‘Tis the season for Durangoans to hit the links to raise money for favorite causes.
On Thursday, the organizers – birthday girl Diane Curtis, Sandy Elliott, Cathy Gaskell, Marina Siepieta and Donna Flynn – of the Columbine Classic Duet Golf Tournament raised a record-breaking $37,000-plus at their two-day event, which started at the Glacier Club on June 15, then moved down to Dalton Ranch. (As I recall, they have averaged around $25,000 in recent years, which was already pretty phenomenal.)
This year’s take will be split between Adult Day Care at Our Place, which will get about $29,600, and the Nick Turner Scholarship Fund at Fort Lewis College, which will receive about $7,400. The scholarship was founded last year shortly after Turner’s death in honor of his wife, Dolly, who is one of the founders of the Columbine Classic, which began in 1994. Earmarked to benefit the women’s varsity golf team, the scholarship supports the relatively new women’s golf program at the Fort.
Lynne Andrew, the associate director of athletics at the college – and also a mean driver with a golf club – said the program is so new, the ability to recruit talented young golfers will be helped by the scholarship. Andrew won the long drives both days of play during the tournament.
One of the reasons the tournament raised so much money was that Tom Stuber, president of the board of Our Place, donated a week at his condo in San Diego, which inspired some spirited bidding at the cocktail reception the evening of the first day of golf. So much so, the first week went for $3,000, so he donated a second week for $3,000.
Stuber said being named the beneficiary of the Columbine Classic was “like winning the jackpot, or maybe the Master’s.”
I wrote a couple of weeks ago about the challenges of caregiving for loved ones, and every single person I spoke with mentioned how critical Our Place is or has been, both for the wellness of their loved one suffering from some form of dementia and for their own wellbeing as respite care. As the wave of baby boomers ages, these kinds of services are going to become even more critical.
Our Place’s biggest challenge, Stuber said, is making sure caregivers know about it and give it a try. The socialization and the activities improve the quality of life for those with dementia. And caregivers need to take care of themselves when they’re responsible for someone affected by the disease. Our Place is affordable compared to hiring a service – $55 for six hours and $40 for four – and scholarships are available.
The staff at both hosting golf clubs really pulls out all the stops for this, offering great food, with the golf pros and their staff running the event. And scads of volunteers made the event possible.
In a Neighbors column several years ago, I explained how the tournament is structured, so I won’t get that specific again, but suffice it to say, the flights are based on handicaps, and handicaps are based on the level of play a golfer has achieved. The No. 1 flight includes the best players, and the winner of that flight was the foursome of Natalie Springer, Chris Stoltzfus, Kiley Appleton and Shelly Plomske.
The second flight winners were Sandy Gates, Anita Hagen, Chris Sterton and Maureen Roth. In the third flight, winners were Melissa Sharpe, Rosalia Beyhan, Patti Vanlandingham and Deb Cutler. And the fourth flight had a tie, with one set of winners the team of Nancy Shamadan, Jill Rickelman, Jean Hamman and Claudia Patterson; and the other the team of Debra Cline, Sue Carey, Lee Lipps and Becky Berry.
Before I forget, Gaskell was honored by her fellow organizers as the organizer supreme for all her efforts.
Kicking off the Cancer birthdays with a heat wave – ice cream cakes, perhaps? – are Matt Redbear, Daniel Grinnan, Hamilton Wright, Meme Eberspacher, Elizabeth LaFortune, Ann Tidwell, John Gardella, Ben Bader, Frank Campana, Katie McElwain, Caleb Ontiveros, Will Jernigan, Mack Otter, Logan Cole, Ed Williams, Charlotte Wright, Aaron Cash, Annette Fusco, Kari Bjorlin, R.L. Hawks, John Hess, Courtney Wolf, Wilma Cobb, Linda Buehler, Suzi Gottlieb, Sarah Griffith, Linda Wyrick, Dave Freeman, Suzanne Rodman, Linda Moore, Neil Cheesewright, Laura Cartwright, Walter Dear, Derrill Macho, Jessica Shockley, Karen Anesi, Karen Leavitt, Barry Longwell, bowler extraordinaire Louise White, Tom McMillen, Beth Walker, Eric Sparks, Bill Ward, Doc Stanton, Cheryl Clay, Dana James, Geni Miller-Parker, Jeanne McKnight, Sue Woll, Emma Selser, Heather Mullett, Joan Huntley, Mandy Pierce, Alec Bell, Jeanine Puskas, Gareth Hammond, Honora Cunnion, Annie Somrak, Danial Ciluffo, Mike Hjermstad, Jim May, Chelsea Bowen, Stephen Bowles and Linda White.
Special greetings go to June Hahl, who faithfully collects the St. Mark’s Episcopal Church’s birthdays and anniversaries for me every month.
In another golfing fundraiser, the Durango Chamber of Commerce’s Girls Gone Golfing raised more than $1,200 for the FLC women’s golf team – women who enjoy the sport want to encourage young women in it – at its event June 13 at Hillcrest Golf Club.
Teams who wanted to improve their scores could donate to two FLC team members, Jessica Thulson and Judith Sanchez, at two par 3 holes, Nos. 5 and 15.
Celebrating its 10th year, the event also gives women the chance to network and do business, much as men have done for many years.
HHH
Al and Carol Harper are so generous in donating Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad tickets and memorabilia to area nonprofits. Occasionally, they donate a trip on their private train car, the General Palmer Trailer Car, which is luxury indeed.
At the 2015 Pops Night for Music in the Mountains, they donated the car for its auction, and First National Bank of Durango President Mark Daigle added a $500 beverage incentive to sweeten the package.
The lucky bidders included past Music in the Mountains Board President Terry Bacon and his wife, Debra Parmenter; current Board President Jill Ward; and active supporters Myriam and Tony Palmer; Georgeann and Dick Reitz; Nancy and Jim Fisher; and Judy and Bud Burgess.
On June 3, they took their trip, with a couple of substitutions, as John and Ann Simms filled in for the Burgesses, Nancy Fisher brought her niece from Kansas City, Kansas, Susan Solerberger, and the Palmers invited their friend Walter Dear.
Upon arrival in Silverton, the group lunched in the Otto Mears Room of the Harpers’ newly renovated Grand Imperial Hotel, where, although they gave their best efforts to consume the bar tab, there was still a generous remainder to be returned to the Music in the Mountains coffers.
The cornucopia of June anniversaries continues with Amos and Julie Cordova, Art and Donna Chase, Al and Betty Calkins, Richard and Eileen Kippen, Harold and Cathy Black, Roger and Marilyn Folk, Ed and Karen Trahan, Bob and Nancy Dolphin, Nancy and Derrill Macho, Mark and Merilee Fleming, Larry and Beverly Brown, Cory and Gretchen Foster, Robert and Jayne Griffith, Phil and Stephanie Huss, Chris and John Serwe, Walter and Julia Jackson, Don and Lori Hammond and Jeff and Donn Wince.
neighbors@durangoherald.com
