The annual All Services Ball is a public event that honors all Military, Law Enforcement, and First Responders of the Western Slope. The event consists of dinner and a Key Note speaker with a DJ at the end. We will also have a silent auction and wine pull. In the past, we have had speakers such as Kris Pronto, Joe Torrillo and Travis Mills.
This year we are excited to announce that the 2019 Keynote speaker will be Kirstie Ennis, USMC Helicopter Door Gunner Amputee, 7 Summits Climber, Paralympic Snowboarder. Kirstie Ennis served in the United States Marine Corp as an aircraft mechanic.
Kirstie Ennis’s story may have begun when she lost her leg after her helicopter went down in Afghanistan, but it certainly doesn’t end there. After more than 40 surgeries and the amputation of her leg first below and then above the knee after a life-threatening infection, the former Marine sergeant has accomplished more at 28 years old than most people have achieved in their lifetimes.
Ennis’ story has been well-documented. She allowed cameras into the hospital to film her amputation ordeal for an inspired short film produced by Cosmopolitan magazine. She was featured on the cover ESPN magazine for the “Body” issue. Photos of Prince Harry embracing Ennis after she completed the 1,000-mile walk across England, Wales and Scotland for the British non-profit Walking for the Wounded appeared in People magazine and she was later honored by the magazine as their “Annual Body Image Hero” in 2016.
Ennis has turned the concept of “disabled athlete” on its head, proving how capable she still is, whether it’s on one leg or two. She competed in boardercross and banked slalom as a Paralympic snowboarder and then ventured into mountaineering, summitting Mt Kilimanjaro (at 19,341-feet it’s the highest point in Africa) to support the non-profit The Waterboys; then successfully climbed Carstenzs, the highest point in Oceania, for The Heroes Project; and then conquered Iliniza Norte, a 16,818-foot peak in Ecuador. She has attempted Cotopaxi, the highest peak in Ecuador, got turned around by weather on Denali, and made it to the South Summit of Everest. She hopes to complete the Seven Summits by climbing the highest peak on every continent by 2021.
