Thousands of bright orange balls thundered down the Wonder Bump run Saturday as the Rotary Club of Grand Junction celebrated a decade of its wildly popular Snowball Sweepstakes, turning a simple idea into one of western Colorado’s biggest nonprofit fundraisers.
More than 4,200 tickets sold out for the 2026 event, making it the largest in the ten-year history of the spectacle at Powderhorn Mountain Resort.
From Duck Race to Mountain Madness
The Snowball Sweepstakes began in 2016 when Rotary members wanted to create something bigger than the traditional rubber-duck races on the Colorado River.
“We looked at those little ducks floating downstream and thought, why not send balls screaming down a ski slope instead?” said Sheree Fukai, current Rotary Club of Grand Junction president and one of the event’s original organizers.
Ten years later, the concept has become a Grand Valley tradition. Organizations sell tickets for $10 each. Each ticket matches a numbered foam ball. At noon, volunteers release the avalanche of balls from the top of Wonder Bump. The first fifty balls to cross the finish line win cash prizes ranging from $5,000 for first place down to $50 for 50th.
The real winners, however, are the nonprofits. Participating groups keep 80% of every ticket they sell.
Record Year Pushes Total Impact Past $750,000
Organizers confirmed Monday that the 2026 event cleared $42,000 in total sales, meaning local organizations will share more than $33,000 directly.
This year’s participating groups included:
- Powderhorn Ski Club
- Colorado Mesa University Alpine Ski Team
- Center for Children
- Grand Junction High School Ski Team
- Mesa County Search and Rescue
- Grand Valley Peace Officers Association
- Western Colorado Community Foundation youth programs
- Riverside Educational Center
- And 24 additional nonprofits
Since the first race in 2016, the Snowball Sweepstakes has now raised more than $750,000 for Grand Valley causes, according to Rotary records.
“That number still blows me away,” Fukai told me on the mountain Saturday as volunteers counted the final tickets. “We started with 800 balls and a prayer. Now we’re selling out weeks in advance.”
The Community Shows Up in Force
Saturday’s perfect spring weather brought hundreds of spectators who lined the run with cowbells, signs, and kids on shoulders cheering for their favorite numbers.
“You can feel the energy the moment the balls drop,” said CMU ski team coach Dave Novinski, whose team raised nearly $6,000 this year. “Parents, students, alumni, everybody gets into it. It’s the best team-building event we do all season.”
Longtime volunteer Mike Bowman has worked every single Snowball since 2016.
“I’ve seen little kids who came to watch their parents’ balls race now selling tickets for their own school teams,” Bowman said. “That’s what keeps me coming back. This event grows up with our community.”
Why the Model Works So Well
Unlike traditional galas or golf tournaments, the Snowball Sweepstakes removes almost all overhead for participating nonprofits.
Organizations simply sell tickets online or in person and keep most of the money. Rotary handles insurance, permits, prizes, and coordination with Powderhorn.
“It’s the easiest fundraiser we’ve ever done,” said Center for Children executive director Heather Grant. “Our board sold tickets at the farmers market, parents sold them at youth sports games, and suddenly we have $4,800 for our therapeutic programs with almost no work.”
That efficiency has attracted new groups every year. Rotary now caps participation at 35 organizations to keep the event manageable.
Looking Ahead to Year Eleven
Planning for the 2027 Snowball Sweepstakes begins almost immediately. Rotary members say they already have a waiting list of nonprofits wanting to join next year.
“We never imagined this would become what it is,” Fukai said, watching the final balls cross the finish line Saturday. “But every time those balls fly down the mountain and I see the smiles and hear the cheers, I remember exactly why we do it.”
Ten years, three-quarters of a million dollars, and countless lives touched across the Grand Valley later, one thing is clear: the Snowball Sweepstakes is now as much a part of spring on the Western Slope as bluebird days and melting snow.
This is what community looks like when people decide to have fun while doing good.
What’s your favorite local fundraiser that brings everyone together? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.
