Fifteen nonprofits took home more than $26,000 Thursday night from Sky Ute Casino & Resort’s 16th annual nonprofit Money Booth.
Each nonprofit was presented with a check for $500 at a reception before representatives took a turn at grabbing cash for their cause in the booth, where bills were flying through the air.
The Be FRANK Foundation – For the Recreational and Artistic Needs of Kids – was the top money raiser of the evening, taking home $2,630 (including the $500 check). Also breaking the $2,000 mark were Adult Day Care at Our Place and People Improving Communities and Kids, both raising $2,280. The Wolfwood Refuge came away with $2,200.
The other nonprofits and their totals were Dancing Spirit ($1,540), the New Mexico Foundation of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation ($1,295), Friends of the Ignacio Community Library ($1,400), Giving Every Child Knowledge of the Outdoors ($1,470), Wings of Freedom ($1,745), Veterans Memorial Park of Archuleta County ($1,230), Tribal College Journal ($1,810), Ignacio FFA Booster Club ($1,295), Bayfield Lions Club Foundation ($1,745), La Plata Council on Aging ($1,095) and the Health Coalition of Southwest Colorado ($1,675).
The casino primarily chooses nonprofits in its market areas of La Plata and Archuleta counties in Southwest Colorado and San Juan County in New Mexico, said Tracy Lepert, marketing coordinator for special events and promotions at Sky Ute Casino and Resort.
This event takes the total distributed by Sky Ute since 1999 to about $300,000.
abutler@durangoherald.com
