On Thursday, Nov. 5 the Sky Ute Casino Resort held its 4th Annual Cancer Awareness Event bringing awareness and information to the tribal employees from the casino, Growth Fund and Permanent Fund.
“We’ve been doing this for four years in an effort to bring awareness to our tribal employees about the resources that are available in the county for the community … there are a lot of local services available,” Annie McGraw, Sky Ute Casino Resort employee relations specialist, said.
The Casino saw a better turnout this year with around 200 people attending the event, McGraw said.
The ever-popular money booth is always a highlight of the event. This year, three casino employees and one American Cancer Society employee got in the money booth.
“The total amount of money grabbed this year was $3,380,” McGraw said. “The casino matched that for a total of $6,760 being donated.”
All the money donated is to be spent locally, she said.
To top off the event, Charley Flagg, general manager of the casino accepted the silver crystal award on behalf of the casino. The Relay For Life of La Plata County presented the award to the casino for being the presenting sponsor at the annual Relay For Life event held at Ft. Lewis College.
“It’s really important, as you know the number of cancer issues that have affected us directly, not just here at the casino but the tribe as a whole. So we like to support those and help educate our employees and community members.”
For last year’s Relay for Life event, the casino donated around $8000, McGraw said.