LeTip of Lakewood North, Colorado was built on the principle of bringing people together to spend time together on a small dot on a map, and it achieved charter strength in just a few months. When asked what was special about the chapter, some of the membership had this to say:
“Who else has a magician as their president, come on…”
“While being eager to grow quickly, we do not compromise integrity.”
This chapter had special beginnings. LeTip of Arapahoe County, Colorado, was home to members Stephanie White and Scott McCray. Looking to sponsor her first new member into the chapter, Stephanie asked her then boyfriend, Randy Arnold to join and be the Dog Trainer representative of LeTip of Arapahoe County. “We could spend more time together and I’ll get my Green Badge” was the proposal. Thus, Randy and Stephanie’s journey in LeTip began. Both from previous relationships, they met later in life as singles in a walking club, and as time passed by, they married, changing their last names to “Walker.” In case anyone was wondering, the Leave of Absence was approved for the honeymoon, by the way, and coincidentally, presided over by then President, Scott McCray. At that time, it was Scott’s eighth presidency of LeTip of Arapahoe Count, over a span of twenty-one years. He even recalls a personal phone call with Ken Peterson, founder of LeTip International, if that helps carbon date his LeTip affiliation.
It took over two decades for Scott to truly realize the power and potential of LeTip – “to grow your business by addition in your own chapter and grow by multiplication by helping your affiliates start new chapters. Duh.” Timing is everything. Scott’s idea to start another chapter spawned at the beginning of 2020, about the time Covid-19 was spawning all around the world. Because the Arapahoe County chapter met on the other side of the Denver Metro Area from him, and coincidentally, the Walkers, as well, the goal was to start one in his own neighborhood. The time had come. So, the announcements were made in the early fall of 2023 and seeds thrown into the wind in Lakewood, Colorado, which soon blossomed.
One of the biggest obstacles to starting a live LeTip Chapter is finding a venue to meet at. The venue must have amenities, not too costly to keep chapter dues reasonable, room to grow, and hours of operation that co-align with the meeting times, among other factors. Randy Walker, a professional Dog Trainer, volunteers his time to Domino Service Dogs and previously hosted a Gala fund-raising event for the organization at the Lakewood Elks Lodge #1777. It was the beginning of an incredible relationship for two different entities seeking the same goal – connecting individuals in a community to do good things. What is special about the relationship between LeTip of Lakewood North and The Benevolent Protective Order of the Elks Lodge in Lakewood? The lodge was in need of two things – more operating revenue and an influx of younger members from the local community. LeTip was the bridge they were looking for.
The Lodge has given us an amazing deal on the room space, which otherwise, would be vacant and unprofitable at that time of day, and several LeTip members have joined to be members of the Lodge on their own account. As we grow, they grow, and our dues help fund their operation, truly creating a win-win scenario. Perhaps this is a venue worth looking at in your own community? We would be happy to help share our chapter’s experience with you.
Here is a serendipitous success story for the chapter. Back in the 1990’s, our Caterer, Tina a.k.a. “Mama T” Current, used to be a server at a restaurant where a LeTip Chapter used to meet. She happened to be catering at the Lakewood Elks during one of our first meetings there. When asked to be part of the chapter, she said, “Yeah, I know LeTip! I’d love to do that!” She comes in early to make breakfast items for our members. Each meeting is like a Showboat for her, and it’s voluntary for the members to pay her directly if they want breakfast – Dollars in Her Pocket! We allow one inside tip a month to go to Tina, per member, as an incentive. It keeps the chapter dues lower, and the venue lets us use the kitchen. Amazing!
Goals for this chapter? Two members attended the inaugural LeTip National Convention in Las Vegas in April, bringing back a whole new vision for what is possible in the chapter. So, be sure to keep tabs on us as we incorporate what we learned at Convention! We recently became a chartered chapter, at 17 members now. We aspire to become a large chapter, pulling many more business individuals from the community to gather with us, give each other grief, and celebrate the success of each other’s business endeavors.
