“Thank you so much, chamber staff and board, for all your hard work in putting together the fundraiser and choosing us to partner with. We look forward to future collaboration with the chamber,” said Cat Geras of Voyager Youth Program.
TJ Burr of Ouray County Baseball added, “We really appreciate your support. These funds will go a long way in helping with some of our capital needs and expenses as our organization continues to grow. The youth in the county will greatly benefit.”
The Ridgway Area Chamber of Commerce (RACC) brought back the golf open after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, to promote youth leadership as well as provide a business networking opportunity for the community. In addition to raising funds, the tournament at the Divide Ranch & Club awarded several players for outstanding performance.
The tournament champions were the team from Montrose Ford Nissan. In addition to winning prizes, the team name will be engraved on two trophies donated by Billings Artworks, and displayed year round at the Divide and the Ridgway Visitor Center. The team named Wreckless Drivers from Ridgway, had tied scores with Montrose Ford Nissan but lost out in a tiebreaker calculation.
Also awarded were Culley Winter and Tyler Piccard for the longest drives, and Erik Eckman and Felicia Discoe for closest to the pin competitions. Prizes were donated by Double G Guest Ranch & Lodge, Balance Integrative Medicine, Ridgway Adventure Sports, and Ridgway Office Supply.
Tournament sponsors included Colorado Boy Pub & Brewery, Aspen Tree Service, RIGS Fly Shop & Guide Service, Dickerson Construction Inc., Shamrock Foods, Alpine Bank, Hazel’s Housekeeping, Montrose Ford Nissan, Flower Motor Group, Becky and Charles Mueller, and Full Tilt Saloon.
“I am grateful for both our sponsors and community members that supported and participated in the return of the Ridgway Area Chamber Golf Open. We are honored by the successes we were able to raise and contribute to the youth community,” RACC Executive Director Ashley Perkins.
In addition to raising funds for youth programs, the Ridgway Chamber supports the career development of local students through a Volunteer & Career Fair each spring. The chamber also offers middle and high school students volunteer opportunities at the Ridgway Visitor Center.
The chamber is funded through memberships and 70% of the lodging tax from the Town of Ridgway, which are used for marketing such as the annual Visitors Guide, ridgwaycolorado.com, and various tourism promotion initiatives including responsible tourism education and off-peak season tourism marketing. Through chamber programs, the town is part of the Colorado Creative Corridor, promoted on the state’s tourism website and advertising programs. To learn more about the chamber, go to https://ridgwaycolorado.com/about.
