The 37th Annual Heldman King Memorial Scholarship Golf Tournament raises over $100,000 for college scholarships in the Roaring Fork Valley.
ABOR members and realtors are known for taking golf seriously. Therefore, on September 8, 2021, over 150 realtors, MLS member participants, and Aspen Board of Realtor members came together at the Snowmass Club. It was time to put some serious play back in their game—because this time it was for the kids.
For almost four decades, the Aspen Board of Realtors has kicked off the summer events calendar with the 37th Annual Heldman/King REALTOR® Classic Golf Tournament. Again, this year to raise money for scholarships awarded to deserving seniors across the Roaring Fork Valley.
Every tee box is sponsored by a local business featuring a different theme, complete with costumes, games, and signature cocktails. From hacky sack competitions and dunk-a-realtor games, to bike-fueled blenders churning frozen margaritas. The competition always seems more about which tee box has the most fun versus who scores under par.
Men of Outstanding Character and Conviction
Founded in 1985, the ABOR Bill Heldman/Stark King Scholarship Foundation has given out over $1 million in scholarships to a wide variety of the Roaring Fork Valley’s senior high schoolers. Full of talented, energetic, hard-working, and deserving students, they hope that they may possibly pursue a career, a vision, or a dream that may not have been possible without this financial gift.
During an intensive application and interview process, the ABOR committee looks for students who are very special and unique. They look at both past achievements and future goals. Additionally, they look for students who display the spirit of the two men in whose memories this scholarship was founded. Bill Heldman and Stark King both were men of outstanding character and conviction. The Scholarship Committee strives each year to choose recipients who embody these same qualities.
“When reviewing applicants, we like to focus on the middle tier. This tier consists of students who might otherwise be overlooked. Not the valedictorians and Ivy League school-bound graduates. We focus our attention on students who are hard-working and entrepreneurial,” says Maria Cook, CEO of ABOR.
“The most amazing part of the process is to interview kids and to hear their stories. It’s very touching and heart wrenching at the same time. That’s what’s kept it going all these years. It really is a grassroots effort funded by the realtors for the kids in our community. We could not do it without our volunteers, REALTOR members, and the scholarship fundraising committee.”
Under Par, But Double the Fundraising Goal
The annual fundraising ABOR event began on September 8, 2021 with a Kick-Off Party hosted at Home Team BBQ in Buttermilk. With a live and silent auction, it got the attending brokers into a giving and festive mood.
The real fun was had at the 37th Annual Heldman/King REALTOR® Classic at the Snowmass Club. Every tee box was sponsored by companies from the Roaring Fork Valley real estate community. With that being said, the bottom-line competition was about who would come up with the best theme.
“We have different themes each year and wanted to top our Spanish tapas and sangria tee box from last year. This year we went with a western theme,” says Summer Berg, President and Managing Broker of Engel & Volkers. “With our sponsorship of the 14th hole, we undoubtedly had the best views of Snowmass, Snowmass Ski Area, and Mt. Daly.”
In fact, the featured cocktail was a “Mount Daly.” This libation is a local take on the John Daly, a vodka-infused version of an Arnold Palmer. There was EV-branded cornhole and horseshoes to keep momentum going as others waited their turns. To top that, E&V had a western-themed photo backdrop with a Polaroid camera so participants could take photos as a keepsake.
It Takes a Village
Engel & Völkers was the first real estate company to achieve 100 percent participation in cash donations from their brokers and staff. “We’ve never had a real estate company do that before,” Cook says. “It’s definitely to be admired and we may have to encourage some friendly competition for other offices to do that.”
Melissa Temple, a Private Office Advisor at Engel & Völkers Aspen did not take her role as ABOR Chair of this year’s event lightly. To elaborate, Temple personally reached out to over 200 brokers across the Valley to ask for their support and participation in the event.
“I want our brokerage to shine. We can do that by giving back to the community, and to the future of our community – this next generation of high school graduates,” she says.
Temple exceeded the $75,000 fundraising goal by raising a record-breaking $101,000 this year (after expenses). This success more than doubled the $50,000 raised in 2020 and 2019.
“When they asked me to be the chairperson, I ran with it. I am so proud to say that we were able to net over $100,000. All of which goes directly to funding the 18 scholarships that were awarded this year to seniors. Seniors from Aspen High School, Basalt High School, Roaring Fork High School, Bridges High School, and Colorado Rocky Mountain School. Everyone really stepped up.”
Berg says it was truly a group effort and is proud of the community outreach for the ABOR Golf tournament this year. “Look at what we were able to achieve this year. Together, we more than doubled our fundraising goal,” she says. “It just goes to show what we are able to accomplish when we work together as a team.”
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