MoreThe tournament was held in memory of Kim Matthews, who died of liver cancer in May. Kim left behind her husband, Larry, and four children.
"Kim was like family to the employees of SteamMaster over the last 10 years," said owner Gary Gilman. "She always gave unselfishly of herself. We created this tournament in her honor to remember her by and to raise funds for her wonderful family and the Shaw Cancer Center."
The event helped out three separate groups - 50 percent of the proceeds went to the Vail Valley Charitable Fund, and the rest was split between the Shaw Regional Cancer Center and the educational fund for Kim and Larry Matthews' children.
"The Shaw Cancer Center is allocating 10 percent of their portion to purchasing gas cards for their patients who have a great distance to drive for their treatment," said Lisa Pease, director of development at the Vail Valley Medical Center Foundation.
The event, which grossed more than $44,000, was the idea of SteamMaster's Raj Manickam and Gilman.
"SteamMaster has had the lives of several of our employees touched by cancer over the last few years," Gilman said. "The residents of our valley are extremely fortunate to have the range of services and the quality of care offered by the Shaw Regional Cancer Center right here in our community."
The tournament sold out with 34 teams, and the beautiful Indian summer weather helped to make the day a winner.
"There were people coming in after the shotgun start," said Manickam, chief executive of SteamMaster. "They wanted to get on the course. Everyone had a great attitude, and people are calling already to sponsor next year's tournament.
"September is SteamMaster's month of giving," he added. "Last month, during the week of Sept. 11, we cleaned firemen's apartments in five fire stations in the valley. We are also cleaning three homes of completed Habitat for Humanity projects. The golf tournament is another one of our September 'giving month' projects."
