By Dawn Banks, Communications & Events Director
2015 marked the 8th Annual Tin Cup Challenge and my second Tin Cup as the Community Foundation of Teton Valley’s Communications and Events Director. After a little over a year with the Foundation and with 2 Tin Cup Challenges now under my belt, I have a confession to make…the Tin Cup Challenge is the BEST part of my job, hands down. Don’t get me wrong, I love all the work that we do at the Community Foundation; from the grants program to the nonprofit workshops and luncheons to the Youth Philanthropy Program, but planning the Tin Cup Challenge celebration takes first place.
Now, this is partially because I love event planning and anytime I have the opportunity to do just that for others I am on cloud nine, but the real reason this event gets a special place on my favorites list is because of the people. The donors who give so generously in support of the Teton Valley nonprofit community truly do inspire others to give – and give more generously. The nonprofit community’s tireless work to improve lives in Teton Valley is so very worthy of our celebration and praise. And for me, the hundreds of volunteers that show up, roll up their sleeves and pitch in to make each year a bigger success than the year before in countless different ways are certainly a key piece to the success of the annual celebration.
The Tin Cup Challenge isn’t just a 9 week giving period or a one day celebration, it’s an epic team-building endeavor that takes time, strategy, skill, and talent from an entire network of volunteers. Working together, these individuals make it all happen and, to those in attendance on event day, appear to happen effortlessly. Volunteers play a key role in every facet of the Tin Cup Challenge and we simply couldn’t do it without them.
Volunteers help us spread the word about the event and collect donations for participating nonprofits. Volunteers help get people registered to participate in the Fun Run and competitive races. Volunteers set-up the event in the wee hours of the morning and they teardown the event after everyone else has gone home. Volunteers make the breakfast that participants enjoy and volunteers make sure that our race course is safe. Hundreds of volunteers, working together for the good of our community, is what makes the Tin Cup Challenge so special and so successful. Without these men and women who step up and help, the event wouldn’t be what it is today. Their dedication has been inspiring and motivating for me, personally and professionally.
With the 8th Annual Tin Cup Challenge celebration complete and the giving period now closed, I just want to give a huge thanks to our community of volunteers. I hope that every Teton Valley citizen will join me. These are our friends, neighbors and family members who care so deeply for our community that they donate their precious time and talents to an event that provides our nonprofit community with much-needed funds to carry out their missions. To me, these individuals are the epitome of Generosity in Action and serve as role models of the many different ways in which we can all give. THANK YOU TO THE 8th ANNUAL TIN CUP CHALLENGE VOLUNTEERS!
