Angel of Tahoe donates $50,000 to Ski Run Community Park

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The future Ski Run Community Park has become the latest recipient of a donation from the Angel of Tahoe, Mrs. Lisa Maloff. She donated $50,000 to support the park that is being built on a vacant lot on Ski Run Boulevard in South Lake Tahoe.

Mrs. Maloff continues her long history of directly supporting the health and well-being of the lake and its communities and her list of donations is a lengthy one.

The park was once home to the Slalom Inn which was demolished in 1999. Since that time the lot has sat vacant and served as an unofficial playfield for the neighborhood. For nearly a decade, it has been the vision of non-profit Friends of Ski Run to construct a community park at this location.

Mrs. Maloff’s contribution is in addition to significant donations from Ski Run business owners Wynn and Lauren Ruji, Lincoln and Galena Else, Chris and Victoria McNamara, and Corey and Marina Rich, who helped purchase the lot. Friends of Ski Run is currently fundraising to begin construction of the park this spring.

“This is a vibrant neighborhood with many full-time families and a growing number of local businesses,” said Chris McNamara. “A community park will get more people outdoors, benefit the people who live here, and complement everything else happening on Ski Run.”

Since 2019, the Friends of Ski Run have worked with community members and the City of South Lake Tahoe to create a park that meets their needs and provides high-quality recreation. The park will include spaces for gathering, playing, and public art as well as education features and two marquis structures including a rope climb and rock climbing wall.

The park will serve a historically underserved neighborhood that currently has no park access within walking distance (½ mile). With over 1,000 kids living in this area and more than 150 households without access to a car, a community park has long been needed.

Once complete, the City of South Lake Tahoe will be gifted the park by Friends of Ski Run and be responsible for park operations. City residents voted to support the park last year in a participatory budgeting survey.

“Mrs. Maloff’s donation shows how deeply she cares about the health and vitality of residents and unique neighborhoods like Ski Run,” said City of South Lake Tahoe Mayor Devin Middlebrook who has been a key volunteer of the park project since 2017. “I couldn’t be more proud of the support this project has received so far, and look forward to seeing people enjoy the park.”

Thanks to generous donations like Mrs. Maloff’s, Friends of Ski Run are closer to meeting their fundraising goal needed to begin construction this spring. Community members interested in supporting the park can make a donation online at https://tinyurl.com/SkiRun.

Other major supporters of the Ski Run Community Park include City of South Lake Tahoe, Ski Run Marina, Novus Select, Outdoor Gear Lab, Heavenly Ski Resort, El Dorado Community Foundation, Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority/American Century Championship, Sierra Con, Ski Run Center, landscape architect Ben Fish, Sarah Steele, and more. The project is composed of an all-volunteer team, committed to making this project a reality.

Friends of Ski Run is a 501(c)3 organization that works to create a vibrant Ski Run Boulevard. They host the annual Ski Run Farmers Market and other events throughout the year.