Chamber Events
June Wounded Warrior Project
June 2010 Wounded Warrior Project
To: Pagosa Businesses and Citizens
The Pagosa Springs Chamber of Commerce would like to once again bring the Wounded Warrior Project to Pagosa Springs. These are individuals that have been injured in war post 9/11. In 2009 we successfully brought 15 Wounded Warrior Alumni and their primary caretaker for a seven day vacation.
Pagosa Springs will host Wounded Warrior Alumni and their families from May 31-
Our committee members will once again be combing the streets in search of donations for this project. We are raising both non-monetary and monetary items to help assist in their stay. Some ideas of sponsorship would be: gift cards to restaurants, lodging accommodations, donating services that they can enjoy: tours, massage, adventures, items to be placed in their goody baskets: candy and non-perishable items.
Any monetary items will be combined to offset any expenses incurred on their behalf while in Pagosa. If there is a remaining amount, a portion will go towards future Wounded Warrior projects including creating gift bags that will go to soldiers in
All sponsorship will be listed in alphabetical order in a full page ad in the Pagosa Sun as well as the soldiers’ gift bags. This will be the only “official” advertisement that will happen with the sponsorship regardless of amount donated. Individuals and Businesses are able to donate. Press releases will be sent out to gain national attention months prior to the event.
We are interested in your level of participation; please fill out the next page for sponsorship. We need your information as soon as possible in order to contact Wounded Warrior and organize this information.
Thank you,
Autumn Daily
Events Coordinator
June 2009 Wounded Warrior Project
May 30-June 5, 2010: The Pagosa Springs Chamber of Commerce will bring 5 Wounded Warrior Alumni Families for a week's vacation. If you would like to participate, please contact Autumn at the Chamber (970)264-2360.
Angel Flight West flew 22 missions to bring our Wounded Warrior Project Alumni (WWP Alumni) in from all over the nation. We also received assistance from Wounded Warrior Project and Angel Flight Northeast in flying two couples from Michigan and New Hampshire.
The Pagosa Springs Lodging Association embraced this project to provide a full week's stay to everyone participating. The following businesses provided lodging to the WWP Alumni: A Hummingbird Haven, Be Our Guest Bed and Breakfast, Spa @ Pagosa Springs, First Inn of Pagosa, Sunetha Property Management, High Country Lodge, and The Springs Resort. Several individuals gave their timeshares to this worthy cause: Ron Levonius and Gene and Judy Jameson. We also had the following establishment's house pilots who flew in from Angel Flight: Cabins at Hartland Ranch, San Juan Motel, Be Our Guest Bed and Breakfast, and Fireside Inn.
The WWP Alumni participated in the following activity options: Fly-fishing with High Country Fishing Charters, Animas Valley Anglers, and El Rancho Pinoso; Whitewater rafting provided by Pagosa Outside, Mountain Waters Rafting, and Canyon Rio; and horseback riding was provided by San Juan Outfitting; hiking Alberta Peak with the San Juan Outdoor Club. They explored Chimney Rock Archaeological Site as well as went boating on Lake Navajo with Bob and Janis Moomaw and Bob Hart. The Alumni explored our native wildlife with the Rocky Mountain Wildlife Park. The Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad provided breathtaking views of the region.
We would like to thank those who made the welcoming services possible on June 1: The Springs Resort; American Legion Post #108; Colorado Mounted Rangers; Patriot Guard (who traveled many miles to escort our Wounded Warrior Alumni); Keynote Speaker Brigadier General Anthony Rock (USAF); Bill McKown; Don Strait; Russ Murphy (who traveled from Nashville, TN to provide inspirational songs); our local pilots Mike Short, Dave Peart, Dick Easterwood who provided a fantastic flyover; Cheryln Gwin; Bob Moomaw; and Chief Jim Saunders.
Many restaurants provided free meals for the Alumni during their stay: The Rose Restaurant, Astraddle a Saddle, Ole Miner's Steakhouse, Victoria's Parlor, Bar D Chuckwagon, The Junction Restaurant, Bear Creek Saloon, Pagosa Pubworks Brewpub, JJ's Riverwalk, Dorthy's Restaurant, Subway Downtown, Subway Uptown, Chatos Restaurant, Café Colorado, Riverpoint Café, Kip's, Pagosa Brewing & Farragos, Purple Sage, and Squirrel's Pub and Pantry.
Other activities for the WWP Alumni included: a trip to Lake Capote that included a visit with several Sky Ute Indian Tribal Council Members, breakfast provided by Eagle Eye Inspection; a breakfast hosted and provided by San Juan Appraisal Group; cowboy poetry and songs around a campfire with Bob Huff and Phil Janowsky for an evening of Italian food provided by the Toner Ranch and the Daughters of the American Revolution; a BBQ dinner provided by Rick and Barbara Taylor with AAA Propane; dinner at the residence of Bob and Janis Moomaw; a potluck dinner provided by the San Juan Outdoor Club; lunch before horseback riding for our cowboy Alumni's provided by 4-H; sack lunches provided by the Pagosa Area Association of Realtors; and our fare well dinner provided by the Knights of Columbus, American Legion Post #108, and the Pagosa Springs Community Choir.
