the outdoors. We are committed to creating fun, engaging programs that combine physical activity with learning, helping kids of all backgrounds build resilience and foster a lifelong love for winter recreation. 

We work to ensure that children from diverse and under-resourced communities have access to outdoor winter activities, regardless of zip code, income, or previous experience. By partnering with schools, childcare centers, and community organizations across Maine and beyond, we provide meaningful opportunities for kids from preschool to high school to move, learn, and explore in the winter landscape. 

In the spirit of fairness, inclusion, and equality, we promise to uphold the values of creativity, integrity, and non-discrimination. Together, we stand in solidarity to ensure that the outdoors is a welcoming space for all, promoting well-being and a better future for our communities. 

Downhill Black Mountain Laurie Theberge 1

WinterKids App Family Member Laurie Theberge’s Winning 2021/22 Photo Contest Submission, taken at Black Mountain of Maine

Std White WK Snowflake

The WinterKids Team is Passionate about Helping Kids to be Active Outdoors!

It takes unique people to fill important positions in a small nonprofit with such a large reach. Our team excels at what we do and takes great pride in our programs. We work hard. We have fun. We laugh a lot. We love winter. And we love kids!

Courtney Holub

Courtney Holub

Executive Director
Marion Doyle

Marion Doyle

Education Director
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Josh Harrington

Family Programs & Outreach Manager
Tom Long

Tom Long

Program & Environmental Sustainability Manager
Kristel Hayes

Kristel Hayes

Marketing Manager
Melissa Ferrigno

Melissa Ferrigno

Administrative & Volunteer Manager

WinterKids Board of Directors

Officers

Chad Creelman

President

Head, Sales Excellence, WEX, Inc.

Jillian Rich

Vice President

Justin Brewer

Treasurer

Performance Director, CRH Americas Materials, Inc.

Parker Swenson

Past President

Project Manager, Operations, Diversified Communications

Courtney Holub

Secretary

Executive Director, WinterKids

Dirk Gouwens

Ex Officio

Executive Director, SkiMaine

Members

Jessica Gagne

Morning News Anchor, WMTW

John Giffune

Marnie Grumbach

Founder and Director of Strategy, Fluent IMC.

Peter Lowell

Financial Advisor, Edward Jones

Kristen Mazoki

DO, Psychiatrist, Franklin Memorial Hospital

Brent Vanni

Product Developer, L.L. Bean

Brean Witmer

Director of Research and Evaluation, Great Schools Partnership

Advisory Board

William Dexter, M.D.

Medical Advisor

Become a WinterKids Community Partner

We are proud of the lasting relationships we have built with partners across the state. Becoming a WinterKids Community Partner connects your brand with a mission that helps children develop healthy lifelong habits through educational and fun, outdoor winter activity.

Increase Outdoor Access

As a Community Partner, you help provide funding for schools, nonprofits, and parks & recreation programs, ensuring more kids have opportunities to get outside and be active year-round.

Employee Engagement

Encourage your employees to get involved through volunteer opportunities and team participation in WinterKids events. Community Partners have enjoyed taking part in our endurance events and preparing school kits, strengthening team connections while supporting Maine kids.

Support Children’s Health & Wellbeing

Fund our initiatives that give children more opportunities to be active, explore the outdoors, and build healthy habits for life. Your partnership delivers outdoor education and recreation to kids, in turn developing physical confidence, social connections, and a love for winter recreation.

Cause Marketing

Align your brand with WinterKids and demonstrates your company’s commitment to Maine kids, their health and wellness, and community strength.

Brand Visibility

Gain exposure through WinterKids’ website, social media, email marketing, and community events. Reach new audiences as a Community Partner while reinforcing your brand’s values.

Event Sponsorship Opportunities

Be part of well-loved events like Welcome to Winter and the Downhill 24. These events provide a unique way to showcase your brand and connect with families, schools, and outdoor enthusiasts.

Beyond creating opportunities for children to move, learn, and explore, as a Community Partner, you receive special perks like discounts on WinterKids App memberships for your employees, helping them and their families stay active all winter long.

