Shred for Red, the annual ski fundraiser for Blood Cancer United, will be back in 2027. Registration for fundraising participants starts Sept. 1, the first day of Blood Cancer Awareness Month.
This year’s fundraising goal is $450,000. Event organizers spoke of the importance of this event and the impact the funds will have in helping the organization’s research and advocacy work for Blood Cancer patients.
Austin Simon is the adventure series director for Blood Cancer United and has a personal connection to the organization’s work. Her mother-in-law beat lymphoma twice, Simon lost her grandmother to multiple myeloma and she is currently going through cancer treatment herself.
“Our mission is to cure blood cancer and to improve the quality of life for patients and their families and having direct family members that have been touched by blood cancer makes me mission connected,” Simon said.
Dr. Robert Winn, Deer Valley’s former chief medical officer, started Shred for Red after his wife was diagnosed with leukemia, with the help of Olympian and leukemia survivor Bryan Fletcher and Blood Cancer United. At the time, the organization was called the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Every year since then, people have fundraised for the organization, with the effort ending in a Deer Valley ski day.
“It really fits into the mission because it allows people to be on the mountain and do something in person, but it also gives them the opportunity to bring honor to people who have gone through treatments, and the memory of people who have passed away,” said Shelby Rogers, the Shred for Red event manager.
Rogers, who also manages the Climb 2 Cure event, is connected to the organization’s mission through her grandfather, who passed away from lymphoma.
“Our mission, when we were founded in 1945, was really to fund incredible research because there were no cures at the time,” Simon said. “Our mission has evolved. We recognize not only do we need to find a cure, but we also need to be there to support our patients and their families. We also need to advocate for them so that they’re having access to the most amazing treatments.”
Erin Stone and her family, who live in Holladay, have experienced the significance of the organization’s advocacy directly. Stone’s son was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 5 and a half years old.
Leukemia accounts for 40% of all childhood cancer diagnoses. Stone explained the treatment cycle for pediatric leukemia takes more than two years. She said some of the medications during her son’s treatment cost thousands of dollars for a single dose. Over the course of long treatment, this adds up to what can be insurmountable for many families.
Last year, Blood Cancer United provided Utah families with $1 million in financial assistance. And in the past decade, the organization has contributed $2 million to statewide research projects. The 2026 Shred for Red event raised $300,000, only half of its goal. This year, snow conditions will be better, and the event will be earlier in the season, so organizers are hoping they’ll meet, if not exceed the goal.
Teams and individuals can fundraise for Shred for Red. There’s a tiered goal system, and participants are required to meet their goal to attend the event. Rogers explained this is set so the organization can fund the event itself as well as raise money for its mission.
After registration, participants will meet with Rogers one-on-one each month to strategize their goals.
“We definitely want this to be a fun experience for people, not something that feels like another thing they have to do,” Rogers said. “So we try to make it fun.”
Rogers said she has fundraising guides with social media posts, email and text templates and phone scripts to help people get started.
“If it’s not easy, call us,” Simon said.
Every year, Shred for Red spotlights someone in the community with blood cancer as an Honored Hero. Not all of the fundraiser participants have a direct connection to blood cancer, so the Honored Heroes can help people understand the experiences and impacts it has.
At the 2023 Shred for Red event, Stone’s son was the Honored Hero. She said participating that year helped their family make connections with people across the country who were experiencing the same thing as them.
“Once you get started with it, you’re hooked. You want to feed into that community of support and love and common goals and wanting to support the mission,” she said. “It’s really a special thing.”