The Alumni enjoyed soaks in The Springs Resort, The Spa @ Pagosa Springs, and the Overlook. They were able to partake in various forms of massage therapy and body work provided by Deni Blaisch, Anna ORiley, San Juan Sports Massage, Erik Siler, David Doland, and the Rehabilitative Massage Clinic from Denver, Colorado.
Numerous donations were provided by: Archuleta County Extension Office; Southern Ute Veterans; Archuleta County Republican Womens' Club; Shear Talk; St. Patrick's Episcopal Church; Pagosa Woman's Health; American Patient Homecare; Colorado Department of Wildlife; Piedra Automotive; Choke Cherry Tree; Civic Club; S.W. Crafters for Soldiers; Dr. Leo with the Springs; Plaid Pony; Launn Baker; Let it Fly; Boot Hill; Phone Cards for Freedom; PC Servant; Ruby Sisson Library; Pagosa Power Sports; Hairsomething; Pagosa Springs Humane Society; Lantern Dancer; Main Street Antique; Hand Crafted Interior; Goodman's Department Store; Home Again; Black Swan Antiques; Sagebrook Photography; Made in Colorado Shoppe; Lois Higgins; Pagosa Candy Company; Pagosa Baking Company; Pagosa Photography; Slices of Nature; Movie Gallery; San Juan Historical Society; Stephens Field Auxiliary; Cricket; Dan Payne; Roy Moats; Bill Barwick; Barbara Richhart; Dixie Williamson; Reba Lukas Family; Ed Jeter Family; Chris Read; Bruce Quintana; Susan Doyle; Peter Dach; Pagosa Golf Club; Archuleta County Sheriff's Department; Pagosa Springs Police Department; Avjet Corporation; Archuleta County Airport; Humana; Howlin Wolf Music; Bogey's Mini Golf; Firefly Ranch; August Vanderbilt; Pagosa Lakes Recreation Area; Senator Ellen Roberts; Snow Wolf Lodge; Kathy La'Mour; Joseph Rivera; Wind Wranglers Balloon; Yvonne Rivera; Toner Ranch; Bill Mitchell; Rio Grande Blue Star Mothers; Four Corners Blue Star Mothers; all Blue Star Mothers and Gold Star Mothers; Blue Linder; PLPOA; Mild to Wild; Morgan Murri; Pagosa Artisans Co-op, and Coin Crafters.
The following individuals gave cash donation for the project: Bruce Muirhead; Harris and Karen Bynum; San Juan Back Country Horseman; H.Wayne Wilson CPA-PFS, CFP, PC; Sarah Platt Decker Chapter NSDAR; Victoria and Gilbert Perales; Blue Star Moms of Durango; Windsor and Ron Chacey; Four Corners Blue Star Mothers; Citizens State Bank; Navajo Trail Center; Ears 2 U Hearing Aid Center; Deborah R Schulte and Gregory J. Schulte; Jeff and Tanya Rivas; Leila and James Constant; James Carson; AAA Propane; Deb from Sonico; Joe E. Martinez; Angela Hawkins; Keith Swearingen; Linda and Fred Bunney; Lawrence S. Tucker; Ronnie & Ellen Baker; Roderick Lee Grove; John Hanna and Rowan Emrys; Rusty and Teresa Hector, Paul Dillon and Katherine Ridenhour; Jacquelyn Schick; Ronald Halvorson; Southern Ute Indian Tribe Growth Fund; Trinity Land Consultants/Guiseppe & Maureen Margiotta; Michael and Jeri Sindelar; Lawrence B. Tweedy; American Legion Post 75 in Cortez, CO; Kristine and Jeffery Gibbs; McCabes Repair and Welding; James B Eckhardt; John and Jean Taylor and Genelle Macht; Women in Pagosa Springs; Lonnie and Destinee Camacho, and Ron and Cindy Gustafson.
The Chamber created a committee for the Wounded Warrior Project that pounded the pavement and helped in so many ways. One of the committee members and Blue Star Mothers said, "I am thankful for this project because it allows me to focus on something worthwhile while my son is fighting overseas. I know that these individuals coming to Pagosa are not my son, but they are someone else's sons and daughters." This committee consists of Blue Star Mother Kathy Decory in honor of her son John Cartrette who is serving in Afghanistan; Blue Star Mother Vickie Perales and her husband Gilbert Perales and Pauline and Harold Young in honor of their son and grandson Logan Gholson who is serving in Fort Bragg, NC. Thank you also to Lewis Smith, Merlin Smith, Charley Phelan, Bill Reeve, Colorado Mounted Search and Rescue, Rob Cole, Bill and Debbie McKown, Lois Hill, and Lynette Eving in honor of her husband who is serving in Afghanistan. May all our local military return to Pagosa safely. Without the support of these individuals this event would not have been possible.
