History

The Palisades Tahoe Community Foundation (PTCF) story began in 2009 with some left-over funds raised during an impromptu coach party at Alpine Meadows. Reem Saffouri, whose son was on the ski team at Alpine Meadows, saw an opportunity and put the funds to work creating the Alpine Meadows Foundation. With a small bank account and her passion to help athletes with the high cost of pursuing their dreams, Reem laid the groundwork for the Palisades Tahoe Community Foundation that we know today.

In 2013, our predecessor organization, the Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows Foundation (SAF) was officially formed with a mission to support young amateur athletes interested in developing skills in snow sports through participation in a Squaw Valley or Alpine Meadows ski or snowboard team.  SAF had a secondary goal of providing continuing education scholarships for coaches. Since the beginning, the foundation has worked hand-in-hand with ski team leadership to exceed USSA’s rigorous certification standards. Eventually, it was decided in partnership with Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows leadership that SAF should de-emphasize coach development (which would be handled by Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows) and focus exclusively on our supporting and creating community for our amateur athletes. Over the years, SAF established beloved traditions, including the annual “Its Mountain Time” breakfast, the Peak 2 Peak family-fun race, and the annual White Out Soiree fundraiser.

Following a series of leadership changes at SAF and in solidarity with resort leadership, SAF became the Palisades Tahoe Community Foundation (PTCF) in 2021. We remain committed to supporting our athletes through scholarships, academic and wellness support, and community building activities. While many of our old traditions have taken on new lives as the world has evolved and board members have come and gone, our love of snow sports and our passion for these mountains we call home remains.