It may have been a chilly September day but that didn’t dampen the spirits of the 144 golfers who attended the 10th annual Durham Region Transit golf tournament, in support of Special Olympics Ontario. In fact, the group raised a record amount of money for these amazing athletes.
More than $50,000 will go to the programs that “promote opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and develop skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympic athletes and the community,” as stated by the Special Olympics mission statement. The sold out team of golfers, along with a silent auction and raffles draws contributed to the grand total of funds raised.
In total, over the past 10 years, DRT has raised more than $450,000 for Special Olympics Ontario.
The teams enjoyed 18 holes of golf at Wooden Sticks in Uxbridge and also took part in a putting competition and were given some tips from some Special Olympics athletes who take part in the Uxbridge golf program. The athletes were the guests of honour at the dinner that followed the day of golf.
“Having the Special Olympic athletes with us to enjoy the day of golf and the dinner celebration was a great feature of this year’s tournament,” Peter Chatoff, tournament chair and DRT deputy general manager of maintenance and equipment, said. “Their love of the game is inspiring and I am so proud of the money raised to support this great organization.”
