CNGA Looseleaf Dec 2018 Jan 2019

22 colorad o nga.org LooseLeaf December 2018/January 2019 FUNDING RESEARCH & EDUCATION This September’s Colorado Horticulture Research & Education Foundation Golf Tournament was a day filled with sunshine, camaraderie, and a mix of some great shots and deep divots. At this year’s new tournament venue, the Pinery Country Club south of Denver, 134 players enjoyed fun yet challenging play. The pace of play at this annual event was, as always, a little slower, providing a real opportunity to spend some quality time with peers, customers, and old friends. While it is a great reason to get out of the office or off the farm, this tournament is really a FUNdraiser for CNGA’s chosen charity, CHREF. The foundation’s purpose is to give back to Colorado horticulture through scholarships and research dollars for projects that directly impact our knowledge of plants and their relationships to our landscapes and businesses. Each year the CHREF board receives funding proposals for research and hears directly from the researchers seeking the funds. The board also does in-person interviews with students seeking scholarships. These interviews are an important part of the process, as the board gets to meet the students that will be coming into the workforce and will be the future leaders of horticulture in Colorado, the region, and the nation. Without the funds raised at our yearly event, many of these projects and students would have a difficult time finding funding. In our community, we have some really good golfers, as well as some people who really enjoy being outdoors and driving those little carts around. Whatever the reason for you coming out for the day, we appreciate you. Every year, we either run a full flight or are very close to it, and that makes for a lot more fun on the course, knowing that 144 of your colleagues are sharing your experience. CHREF looks to sponsors to help keep the cost of the play and the banquet afterwards affordable. From the hole sponsors all the way to the major sponsors of the tournament, these companies are giving back to horticulture, and we are grateful for each and every level of sponsorship. Here is a huge thank you to our major sponsors: Gard’N- Wise, Tagawa Greenhouse Enterprises, DWF, and Feis & Co. It’s not just sponsors and players that make the difference. Many volunteers help make this event a success. If you love the golf tournament and want to help continue to make it better, please contact the staff at the CNGA office and they will make sure you have meaningful ways to contribute. As a result of all of the contributions of the 2018 golf tournament volunteers, sponsors, and players, CNGA raised $11,929 with $2,400 of the total coming from the Mulligans and the betting holes. That is a wonderful contribution to Colorado horticulture. Let’s do it again next year! Success at the 2018 CHREF Annual Golf Fundraiser ByMike Bone, CGG CHREFGolf Chair advertisers LIST ACW Supply................................................................... 7 Arborjet......................................................................... 23 Baxter Wholesale Nursery, Inc................................... 7 Circle D Farm Sales, Inc.. ............................................19 Clayton Tree Farm, LLC. ...............................................3 Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery.................................18 Harding Nursery, Inc....................................................18 McKay Nursery Company. .......................................... 7 Plant Select. ................................................................... 4 “The foundation’s purpose is to give back to Colorado horticulture through scholarships and research dollars for projects that directly impact our knowledge of plants and their relationships to our landscapes and businesses. Each year the CHREF board receives funding proposals for research and hears directly from the researchers seeking the funds.”