Here’s a fun fact to share at your next holiday cocktail party: Golf as an industry raises more money for charity than all other sports combined. The National Golf Foundation’s tracking shows the game generates more than $3.9 billion annually for philanthropic organizations that are unrelated to the sport. With that in mind, it’s easy to understand Harmony’s philosophy as it relates to charities.
During it’s inception, Harmony’s founder Byron Collins, was determined to preserve the golf course’s availability for it’s members while leveraging the exclusivity for charitable causes. 10 years on, this approach has been a vital fund-raising outlet for a small but loyal group of local organizations. Participants from organizations such as Young Life, Serve 6.8, CSU’s College of Business and Real Estate return year after year for their “day at Harmony.” With as few as five Mondays set aside on Harmony’s golf schedule to host a full closure for charity tournaments, these highly sought-after dates are snapped up by local organizations who have become part of Harmony’s landscape.
In addition to charity tournaments, Harmony gives dozens of foursome gift certificates for live and silent auctions each year in support of local efforts to fund national organizations devoted to the arts, children, health care, and crisis management. When you start to see the impact of one course in Northern Colorado, the overall impact of the golf industry starts to crystalize.
In much the same way that golf gives back, the community of Harmony – golfers and non-golfers alike, has established a history of giving, or “paying it forward” during the holiday season, christened the Gift Of Love From Harmony (GOLF, get it?). In it’s inaugural year, the “Wheelie Good Idea” event collected 300 bikes for the Realities for Children organization. The second year saw more than 700 coats collected for “Operation Warmth,” an effort to bring warm gear to more than 31 affiliated agencies in Larimer County. This year saw a collaborative effort benefiting the Garth Englund Blood Bank and the Larimer County Food Bank. More than a ton of food was donated coupled with cash donations in excess of $6,000 helping to make the holidays a little lighter this year. Garth Englund brought two blood mobiles to Harmony and 61 folks gave blood that will ultimately help up to 122 people who find themselves in need of life-saving transfusions. Here’s a link to the day of giving photo gallery created by Harmony resident Mindy Geraets:
http://www.mirrorimagepics.com/Galleries-for-Clients/2017-Harmony-Elves-Party/
Password: Club
Harmony’s members have consistently, and generously determined to make a difference – it’s a humbling mind set to embrace!