Sandy Kellogg '78

Sandy Kellogg '78 has extensive experience in outdoor recreation and has worked in the field of adaptive sports, recreation, and wellness for the past 14 years. In 2009, Sandy co-founded Adaptive Sports Partners of the North Country (ASPNC), a nonprofit organization that provides outdoor, educational, and charitable activities for individuals with a variety of physical, emotional, and mental disabilities.   
         
Many people in her New Hampshire community have benefitted from her outstanding leadership and service in the field of adaptive sports. The ASPNC program’s participants have been able to develop confidence and determination as they have worked to overcome unbelievable obstacles. The range of disabilities have included brain injuries, spinal cord traumas, cerebral palsy, and neuromuscular disorders. In addition, some of the participants have had visual, emotional, intellectual, and hearing impairments.         

Sandy developed programs focusing on year-round sports and recreation for people with all kinds of disabilities. By developing and using specialized adaptive equipment, participants with physical limitations were given opportunities to ski a mountain, ride a bike, follow a hiking trail, float a river and again feel a breeze, hear a waterfall, or see and smell nature. Under Sandy’s leadership, the ASPNC grew with hundreds of specially trained volunteers reaching beyond New Hampshire and more broadly in the nation’s Northeast regions. Disabled participants came from even farther away to benefit from the unique opportunities presented by ASPNC. Under Sandy’s guidance, there were about 1,500-2,000 sessions per year for 100+ individuals.

Typical of her personality, Sandy inspired her clients to not only value their personal recreational experiences but also to fully engage in the joys of friendship, the beauty of nature, and to be thankful for all of their blessings. Many of her Springside classmates have known Sandy since 3rd grade and say, “She was a committed athlete, embodied class and school spirit, and was respected and well-liked by all. While eating dinner with Sandy at our 40th reunion, Sandy was clear in her appreciation for her Springside experience and reminded us that if we had an idea, we were supported in pursuing it." 

When Sandy retired from ASPNC, the board chair said "Sandy has been the lifeblood of this organization over the last nine years and there will never be a replacement for her. As a board, we are inspired by her passion for the mission of ASPNC and the amazing work she has done to build ASPNC to what it is today.”