Gunnison Tough

06/19/2026

A mammogram should never be a luxury. 💙

In 2024 and 2025 combined, Gunnison Tough funded over $100,000 in mammograms, ultrasounds, and biopsies for uninsured and underinsured residents in the Gunnison Valley. Because a cancer screening shouldn't come down to whether or not you can afford it.

Here's what we know:
— Breast cancer detected early has a 99% survival rate
— 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime
— Lack of insurance is one of the most common reasons women skip screenings

That's exactly why the Cancer Screening Access Fund exists. In partnership with Living Journeys and Gunnison Valley Health, we are removing the financial barriers that stand between our community and life-saving care.

If cost has been the reason you've been putting off your mammogram, we want to help.

No one in our valley should skip a screening because of cost. Not on our watch.

👉 Learn more and apply at gunnisontough.com

06/18/2026

🎉 8 WEEKS, 40 TRIPS, AND ONE MASSIVE MILESTONE! 🎉

Join us in sending the biggest congratulations to Jerry who officially completed 8 weeks of radiation therapy last week with his wife Susana by his side!

Fighting cancer is a mountain of a journey, and the last thing anyone should have to worry about is the stress of navigating a grueling commute. For the past two months—traveling every single Monday through Friday—the Gunnison Tough vehicle has been on the road to ensure our client had a safe, reliable, and comfortable ride to every single treatment.40 trips later, they are done!

This incredible milestone represents the true heart of Gunnison Tough—turning local donations into real, everyday relief for our neighbors when they need it most. Every dollar raised, every event supported, and every donation goes directly into providing tangible, life-changing support just like this vehicle.

We are incredibly proud of our client’s immense strength, and so deeply grateful to everyone in the Gunnison Valley whose generosity keeps these wheels moving.

Please join us in the comments in celebrating this amazing victory! 👇❤️

06/18/2026

Every mile driven. 🚗
Every night of lodging. 🏠
Every therapy session. 🌿
Every financial grant. 💙

None of it happens by accident. All of it happens because this community decided that no one in the Gunnison Valley should face cancer alone.

We have driven thousands of miles so patients could make it to their appointments.
We have provided hundreds of nights of lodging so families could stay close to care.
We have funded integrative therapy sessions, so healing could go beyond the physical.

We have granted financial assistance, so a diagnosis did not have to mean financial ruin.

And behind every one of those numbers is a real person. A real family. A real story of someone who fought and won.

That is what Gunnison Tough is. Not a program. Not a nonprofit. A community that shows up. Every single time.

If you know someone who is Gunnison Tough, someone who has fought with grit, grace, and the support of this valley behind them, share this post and let them know we see them. 💙

Tag someone who is Gunnison Tough. 👇
👉 gunnisontough.com

06/16/2026

There is something about watching an artist you have seen perform live go on to build something real in Nashville. 🎶💙

Gunnison Tough has always had a gift for bringing extraordinary talent to our valley, and SJ McDonald and Josh Martin are two artists our community has had the privilege of experiencing up close.

SJ McDonald, raised on a cattle and turkey farm in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, is currently touring alongside Emily Ann Roberts, John Anderson, and Cooper Alan. Her latest EP, "Sweet at First," is out now, and more new music is already on the way in 2026. With tracks like "Wild Women" and "Who Hurt You" building her following, SJ is one of the most exciting voices in country music right now.

Josh Martin, born in the coalfields of Eastern Kentucky and rooted in the Appalachian storytelling tradition, brought his soul, his guitar, and his heart to Nashville in 2013. A founding member of the Wood Box Heroes, Josh's music is the kind that stays with you long after the last note fades.

Our community got to have both of them right here in Gunnison. That is not something you forget.

Follow their journeys and keep cheering them on. 🤠

Who is your favorite artist you have seen live at a Gunnison Tough event? Drop their name in the comments; we love hearing from you. 👇

👉 gunnisontough.com

06/11/2026

We are bursting with joy to see Mae Estes making major waves! 🌟Way to go!! We hope to have you back here someday soon!

At CMA Fest in Nashville, both established stars and up-and-comers are given a place to shine on the festival's free stages, from Bryan Andrews to Angie K. Here are some of the best performances from the free stages at CMA Fest 2026.

