Nine in the Pines 2020
By Nancy Koontz; photo courtesy of Louise Melbye
Committee members and players of the Ladies Nine in the Pines 9-Hole Golf League celebrate another successful fundraising tournament. Pictured above (left to right): Nicki Thibault, Karen Lombardo, Louise Melbye (tournament chair), Marcy Blair (keynote speaker), Jennifer Husek Patterson, Cindy Sykes Claussen and Louise Bowen.
The Ladies Nine in the Pines 9-Hole Golf League held another successful golf tournament benefiting the “Mammogram Connection” program at Castle Rock Adventist Hospital. The tournament was held at The Country Club at Castle Pines and raised a historic $45,000, all of which is used to benefit local women in the Castle Rock community. The event was made possible due to the many generous donors who stepped up to the tee. The funds raised will provide 3-D mammograms for low-income women.
This year’s Nine in the Pines was extra special. The Country Club at Castle Pines men’s locker room manager, Paul Dugan, helped raise an additional $4,000 by doing a “hard” lemonade stand. Dugan lost his wife, Adele, to cancer in February 2020, leaving him a single father of three. In honor of his wife, Dugan and one of his daughters built the stand for the tournament. He also shaved his head in the men’s locker room and accepted pledges to raise even more money for the “Mammogram Connection.” Paul said, “If even one woman’s life is saved through the program, then it’s worth it.”
The theme for this year’s fundraising event was “Hat ‘tee’ tude” – with women sporting creative hats. Even though there were certain restrictions as the league navigated through this year’s golf season, the fundraising event invited participants to stay for a fun lunch after the tournament, which included a wine pull and creative raffle baskets.