Please fill out the form below if you’re interested in discussing partnership opportunities:

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Major Community Sponsor

LL Bean Logo green

L.L. Bean and WinterKids have been partners for 17 years. Given its rich outdoor heritage, L.L. Bean supports nonprofits that engage more young people in activities such as camping, hiking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. L.L. Bean applauds WinterKids for our efforts in creating lifelong outdoor enthusiasts! In addition to their annual sponsorship of our programs in Maine & New Hampshire, L.L. Bean is involved with WinterKids through board membership and community events. The Outdoor Discovery School offers snowshoe lessons at our Welcome to Winter Festival and L.L.Bean employees participate in the WinterKids Downhill 24 at Sugarloaf. L.L. Bean has given more than $14 million to local, state, regional, and national outdoor conservation and recreation organizations in the last ten years.

Supporting Sponsors

Agren

Agren is proud to be working with WinterKids again this year. Since 1975, Maine’s largest independently owned appliance and mattress retailer has been serving Maine communities. Today, with six locations, community involvement and charitable participation within our communities remain core values. Agren is excited to support an organization focused on creating healthy habits and opportunities for the children of Maine.

Kittery Trading Post D24 Platinum Price Sponsor 2021

Kittery Trading Post is proud to support WinterKids. Since 1938, Kittery Trading Post has taken pride in offering the finest goods and services to enhance your time outdoors.

Wex Logo

WEX believes that corporate giving is both an opportunity and a responsibility to give back to our local communities. The company’s giving is centered at its heart and headquarters in South Portland, focusing on larger gifts that benefit greater Portland and the state of Maine as a whole. WinterKids and WEX have partnered for several years through programming and event initiatives. WEX employees have a large team presence at the WinterKids Downhill 24, and believe in long-term effective partnerships with the nonprofits they support.

Zachau Construction Logo

Zachau Construction has been a proud sponsor of WinterKids since 2016 and has a large presence at the Downhill 24, having helped found the Skin-up division.

Zachau Construction is one of Southern Maine’s leading commercial construction management companies, working with the state’s most recognized corporations, institutions, and non-profits. Above all else, their dedication to maintaining honest relationships and partnerships has carried them from their founding in 1969 by Earle Zachau into where they are today. As a 3rd-generation company, they care deeply about our people, projects, and community.

Exclusive Television Partner

WMTW MainesCW Duopoly OTA Gradient Dark RGB

WMTW is the official television partner of WinterKids. WMTW, Maine’s Total Weather and News, serves the Portland television market with studios in Westbrook. Channel 8 WMTW won a dozen honors at the 2015 Maine Association of Broadcasters annual awards ceremonies. From PSAs to on-air talent hosting our events, WMTW supports WinterKids throughout the year.

Recent Media Coverage

February 8, 2025

Weather At Your School: Miller School

via WMTW Meteorologist, Victoria Wisniewski
Read More
February 4, 2025

Weather at Your School: Shapleigh School

via WMTW Meteorologist, Ted McInerney
Read More
January 30, 2025

Weather at Your School: Community Regional Charter School

via WMTW Meteorologist, Ted McInerney
Read More
January 30, 2025

WinterKids Winter Games underway in Rangeley

via the Rangeley Highlander
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January 29, 2025

WinterKids’ Snow Day Playbook

via Portland City Lifestyle's "Love Local" Issue
Read More
January 28, 2025

Weather At Your School: Washburn School

Via WMTW Meteorologist Ted McInerney
Read More
January 24, 2025

Weather At Your School: Academy Hill School

via WMTW Meteorologist, Ted McInerney
Read More
January 19, 2025

Weather At Your School: Rangeley Lakes Regional School

via WMTW Meteorologist, Ted McInerney
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January 18, 2025

Weather At Your School: Harrison Elementary

via WMTW Meteorologist, Ted McInerney
Read More

Land Acknowledgment Statement

We recognize that the work of WinterKids takes place on the unceded lands of the Wabanaki Confederacy, including the Abenaki, Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot peoples. We honor their enduring relationship with this land and their stewardship of Maine’s natural environment. We commit to fostering connections that respect and celebrate Indigenous communities and their contributions to outdoor education and recreation. 

Land Acknowledgement
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