Team Athletes Giving Back Award - Tess Johnson Girl PowHER

Athletes are committed to their sports, but they are also engaged in their communities and with other causes that are dear to them. The Team Athletes Giving Back award was initiated in 2013 to recognize the dedication of athletes to causes that help others and to showcase their causes. The winning athlete’s charitable cause will receive a $5,000 grant in the name of the athlete. 

Team Athletes Giving Back Award
Tess Johnson, Vail, Colo./U.S. Freestyle Ski Team
Girl PowHER, a program of Vail Valley Foundation

Tess Johnson is a five-year member of the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team, an Olympian and a rising star in her sport of moguls skiing. A native of Vail, she’s very engaged in her community working with young girls to convey her passion and experiences as an athlete to motivate and inspire them. She was honored by U.S. Ski & Snowboard with the Team Athletes Giving Back Award for her work with Girl PowHER. Girl PowHER, associated with the Vail Valley Foundation, is an organization very close to her. Its mission is to empower young women mentally, emotionally, and physically to ensure that each girl reaches her full potential. Johnson spends time working with young girls on their passion projects, telling them about her experiences as an Olympic athlete, or just hanging out with them as a friend.

“Every moment of working with GirlPowHER has been a joy because these girls have taught me just as much as I have to offer them,”  said Johnson. “Every girl has something great to offer the world. Sometimes it just takes another girl to help her realize that, and GirlPowHER is the epitome of that. I feel so lucky that I get to play a small role in helping these girls realize their potential.”