‘Exceptional volunteer’ Galloway among BizWest Women of Distinction honorees

FORT COLLINS — Paula Galloway, who serves multiple roles for Ignite Adaptive Sports, will be one of 13 women from Northern Colorado to be recognized with this year’s Women of Distinction awards, a BizWest program to acknowledge the contributions of female leaders in the region.

Selected in the Exceptional Volunteer category, Galloway for the past two decades has donated her time and energy to Ignite Adaptive Sports, the only winter sports program for people with disabilities that is easily accessible for day trips for residents across the Front Range. While working full time as a research assistant at Colorado State University, Galloway has served as a trained and nationally certified volunteer ski instructor, board member, Visual Impairment Program co-lead, instructor supervisor, scholarship program director and fundraiser.

The onset of multiple sclerosis impaired the skiing ability of Galloway’s husband, Stan, a CSU professor. However, the couple figured out how to help him ski through use of a device that could help people with mobility limitations stand up. When Stan’s mobility limitations worsened, Ignite instructors helped him use a sit-ski to keep participating in the sport, prompting Paula to get trained to become an adaptive ski instructor.

On Fridays, when the Colorado Center for the Blind visits Ignite and Paula Galloway supervises the day of lessons, she uses her lived experience to help every instructor and athlete figure out how to have a successful experience regardless of their diverse physical and cognitive conditions.

Galloway and this year’s dozen other honorees were selected by previous recipients of the award to represent multiple categories of business and nonprofit activity.

The awards will be given out at an event to be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 10 at the Drake Centre, 802 W. Drake Road, Fort Collins.

Also to be honored, along with their categories of award, include:

• Leading Ladies: Betty Aragon-Mitotes, president of Mujeres de Colores and co-founder of the Museo de las Tres Colonias; and Beth Walker, former dean, College of Business, Colorado State University.
• Banking and Finance: Christina Kraft, market president, Bank of Colorado.
• Business and Business Services: Lori Gama, founder and president, DaGama Digital Marketing Agency.
• Education: Leah Bornstein, CEO and president, Aims Community College. 
• Emerging Leader: Tori May, deputy director, Loveland Habitat for Humanity.
• Government, Energy and Utilities: Michelle Vance, executive director, Windsor Downtown Development Authority.  
• Health Care: Cyndi Dodds, CEO, SummitStone Health Partners. 
• Manufacturing: Amanda Rider, area leader, J.M. Smucker Co.
• Nonprofit: Donna Visocky, director of public relations and fundraising, Community Services Center of Wellington.   
• Outstanding Mentor: Ginger Graham, owner, Ginger and Baker.
• Real Estate: Alicia Ready, training and development director, Elder Construction, BuildHER Collaborative and NoCo Construction Sector Partnership. 

Seats can be reserved in advance by clicking here.

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