From left, Tee Hill, David Clennett, and Neil Snelgrove at the CNIB-Lions Golf Tournament on June 2, in Vermilion.
Fourty-five people registered for the 19th Annual CNIB-Lions Charity Golf Tournament at the Vermilion Golf and Country Club on June 2.
Players had the opportunity at the tournament to putt and drive blindfolded adding a fun twist to their golf game and acting as a very present reminder of the cause at hand.
“The weather challenges were better than anticipated, and being blindfolded seemed to improve Tee Hills game,” said Neil Snelgrove.
According to Lions Past President, George Matechuk, the tournament raised close to $5,000. Half of the proceeds will go towards community projects and half to the CNIB. Everyone received a prize with the winning team having the first selection. A silent auction was also held to raise additional funds.
“We are grateful for the many donated items from local businesses. Without their donations, it would be just about impossible to have a function like this,” said Matechuk.
According to Tiffany Stevensen, (Manager of Community Giving for the Alberta-Northwest Territories division of the Canadian National Institute of the Blind [CNIB]), CNIB has had a strong partnership with Lions Clubs across the country for most of the century after Helen Keller attended a Lions Clubs International Convention challenged Lions to become “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness” in 1925.
According to the CNIB Alberta Impact Report, it is estimated that over 50,000 individuals in Alberta live with vision loss, and 4,739 individuals with vision loss in Alberta were supported by CNIB in 2016.
CNIB Fund Development Representative, Don Hannah, was at the golf tournament in Vermilion and said, “Events like this are key to what we do. Lions Clubs throughout Alberta help as partners working with us so that Albertans with vision loss can find independence and develop the skills necessary to be integrated into regular daily life.
Some of our staff in Edmonton are clients as well, so we have had the privilege of understanding their experiences as they live in a sighted world.”