Anthony Lakes fundraiser raises $500,000, seeks $1.5 million for shop

Anthony Lakes Outdoor Recreation Association (ALORA) is continuing a push to raise $1.5 million to replace and expand the resort’s aging rental shop, a facility that outfits nearly 400 children each week for the Ski for the Health of It program. ALORA leaders say the building is one of the ski area’s original structures and has been central to youth programming for decades.

ALORA marketing director and controller Chelsea Judy said the project has drawn foundation support from Travel Oregon, the Leo Adler Foundation and the Wilson Family Foundation. Judy said the project has raised $400,000 in grants and more than $150,000 in local donations. Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort shared that it "had raised around $500,000 dollars during the end of year fundraising campaign." Those figures cover different fundraising streams and have not been combined into a single reconciled total.

The planned building will occupy the same footprint as the current shop but add a second story with a common kitchen and several living spaces. Project updates have also described work to rebuild the rental and repair shop and to construct a new youth center, and resort materials include a sketch of the proposed design. Project leaders say the facility replacement responds to both wear from decades of use and the operational demands of outfitting school and community programs.

The current shop traces its roots to the ski area’s earliest days as a warming hut and was moved to its present location in 1967, according to Stan Ingram’s Anthony, A Tale of Two Skis. Judy noted the building’s uncertain age, saying, "No one knows how old that building really is." She added, "People have been really generous," and emphasized that "Our goal is to keep fundraising through the year."

Fundraising events are underway. The Depot in La Grande will host a benefit on Tuesday, Feb. 10 starting at 5:30 p.m.; the evening "includes Inquiring Minds, live music and a silent auction." The Depot will donate a portion of the restaurant sales that night to the rental shop project. An Instagram post promoting the event said, "... Anthony Lakes is taking on the huge project of building a new rental shop and can use all the help they can get! Come join us at The Depot." Judy also said a Baker City event will be held later this spring.

The rental shop currently outfits nearly 400 children every Friday for Ski for the Health of It, an eight-week program for grades 4-12. Replacing or rehabilitating the shop is tied to sustaining that program and to keeping low-cost equipment access available to local schools and families across Union County.

Project leaders are pursuing additional grants and local support, and materials indicate a goal of having the new facilities online by winter 2026-27. Information about the project, and a link to donate, can be found at AnthonyLakesORA.org. Click on "Projects."

For residents, the effort matters because it preserves a community resource that directly serves students and families while aiming to expand overnight and program space that could deepen local recreation access. Fundraising events this month and through spring offer opportunities to support the effort and to follow how the project’s timeline and budget develop.