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Steamboat Springs — The fledgling 4 Yellow Foundation once again impressed in its ability to raise significant amounts of money for cancer-related services and initiatives during a weekend event in Steamboat Springs. The legacy of its two local events — Ride 4 Yellow and Ski 4 Yellow — will be in the long-term impact the fundraising has on the lives of Yampa Valley residents affected by cancer.

That legacy got off to a good start this month when a granting committee announced the allocation of $133,000 from August’s Ride 4 Yellow proceeds. In addition to $71,000 for Yampa Valley Medical Center cancer services, $20,000 for Northwest Colorado Visiting Nurse Association’s hospice and palliative care programs and $9,000 to The Andy Caress Melanoma Foundation (formerly Mela-KNOW-More), the Ride 4 Yellow Granting Committee set aside $31,000 to start a 4 Yellow Endowment Fund through the Yampa Valley Community Foundation.

The endowment, which we hope will be further funded by a contribution from last weekend’s Ski 4 Yellow proceeds, is a wonderful way to ensure that the 4 Yellow Foundation can continue to provide local grants for years to come.

We emphasize the importance of local grants because of the unique structure of Ride 4 Yellow and Ski 4 Yellow. As partnered events with The Lance Armstrong Foundation, they donate half of all proceeds to Livestrong for its efforts to help cancer victims across the globe. That means that $133,000 of the inaugural Ride 4 Yellow’s proceeds went to Livestrong, and half of the total fundraising efforts from Ski 4 Yellow also will be passed along.

Livestrong spends more than 80 percent of its money on programming, with the remaining amount being split between administration (7 percent) and fundraising (12 percent). Its programs are numerous and impressive in their breadth and global impact.

We have some very real cancer-related needs here in Routt County, too.

The $71,000 going to YVMC includes $12,000 for educating hospital physical therapists on rehabilitation for cancer patients; $38,000 for cancer registry software that will plug YVMC into a national network that will allow the hospital to participate in clinical trials; $12,000 for software to help cancer patients schedule appointments, plan tests and connect to resources across the country; and $5,000 for devices to measure cancer patients’ physical activity and sleep.

We can’t emphasize enough how important hospice and palliative care services are for families going through end-of-life ordeals with their loved ones. The VNA does a fantastic job locally, and we know the $20,000 it was granted from Ride 4 Yellow will help future families through those difficult times.

It’s been a successful and fast start for the 4 Yellow Foundation, co-founded by Steamboat’s Dave and Aimee Nagel. With an all-volunteer organization led by dedicated community members like Kerry Shea, Darren Robinson and dozens of others, its heart and efforts are in the right place. We hope the momentum from the first-year runs of Ride 4 Yellow and Ski 4 Yellow represent just the beginning of a sustainable organization that helps cancer-stricken families here in Routt County for generations to come.