Annual Mark Madsen Accessibility Celebration August 12 at Staunton State Park

Mark Madsen loved the Colorado outdoors and spent countless hours hiking and fishing with his sons in the area of what is now Staunton State Park.

One night in April 2001, Mark rolled his car when he swerved to avoid hitting a deer. As a result of this devastating accident, Mark was left a quadriplegic, paralyzed from the neck down. In spite of his disability, he continued to spend time at his mountain cabin by Lions Head whenever he could. Although he could no longer hike or bike, it was a great pleasure for him to see parts of the park via the Trackchair.

In the summer of 2014, the year after Staunton State Park officially opened, Mark was again able to enjoy many of his favorite places with the help of a rack chair borrowed from Craig Hospital. Sadly, Mark passed away in his cabin on August 10, 2015.

Last year at the inaugural Mark Madsen Accessibility Celebration , Friends of Staunton State Park raised over $40,000 which enabled the purchase of two track chairs and a storage trailer. The Staunton State Park Track-Chair Program became a reality in 2017 allowing over 100 visitors with disabilities to “hike” Staunton State Park with their friends and family.

Join us for a fundraising BBQ on August 12, 2017 where all proceeds will go toward continuing to support the Staunton State Park Track Chair Program, ensuring access for all to the great outdoors!

To learn more and to make a donation, please visit our website, www.friendsofstauntonstatepark.org or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

“That was the best day I’ve had in 40 years!” This was one heartwarming comment from a recent participant in the new Staunton State Park Track Chair Program. It is so rewarding to share the joy and see the smiles on the faces of our visitors with disabilities who now have more access to the beauty and wonder of Staunton State Park. Staunton has the first and only track chair program in the Colorado State Park system. It was made possible through the fundraising efforts of Friends of Staunton State Park and generous donations from contributors and donors like you to the Mark MadsenAccessibility Fund. The incredible response to the inaugural Mark Madsen Accessibility Celebration allowed us to purchase two track chairs and a trailer to begin the program.


Since the official start of the program on May 27, 2017, we have provided access to more than 50 visitors with disabilities and we have an additional 50 reservations pending.This free program is managed and operated by volunteers and state park part-time staff. In order to keep a high quality of coordination for the numerous trip requests, cancellations and volunteer hours, Staunton staffing needs help. The best way to support this program would be to provide a part-time position who can dedicate all of their time to managing the Track Chair online reservation system, webpage, field phone calls, handle cancellations, reservation changes and track chair maintenance. They would manage volunteer trip leaders as well as lead trips themselves.

Estimated costs for this employee during the operation period would be $15,000. It is our goal to raise funds for an employee as well as provide scholarships which would provide less fortunate individuals the ability to come to Staunton. We would be partnering with numerous non-profit accessibility organizations to provide this service. It is our goal to support several trips in 2018 at a cost of $20,000.

These are our fundraising goals for the 2nd annual Mark Madsen Accessibility Celebration BBQ. It will be held Saturday, August 12th, from 11: 00a.m.to 2:00 p.m. I have enclosed a brochure with more information about the program. Please support our efforts to improve park accessibility by making a donation or becoming a member of Friends of Staunton State Park. It’s easy to do either (or both) and all the latest information is available on our website: www.friendsofstauntonstatepark.org

We hope you will join us in our ongoing efforts to improve accessibility at your Staunton State Park.

Sincerely,
Wayne T. Parkinson, President

Thank you to everyone who came to the Mark Madsen Accessibility Celebration and helped support us online as well. We are still tallying everything, but appreciate each and every donation!

We also have to thank Colorado Parks & Wildlife for their recognition of our efforts, we are most grateful to work with such a fantastic organization.