Volume 27, Issue 6
Tuesday June 24, 2014
Golf Today, Graduate Tomorrow: The 30th Annual A Lot To Give Golf Tournament and a Behind the Scenes Glimpse at the FRCC Foundation
Photo by Jenny Stagg
Written by Koa Avery Against a backdrop of blue skies and still snow covered mountain tops, the Greg Mastriona Golf Course at Hyland Hills hosted this year’s 30th annual A Lot to Give Golf Tournament on Friday, June 6th. Sun soaked from the pristine weather the 22 teams from across the community, decked out in everything from what was most comfortable to fully coordinated hats, shirts, and shorts, took to the course in pursuit of the grand prize, a private suite to the July 13th Rockies game against the Minnesota Twins, and a year’s worth of bragging rights. The field of 88 competitors also enjoyed a putting challenge and a raffle of over $9,000 that included everything from $50 gift cards to several iPad Airs. More than $50,000 was raised by the tournament from long time partners such as First Bank, Adolfson & Peterson, and the Hoover Family, as well as a number of other benefactors such as the Community Reach Center, Colorado State University and the City of Brighton. It was all smiles from the golf carts tracing their way across fairways and greens as players and teams posed animatedly for the Front Page staff, enjoyed abundant on course refreshments, and kicked back at the 19th hole at the end of the day to enjoy lunch and a break from the sun. The tournament itself though is just the tip of the iceberg. It’s easy to quote the numbers. A fundraising events such as this almost always have a financial goal and the A Lot to Give Tournament is no different. Traditionally the money raised is
applied directly to available scholarships at the discretion of the organization running the event; in this case the Front Range Community College Foundation. The FRCC Foundation is still handing out scholarships. In the past few years however the Foundation has begun to overhaul its practices in an effort to first increase its available scholarship money and also further ensure student achievement. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing according to Chuck Crowe, Executive Director of the Foundation and just beginning his fourth year at the helm, “When [I] got there three years ago [the Foundation] had basically been doing scholarships for about 17 years. [It was treated] more as a charitable gift, ‘Here’s your scholarship, good luck.’ When I first got there we had a retention rate around 60%.” Not too surprising that a short time ago the Foundation’s coffers weren’t overflowing when nearly half the scholarship recipients were turning their backs on the college. Front Range doesn’t enjoy the same collegiate celebrity status as some of its larger and more well known cousins, the University of Colorado, Boulder and Colorado State University, Fort Collins, with their combined endowments exceeding $1 billion and endorsements from the likes of Nike. But there is no David versus Goliath story here. The schools have vastly different missions and serve entirely different populations. Focus and persistence in pursuit of that mission is what has allowed the FRCC Foundation to thrive
once again. Set to complete her ninth and final year as Chair of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, Teri DePuy had this to say regarding the history of the Foundation, and its future, “Our mission began as scholarships. One of the first years I was on the board our scholarship fundraising was around $100,000. This academic year we awarded $500,000 in scholarships. The next academic year we’re on path for $600,000 in scholarships.” When asked what she was most proud of during her tenure, DePuy added, “The growth. To be at $600k in that timeframe, and we had a lot of turnover. We went through a lot of organizational change over that time. It’s not a secret that we’ve had four different executive directors over that time. To keep that momentum moving forward and growing is due to a lot of focus and commitment and not taking our eye off the ball of what the mission is for the students. Where the foundation is now, as a real professional fund raising organization, is awesome.” And the Foundation is just getting started. Crowe expanded on where the Foundation is headed, “Three years ago we started our own student success program.” And that lackluster retention rate for those receiving a scholarship? “This year we’re in now, we’re in single digits. We have a lot of opportunities for growth beyond just attending class. We do workshops on resume writing, workshops on how to get more scholarships and, workshops
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