This year's Drive for a Cure showed, yet again, the overwhelming support from the local community for the fundraising drive. The annual event raised more than $39,000 with final tallies yet to take place. This total alone means that the initiative has fundraised close to $400,000 since its origin nine years ago.
While wet weather has threatened the event in previous years and this year's excess water was cause for concern, the women dressed in pink could not have asked for a better day to be out on the golf course. The sun was shining and the participants were in high spirits.
The day started off with a 10 a.m. registration where participants were treated to muffins and coffee. The participants registered for the event and submitted their pledges, in addition to entering their name in a raffle draw to be made during the evening supper.
Tee times started around 11 a.m. with participants lining the pathway in their decorated golf courts. Pink was the theme and cancer was the cause with 72 golfers coming from Carlyle and area to participate in the event.
While everything was fun and games on the golf course, when it came to fundraising, these ladies meant serious business. The top individual fundraisers for this year's event were Joanne Brown ($4,785), Connie Young ($4,215), Tammy Birnie ($1,450), Vicky Clark ($1,400) and Donna Beaver ($1,135). The pledges received by these five ladies accounted for more than one-quarter of the total funds raised during the event.
The team which received the most pledges this year was Connie Young, Audrey Young, Sheila Colpitts and Wilma Lothian with a total of $5,790 in pledges. Right on their tail was Joanne Brown, Irene Green, Laura Dunn and Colleen Farnden with $5,770 in pledges. Teams that followed included: Joan Nistor, Kim McKenzie-Dew, Teresa Valentine and Judy Valentine with $2,915 in pledges; Gloria Johnston, Glenda Campbell, Lexy Campbell and Tammy Birnie with $2,890 in pledges and; Tara Bendtsen, Vicky Clark, Donelda Kyle and Cathy Brown with $2,735 in pledges.
Following the day of golf, participants were treated to an outstanding dinner provided by David and Shelley Sklyhuis. All golfers were in attendance at the supper where prizes were handed out. Prizes were distributed to the golfers as a result of a novelty challenge on each of the nine holes. In addition, the businesses and those that supported the event throughout the fundraiser were acknowledged along with a Chinese auction for participants. The total amount of money raised was also announced during the evening.
Lynn Brady, one of the golfers in attendance praised Charity Brown for all of her hard work organizing the event. Brown said that the event was as successful this year as it always has been. With this being the last year she will be planning the charity drive, she sent out a thank you to everyone that has supported the event over the past nine years. "I would like to thank all those who over the past nine years have supported us in any way from the amazing support of the business community, [to] all of the ladies who have golfed and collected pledges over the years, [to] all of the people who have pledged anyone over the last nine years, and [to] anyone who has volunteered in any way at all. It would not have been possible without all of these things coming together."
As for next year, Brown and the others involved in the organization of past years, are more than happy to provide anyone willing to take it on with the information that has made the event the success it has become.
