The CCCP scholarship recipients enjoyed a reception in their honor and each of them spoke to the gathered crowd about the impact the scholarship will have on their lives. Pictured left to right: Danielle Compton, Cody Kent, Torin McCue, Tyler Wagstaff, and Jonathan Friesen. Not pictured is Collin Miller.

Article and photo by Amy Shanahan

The generosity of the members of The Country Club at Castle Pines (CCCP) was very apparent on the evening of August 13, when six employees of the club received scholarships from contributions made by club members.

The giving of annual scholarships to club employees began in 2007 when the Nine-Hole Ladies Gold Association came up with the idea and acted on it. Soon after, the 18-Hole Ladies Association joined in and this year, for the first time, it was made a club-wide effort. A five-person member committee was formed and they worked closely with club Manager and Chief Operating Officer John Reyhons. In the past, the scholarship committee has raised between $4,000 – $5,000, but this year the generosity of the members yielded $30,000, which they awarded to deserving employees.

The scholarship applications were available to all club employees and the committee received a total of 19 applications. Committee members evaluated the applications with input from Reyhons and chose six employees to receive scholarships. These outstanding employees were awarded scholarships based on years of service at the club, their performance reviews as employees, their schooling, current GPA, community service, and financial need. The scholarship money will all be used to benefit these employees to further their education.

Country Club member Gail Greenwood served on the scholarship committee and was thrilled with the amount of money they were able to raise. “It was surprisingly easy – our staff is very important to the members, and so many of them treat us so well that we wanted to do something to give back to them. They are such good kids,” Greenwood remarked. A letter was sent out to all members asking for contributions to the scholarship fund, and many members contributed – with several large donors giving $500 and $1,000 donations.

Greenwood and other committee members experienced the joy of notifying the winners in person. Greenwood remarked enthusiastically, “It was my best day at the club – I’ve been here for fifteen years, but telling two of the kids they received scholarships made me just ecstatic!” Tyler Wagstaff, a sophomore at The University of Kansas studying business was overwhelmed when he found out he’d won. “I was speechless! I really didn’t expect it and it’s an amazing feeling. It was probably the greatest day at work ever!”

To learn more about the CCCP, visit www.ccatcastlepines.com, and for membership information email Brian Nishi bnishi@ccofcastlepines.com.