06/11/2026

Gunnison Tough Breast Cancer Screening Fund

Breast Cancer Screening Accessible to Everyone

* In 2025, Gunnison Tough covered the cost of 120 breast cancer screenings and diagnostic procedures (mammograms, ultrasounds, biopsies, and MRIs) to community members in need.

The breast cancer screening fund was built specifically to remove the financial barriers that stand between our community and life-saving care.

Because here is the truth about cancer: early detection changes everything.

If you or someone you know has been putting off a screening because of cost, please reach out. This fund exists for exactly that reason. You are not a burden. You are exactly who we built this for.

Reach out today. We want to help. 💙
👉 gunnisontough.com

06/08/2026

June is Men's Health Month, and we're talking about the stuff that matters. 💙

Men are statistically less likely to go to the doctor. Less likely to get screened. Less likely to ask for help. And cancer doesn't care about any of that.

Here's what you need to know:

— 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime
— Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men
— Colorectal cancer is largely preventable with regular screening starting at age 45
— Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the US, and living at altitude makes UV exposure even higher

The good news? All three of these cancers have strong survival rates when caught early. Early detection is the most powerful tool we have.

If cost has been the reason you've been putting it off, Gunnison Tough's Cancer Screening Access Fund, in partnership with Living Journeys and Gunnison Valley Health, is here to help cover the cost of screenings for uninsured and underinsured residents in our valley.

Men, this one is for you. Make the appointment. Get screened. Stay tough. 💪

👉 Learn more at gunnisontough.com
Sources: Mayo Clinic, American Cancer Society

06/04/2026

George Strait. Tim McGraw. Chris Stapleton. Eric Church. Blake Shelton. 🎶

What do they all have in common?

Songs written by Anthony Smith.

An award-winning songwriter honored by BMI, ASCAP, and NSAI, and named MusicRow Magazine's Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year, Anthony has spent his career crafting songs that feel like they were written about your life.

You may know his songs without even knowing his name:

"Cowboys Like Us"
"Who Invented the Wheel"
"Half a Man"
"Run"
"I'm Tryin'"

As a recording artist, his critically acclaimed album "If That Ain't Country" produced three Billboard Top 40 singles. As a songwriter, his fingerprints are all over the music that has shaped modern country.

And this summer, he is coming to Gunnison.

The Gunnison Tough Songwriter Shuffle brings you face to face with the people behind the music and Anthony Smith is exactly the kind of artist that makes this event unlike anything else in the valley.

Join us on July 16th!

Don't miss it. Tickets and details at gunnisontough.com 💙

06/02/2026

The songs you know by heart? He wrote them. 🎶

Garth Brooks. Sara Evans. Lee Brice. Tim McGraw. Kenny Chesney. Blake Shelton. Martina McBride.

Behind some of the biggest moments in country music history is one songwriter, and he is coming to Gunnison.

Billy Montana is one of Nashville's most respected and celebrated songwriters. His credits read like a country music hall of fame playlist:

"More Than a Memory" — Garth Brooks' record-breaking hit
"Suds in the Bucket" — Sara Evans
"Bring On the Rain" — Grammy-nominated
"Hard to Love" — Lee Brice
"What If I Was Willing" — featured on ABC's hit series Nashville, co-written with his son

Decades of hits. Countless lives touched. And now he is bringing his stories, his songs, and his heart to the Gunnison Tough Songwriter Shuffle.

This is not just a concert. It is a rare, up-close experience with one of the people who actually wrote the soundtrack of your life.

Tickets and details at gunnisontough.com 💙

05/27/2026

🎶 Songwriter Spotlight: Earl Bud Lee

Behind some of country music’s most iconic songs is a storyteller who helped shape the sound of a generation.

Earl Bud Lee is the creative force behind hits like “Friends in Low Places” made famous by Garth Brooks, “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking” recorded by Blake Shelton, and “One Night at a Time” by George Strait.

Since the early ’80s, his ability to pair honest lyrics with unforgettable melodies has left a lasting mark on country music, and continues to inspire the next generation of songwriters in Nashville and beyond.

We’re proud to celebrate artists like Earl who bring stories to life and help make events like ours so meaningful.

👉 Learn more about our mission:
https://gunnisontough.com