Sixth annual Flame of Hope tournament supports Diabetes camp

Written By BRIAN LOCKHART

The Sixth annual Flame of Hope Tournament got underway at the Shelburne Golf and Country Club with around 160 golfers hitting the links for the day.

That includes 18 celebrity hockey players who rotate among groups on the course.

The event is a fund raiser for Diabetes Canada which uses the funds to send kids to Diabetes camps in Ontario.

“This raises funds for Camp Huronda near Huntsville,” explained Viktorija Dukoski of Diabetes Canada. “We raise funds for kids who can't pay their full camping fee to send them to camp. We let anyone in, even if they can't pay.”

The camps are specifically designed for kids who have diabetes so they can enjoy all the experiences of summer camp while being under the care of trained staff.

“It helps them learn how to manage Type 1 diabetes. It empowers them, and they make friends there,” Ms. Dukoski said. “There is a lot of medical staff there and most of them are volunteers. Most of the camp councillors and leaders have Type 1 diabetes themselves and they used to go to camp. They say at camp, you run on diabetes time. It's like you're doing all the normal things do at camp but because you're monitored all the time you don't remember you have diabetes.”

Sam Young, head golf pro and coach at the Shelburne Golf Club hosts the tournament.

“We have 18 hockey players here as celebrities and 144 golfers,” Sam explained. “The golfers all play with a celebrity hockey player. We've got lots of prizes here and a big live auction. We've got a Maple Leafs sweater signed by all the team. We have signed Kyle Lowry Raptors sweater, and a signed Max Domi jersey.”

The tournament benefits from local sponsorship from businesses who take part in the event.

“I had a girl who worked for me who had diabetes. She went to the camp and I thought it was a worthwhile cause to support, considering it was for the kids,” explained Shelburne Giant Tiger owner, Andrew Lewis, of how he became involved in the tournament. “We also have some Giant Tiger owners from other cities who have come to participate.”

The tournament has raised a lot of money over the past several years.

The event raised $48,000 this year, bringing the overall six year total to more than $300,000.