BRYCE CANYON CITY, UTAH—Over the past 13 years, Ruby’s Inn has raised $700,000 for the Bryce Canyon National History Association through its “Dollar Check-Off” program. The program allows guests to give back while visiting the famous Bryce Canyon National Park.
“Ruby’s Inn, my family and I wouldn’t be where we are today without Bryce Canyon National Park,” Lance Syrett, General Manager of Ruby’s Inn said. “My ancestors didn’t plan to start a hotel, but they ended up opening Ruby’s Inn so everyone could experience Bryce Canyon’s beauty. This is the reason why we do the dollar program today, to help preserve Bryce Canyon for all visitors.”
Guests at each of Ruby’s Inn’s three hotels are given the option to donate to the “Dollar Check-Off” program. If a guest decides to participate, the visitor is charged $1 each night of their stay, which goes directly to the Bryce Canyon National History Association. Last year alone, Ruby’s Inn and its guests raised $75,286 for the Association.
Helps Fill Funding Shortfalls
“The dollar donation program is a valuable resource to Bryce Canyon National Park by filling funding shortfalls that have become an annual reality for the National Park Service,” Gayle L. Pollock, CEO and Director for the Bryce Canyon Natural History Association, said.
The Dollar Check-Off program started in 2004 as a way to raise money for several essential improvements needed in Bryce Canyon, including fixing parts of the famous Navajo Loop trail. Now the program has grown to a 98 percent participation rate among guests, with an estimated 118,000 participants in 2016.
“Since 2004, the funds have been utilized to enhance the visitor experience at Bryce Canyon,” Pollock said. “Funds have been expended for free publications and the popular, ‘I Hiked the Hoodoos’ program. Equipment for search and rescue events and a visitor comfort station were purchased with the funding as well. These are just a few examples of how Bryce Canyon National Park has benefited from the Dollar Check-Off program.”
Donations also support educational events, printing of educational materials about the park’s natural and cultural resources for visitors and field trips for area school children, preservation of historic photos, documents and records, paleontology research and wildlife studies, among other activities.
