Western Slope Veterans Coalition hosts annual golf fundraising tournament
Taylor Cramer/Glenwood Springs Post Independent
The greens of Lakota Links Golf Club will come alive with the spirit of camaraderie on June 14 as the Western Slope Veterans Coalition hosts its fourth annual Veterans Golf Tournament. Seeking individual players, teams, volunteers and hole sponsors, the event aims to raise crucial funds to support programs for veterans across Garfield, Eagle and Pitkin counties.
Sign-in for the event will start at 11 a.m. with a shotgun start at 1:30 p.m. Participation costs $150 per individual and $600 per foursome. Contests include a closest-to-the-hole challenge and a hole-in-one grand prize. Each participant will also receive a swag bag and is invited to the awards ceremony.
Tournament organizer Lee Krauth emphasized the importance of the event for raising funds to sustain the coalition’s services.
“We raised $35,000 last year from the golf tournament, which was over half of our budget for the year,” Krauth said. “The money goes straight to our efforts to help veterans on the Western Slope, and we are hoping to increase that number.”
The Western Slope Veterans Coalition seeks to provide veterans with a “hand up, not necessarily a handout,” Krauth said. The organization helps connect veterans with the Veterans Health Administration and resources specializing in mental health, temporary housing, transportation and more.
Western Slope Veterans Coalition Board Member Alan Sandberg emphasized the importance of community support to help provide for Western Slope Veterans.
“A veteran’s car could break down and they don’t have the money to fix it but they need to get to their job, that is where we like to step in,” Sandberg said. “There is this saying that ‘veterans help veterans,’ and to be able to do that, we need community support.”
Lakota Links Golf Club has been a generous partner during the event’s tenure, with owner Dwayne Romero, a United States Military Academy West Point graduate and veteran, offering the course at a reduced rate. Alpine Bank and the Bank of Colorado have been primary sponsors, with the former fielding four teams and providing a significant donation.
This year’s tournament will include a couple of silent auctions, featuring items such as a golf package with an overnight hotel stay and a private flight to Moab, which will include a private breakfast or lunch.
Sandberg said there is enthusiasm among participants, whether they play or volunteer.
“It’s a great day on the course,” he said. “It’s just a good time out there and it’s for a great cause.”
To register, volunteer or sponsor the event, call 970-233-8735.
Western Slope Veterans Coalition hosts annual golf fundraising tournament
Seeking individual players, teams, volunteers and hole sponsors, the event aims to raise crucial funds to support programs for veterans across Garfield, Eagle and Pitkin counties.
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