MEEKER | Community members of all ages gathered at Bob King Track at Starbuck Stadium on Saturday morning for the first Wendll’s White River Roasters FUNdraising Games, an event focused on fun, friendly competition and community involvement while also raising money for the Meeker High School Activities Fund.
The event, was held from 10 a.m. to noon, featured 10 divisions ranging from elementary-age students to adults, giving boys and girls of all ages an opportunity to participate. Warm-ups were led by Lindsey Short of Phoenix Rehab Co. before the games officially began.
Organizer Bobby Gutierrez said the idea for the games grew from the fundraising side of the coffee roasting business and a desire to create something that schools and communities could easily replicate.
“We’ve always had a fundraising component in our coffee roasting business,” Gutierrez said. “This was maybe a way of trying to get a little more exposure and trying to create something that was easily duplicated.”
He said the games were designed to encourage participation from all age groups while creating a fun atmosphere for the community.
“This kind of was inclusive and had all ages and boys and girls,” Gutierrez said. “We had 10 classifications, so try to get everybody to want to participate.”
Throughout the morning, participants competed in running and jumping activities while families and community members cheered them on from the stands and sidelines.
“That was the fun part,” Gutierrez said. “It was a lot of fun, a lot of smiles. The kids seemed to have a good time running and jumping and some friendly competition.”
In addition to bringing the community together, the event also raised money for local student activities.
“We raised more than $1,300 for the Meeker High School Activities Fund,” Gutierrez said.
The event also highlighted strong community support from local organizations, businesses and volunteers. The Meeker Recreation District, Meeker Chamber and several local businesses assisted with prizes and event costs. Chamber Bucks were awarded to top finishers, while champion T-shirts created by Deloy Cook of Home.Made. were presented to winners.
Gutierrez said organizing the inaugural event came with challenges, especially generating excitement for something new, but he credited the community for helping make the event successful.
“It was a lot of work, but a lot of people involved,” Gutierrez said. “We had the schools involved, the rec district was involved, the Meeker Chamber, many businesses helped cover costs of the prizes.”
High school students also volunteered during the event by helping run activities and track results.
Gutierrez said the event reflected the active and supportive spirit of the Meeker community during a busy spring season.
“The spirit of Meeker is great,” Gutierrez said. “There’s baseball coming up later, people are out golfing, there’s a lot of things going on. It’s fun to squeeze another event in and have some fun for a couple hours.”
Although this year marked the first FUNdraising Games, Gutierrez said organizers are already thinking about ways to improve and expand the event in the future.
“Always thinking and wanting to be doing something that creates a little fun and excitement,” Gutierrez said.
Following the event, Gutierrez thanked the many individuals, organizations and businesses that helped make the inaugural games possible, including Meeker High School activities director Klark Kindler, Madi Ducey of Social Media Madi for graphic and spreadsheet work, Lindsey Short of Phoenix Rehab Co. for leading the warm-up session, Deloy Cook of Home.Made. for creating the championship T-shirts, Shelly Rogers and the ERBM Recreation and Parks District crew, Sara Stevenson of the Meeker Chamber of Commerce for providing Meeker Chamber Bucks and the many local business supporters who contributed to the event.
He also expressed appreciation for the high school athletes who volunteered throughout the morning.
“We are very grateful for the support,” Gutierrez said. “The businesses, participants, volunteers and the organizations that helped pull it off.”
With strong community turnout, smiles across all age groups and more than $1,300 raised for the Meeker High School Activities Fund, organizers considered the inaugural FUNdraising Games a successful first step toward what could become a new Meeker tradition.
Boys champions pose together following the Wendll’s White River Roasters FUNdraising Games. From left, Elai Powers, Gael Rodriguez, Tatum Anderson, Oakley Deming, Emerson Deming, Alan Jessop and Cody Ginther. JARED HENDERSON PHOTO
Girls champions pose together following the Wendll’s White River Roasters FUNdraising Games. From left, Ivy Coryell, Reagan Clatterbaugh, Graycie Coryell, Sydney Taylor, Melody Miller, and Aspen Jessop. JARED HENDERSON PHOTO
