Lubbock Monterey Ambucs

About Us

Lubbock Monterey AMBUCS is a fun, energetic group helping children, teens, and adults with disabilities that impair their mobility. We serve the community by providing therapeutic AmTrykes, educational scholarships for physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologist, audiology students, and we support the Lubbock Challenger Little League.

We meet most Mondays at the McKenzie-Merket Alumni Center at Texas Tech located at 17th & University. Lunch starts at noon, and you can expect fun, networking, and learning from a diverse range of guest speakers. You are welcome as a guest!

History

Lubbock Monterey AMBUCS was chartered on December 6, 1960, with 30 Charter Members at the Cactus Inn on North University where they became a chapter in the American Business Club. The new club was sponsored by the Lubbock Caprock AMBUCS Club, with Paul Bush (owner of Lubbock Electric) as the Sparkplug – that’s AMBUCS jargon for a member who is most responsible for starting the new club. The new chapter was called the La-Mesa American Business Club.

Deaton Rigsby was the new club’s first President. Our first fundraiser,1961, was working out of a trailer cooking hamburgers and fries at the South Plains Fair. The La-Mesa American Business Club got it right as cooking hamburgers and fries developed into our club's largest yearly fundraiser. In 1965, the club's name was officially changed to Lubbock Monterey AMBUCS. At that time until May 2021, we owned a full-service, indoor-seating restaurant at the South Plains Fair where we cooked hamburgers and fries to raise money for Therapy Student Scholarships and Amtrykes.

In April 2016 we added another fundraiser to provide an event in the Spring and early Summer...the West Texas Wine Walk at the local Llano Estacado Winery. While hoping to get 50 walkers and raise $3000 for our Amtryke Program, we blew that goal out of the water with over 200 walkers and over $12,000 raised! We were counting on this becoming an annual event and providing Monterey AMBUCS with another great fundraising opportunity. At our Second Annual West Texas Wine Walk we more than doubled the first year’s results, we were well on the way.

In 2019, we changed the West Texas Wine Walk to SummerFest, and moved it to the Gurss Party Barn; where we expanded the event to include multiple wineries and breweries, along with both a live and silent auction. We added entertainment with The Spur 327 Band, provided games and activities for the kids, and had a fully catered buffet: making it a more well-rounded event. After a good kickoff of the newly named SummerFest, we looked forward to our second big year in 2020, but unfortunately did not have it due to Covid-19. In May 2021, it was decided SummerFest would be our major fundraising event and revised it to have adults only with about the same theme. Each year we continually make it better and we knew we were on the right path as we have many returning folks who come out to support our cause each August.

Our SummerFest event has grown over these few years, causing us to outgrow the Gurss Party Barn site. Beginning August 2023, SummerFest is moving to the 4 Bar K, which will allow more growth for the SummerFest Fundraiser. We have been blessed as during our August SummerFest Fund Raiser 2022, we cleared $45,000.00 allowing us to provide $32,000.00 in scholarships to therapists at TTHSC-Professional Development Program with the rest of the funds used for providing Amtrykes at no cost to those with disabilities.

Lubbock Monterey AMBUCS has luncheon meetings on most Mondays, except holidays and special events. We are thankful for our generous and loyal sponsors, those who believe in our mission and donate, and our dedicated AMBUC members. Because of folks who support this 501C organization and through our fundraiser events, we are able to provide Scholarships for Therapists and Amtrykes on a yearly basis. We invite you to JOIN US in our mission--Creating Independence for People with Disabilities. You'll be glad you did!! We are the Lubbock Monterey AMBUCS...Proud of our past...Engaged in the present...And Excited about our future. As it was in 1960...and as it still is today...We "Stand Shoulders Together".

To learn more about Lubbock Monterey AMBUCS please visit our 60th Anniversary Video.