New England native Laura Champagne loves the water! She began waterskiing at ten years old and went on to earn a biochemistry degree from Trinity College. By founding Natural Home Solutions, she is able to combine the two passions. Her company specializes in organic mold remediation but also provides air quality testing and helps property owners detect any water issues that could lead to toxic contaminants. This female entrepreneur has committed to using her aquatic expertise to help people with intellectual and physical disabilities learn how to water ski this summer. Specifically, Natural Home Solutions is the featured sponsor of the Webster Water Ski Collective and Aqua Riders of Holland, two non-profit organizations in central Massachusetts that are focused on making water sports safe, fun and accessible for all ages and abilities through adaptive waterski programs.
“As both a scientist who has built a business on mitigating water damage for families, and a seasoned water skier with my father and two young children, I give my full support to charities that uphold these two passions,” said
Laura Champagne, founder of Natural Home Solutions. “Both of these programs provide opportunities that many people would not have. Seeing the authentic joy and confidence on the faces of the participants is the greatest reward. The patience and kindness expressed by the younger members that I have trained throughout the years makes me proud and grateful that they will carry on this message.”
The Webster Water Ski Collective was founded in 2020 by a group of friends who regularly skied on Webster Lake and were asked to teach neighboring children how to improve their water ski skills. Soon thereafter, partner Ryan DesRoche discovered adaptive skiing and was immediately drawn to the life-enhancing benefits it offered people of all ages and abilities. He located the adaptive ski club Leaps of Faith Skiers in Sandy Hook, CT, attended a clinic, became a volunteer and after side-skiing with one of the participants, immediately launched an adaptive water ski program at his new organization.
“Over the past four years, our adaptive ski program has grown exponentially and now holds five major events per summer with more than 120 adaptive participants skiing with us,” said Ryan DesRoche, executive director of the Webster Water Ski Collective. “Thanks to generous supporters like Natural Home Solutions, we will be helping people with a variety of disabilities including spina bifida, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, Autism and Ogden syndrome, find their strength, joy and support on the wide-open waterway this season!”
Upcoming events include:
Veterans Ski Day Clinic on July 10, 2024 at the Donahue Rowing Center in Shrewsbury, MA that helps physically and emotionally disabled Vets conquer the water, co-sponsored by the US Department for Veteran Affairs through the USA Water Ski Organization.
Adaptive Ski Day for those with spinal cord injuries on July 25, 2024 at Memorial Beach in Webster, MA in conjunction with the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation and the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.
Any Age, Any Disability Adaptive Ski Day at Lake Lashaway in North Brookfield, MA.
Team Hoyt New England and Jack Trottier Foundation Adaptive Ski Day at Sand Bar Beach Club and Groll in Tyngsborough, MA.
“Summer is certainly my company’s busy season since mold outbreaks are rampant during frequent rainstorms and hurricanes, but summer is also the perfect time for stewardship,” adds Champagne. “From helping families overcome mold infestations to helping people overcome physical and intellectual limitations, water is always the source of life.”
Learn more at naturalhome.solutions.
PHOTO: Laura Champagne, owner of Natural Home Solutions, an organic mold detection and removal company in New England, is a featured sponsor of the Webster Water Ski Collective and Aqua Riders of Holland, two non-profit organizations in central Massachusetts that are focused on making water sports safe, fun and accessible for all ages and abilities through adaptive waterski programs. The female entrepreneur (far right) is an avid water skier.