The Vermilion Lions Club will be hosting their 23rd Annual Texas Scramble Golf Tournament at the Vermilion Golf and Country Club on June 10, at 1 p.m.
The Vermilion Lions Club is ecstatic once again to be hosting the golf tournament in support of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) and Canadians with vision loss; after having to take a hiatus due to COVID. According to cnib.ca, an estimated 1.5 million Canadians identify themselves as having a sight loss and an estimated 5.59 million more have an eye disease that could cause sight loss. Of the four major eye diseases; 3, 541,000 people are affected by cataracts, 1,574,000 are reported to have age-related macular degeneration, 294,600 have glaucoma and 749,800 people have been affected by diabetic retinopathy. They also say that every 10 minutes someone in Canada begins losing their sight, and that each year, 50,000 Canadians will lose their sight which significantly impacts their well-being and quality of life.
According to CNIB, only one-third of Canadian working-age adults with vision loss are employed, and about half of the ones who are employed struggle to make ends meet on $20,000 or less. People over 60 with sight loss are three times more likely to experience clinical depression, and all people with sight loss are at greater risk of social isolation and reduced community participation.
The CNIB was founded in 1918 by veterans who were blinded in World War I and the Halifax Explosion. CNIB aspires to continue working to shape a brighter future for Canadians with sight loss by increasing access to employment and technology, advocating for more accessible communities, and connecting more Canadians with guide dogs.
Ashlee Rolheiser, CNIB Manager of Philanthropy for Alberta and the Northwest Territories since 2020 said that the CNIB Golf Tournament is the core of what they do.
“This event gets the community together to help those living with blindness or vision loss! This event is incredibly important, as CNIB and the Vermilion Lions Club have been collaborating together for more than two decades. With this fun and active tournament, we’ll be able to reconnect after two years of a global health crisis, raising funds that will be used directly in Alberta,” commented Ashlee.
Lions members Cliff Rolheiser and Barry Clampitt joyfully discussed different occasions that had happened over the years during the golf tournament.
“We are looking forward to having Ashlee from the CNIB coming for the tournament. It has been an honour and a pleasure to have been and continue to be involved in this very important event which benefits all the individuals in our province and community who are affected by sight loss,” commented Cliff Rohleiser and Barry Clampitt.
Entry fees are $70 and will include nine holes of golf, supper, and prizes. To register or for more information you can call Barry at 780-853-1188 or email crolheiser1@gmail.com or call the Vermilion Golf Club at 780-853-4444.