Skiing came naturally for Chloe Townsend. She hoisted herself up on a set of skis no sooner than she could walk, and by age 6 she was competing in her first races. Now, two years after taking home the gold in slalom and a slew of other medals in Colorado’s Junior Olympics, Townsend has set her mind to bigger and better things: training for the U16 U.S. Olympics and, further on, a place on the U.S. National team. But it’s not all downhill from here for Townsend. On top of the sacrifices of a normal high-school life that she has taken for year-round ski training, she and her family must face the financial obstacle to her Olympic pursuit.
Townsend’s turned to local business for help, rallying support from the Italian D’Amico empire to help meet the costs of keeping her dream alive—these include travel to the slopes, camps for training, and competitions halfway across the country (mountains aren’t exactly nearby for the Edina native).
Lynn Ulrich, D’Amico’s Director of Operations, says it’s the potential for “what if” that drove the group of ten Twin Cities locations to help. “What if she makes it?” wonders Ulrich. “She’s demonstrated that she’s working very hard…She’s very committed and driven. We’re certainly not going to pay the way for her, but it’s a small contribution to a young athlete.”
Choosing a cookie to represent the “Cookies for Chloe” campaign was easy; Townsend went with her favorite, D’Amico’s double chocolate. Made with a blend of bittersweet and milk chocolate, the cookie achieves gold standard with crunchy edges and a chewy center. Until February 28th, 75 percent of proceeds from every cookie purchased will go directly to supporting Chloe in her Olympic endeavors.
When asked about D’Amico’s involvement in Chloe’s future in skiing, Ulrich insists the restaurant’s only making way for the show to unfold. “We’re just cookies, but she’s the powerhouse.”
