Blue Ribbons for Special Olympics Charity Golf Tournament succesful

June 23, 2022 · 0 Comments

Written By Brian Lockhart

It was a good day for golf, and it was a good day to raise money for a worthy charity when the Blue Ribbons for Special Olympics Charity Golf Tournament got underway at the Shelburne Golf & Country Club on Saturday, June 4.

The golf tournament replaced the annual Police Torch Run this year when organizers were uncertain if a Torch Run would be able to go ahead. The annual Torch Run has not taken place for the past two years due to the pandemic.

The golf tournament proved to be a real success many people signing up to take part and play a round of golf.

Constable, Jeff McClean, of the Dufferin Detachment of the O.P.P., who usually organizes the Torch Run co-organized the event with local resident Deanna Avison.

Flato Developments was the lead sponsor of the tournament.

“We had 68 golfers,” Jeff explained. “Everyone started at the first tee so it made for a bit of a long day. All the proceeds are donated to the Special Olympics. With the way COVID was when we started planning, I didn’t want to get partially organized then get locked down,” he explained of why it was decided to do a golf tournament.

In addition to the tournament there were special activities on the course including challenges like closest drive, and closest to the pin for both men and woman players. There was also a putting challenge on the putting green.

Co-organizer Deanna Avison, has run Hearts Wide Open for Autism – a special program in local schools, that raised funds through a mystery dinner theatre. When the pandemic put a hold on the organization’s operations, Deanna reached out to Jeff and offered to help do a golf tournament.

“We could no longer do the mystery dinner theatre, because it was inside, and Jeff had to put his polar plunge on hold as well,” Deanna explained. “I had my sponsors which had been with me for five or six years, and Jeff had his sponsors, so we could combine the two. There is a Special Olympics Dufferin, so much of the money stays here in the community. Having the tournament in Shelburne was nice because we had a lot of local people come out.”

At the end of the day, the tournament raised around $30,000 that will be donated to the Special Olympics.