NYS Monarch Improvement Project fundraising events

Niwot Youth Sports (NYS) is hosting a series of events to raise money for the Monarch Improvement Project. NYS, which was originally formed in 1972 as Gunbarrel Lefthand Valley Boys Baseball, Inc, is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing exceptional recreational and competitive sports experiences for kids ages 4 to 18 in the Niwot-Gunbarrel area. These programs, which include baseball, softball, basketball, flag football & soccer, provide children with the opportunity to participate in organized sports activities on a year-round basis.

The Monarch Improvement Project aims to raise $500,000 to build a permanent structure to house the concession stand, a storage facility, and real bathrooms (instead of portapotties) at Hangge Fields at Monarch Park. Fundraising coordinator Riki Frea reports that so far, they have raised $268,000 toward the goal, and are planning on raising more money in the upcoming months.

Frea and Deb Fowler organized a fundraiser July 18 at the Niwot Wheel House, which included a silent auction, a "heads & tails" contest, and a trivia contest conducted by owner Eric Bergeson. Niwot Market donated an enchilada dinner served at the Wheel House, and patrons formed teams of six to compete for the trivia title. The "Riki Don't Lose That Number" team pulled out the victory by correctly answering the question, "Which Niwot High School team has won the most state championships?" (Girls Gymnastics, with six titles). The winning team was composed of Bill & Riki Frea, Bill & Jill Whitener, and Biff & Susan Warren.

Jason Christopoulos, who moved to Niwot approximately a year ago from Chicago, and has two children in the NYS program, sponsored a table for the evening, and offered to match the first $5,000 raised at the event, citing the positive impact that youth sports make in the area.

"Our next charity event will be on August 1st at Chipotle in Longmont," said Patrick Longseth, President of NYS as well as an alumnus. "From 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Chipotle will donate a percentage of those sales to NYS." Chipotle is located on 1100 Ken Pratt Blvd. Ste. B. Be sure to have an appetite for Mexican food that night.

The next event will take place on August 4, at a Rock & Rails concert in Niwot. The band playing will be "Last Men on Earth," a regional rock band with two members, Mike Holubec and Mark Trippensee, with Niwot connections. NYS volunteers will be at the concert to help with the event, and will receive the tip jar proceeds that night.

In addition, the ShortStop Shell gas stations located at 6510 Lookout Rd. in Gunbarrel and 1595 55th St. in Boulder will donate the money raised from one of their gas pumps to NYS from August 1 to October 31, thanks to the generosity of the Dageenakis family, whose roots in the program go back to one of the incorporators in 1972, John "Tony" Dageenakis.

If you are interested in donating directly to NYS, go to this link:

https://donorbox.org/monarch-improvement-project. You can also text-to-give by texting the word Monarch to 801801. Donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

NYS also has several suggested donation levels for your consideration. Please note that all donors who contribute $100 or more will be recognized on a permanent display on the building in their respective donation tier. The donor levels are: Single - $100, Double - $250, Triple - $500, Homerun - $1,000, Grand Slam - $5,000, and All Star - $10,000 and above.