A little rain didn’t stop 22 golfers from hitting the links at Monte Vista Golf Club for the seventh annual Golf Marathon in support of children’s health on June 24.
The marathon officially began shortly after sunrise when seven year old sports fanatic Carter Carré hit the first drive. Carter is the son of Michel Carré, one of the Golf Marathon’s board members.
After being diagnosed with childhood leukaemia in the fall of 2018, the Carré family spent a large portion of the year traveling to and from Toronto for treatment.
Throughout their journey, the family received assistance from the Northern Ontario Families of Children with Cancer— which is why they have been added to the roster of recipients this year.
Other fund recipients include the NEO Kids Foundation and Our Children Our Future.
“When we heard the news about Carter, the committee unanimously decided to give back to the organizations who helped him and so many others going through a similar experience," said J-F Demoré, Co-Chair of Golf Marathon Sudbury.
“Parents do everything they can to ensure their children receive the best care, but traveling back and forth for treatment comes with a cost. Helping to alleviate this financial burden for families in Northern Ontario was one of our priorities this year.”
Additionally, event Co-Chair, JP Rains added that the event comes together through the strength of the Northern Ontario community.
“We have 22 golfers, but we have over 500 donors behind those golfers.”
The group of golfers and community members played from sunrise to sunset, golfing a minimum of 50 holes each - some participants playing more than 110 holes. With the help of donors and corporate sponsors, the group blew their $40,000 fundraising goal out of the water.
With the support of the community, the event raised over $60,000 for children's health in Sudbury.
The marathon has been taking place since 2013 and the total funds raised now total $195,000. Since the event’s inception, funds have also been distributed to Northern Cancer Foundation, Health Sciences North, and Science North,
Funds raised at the Golf Marathon will support the following initiatives:
- Northern Ontario Families of Children with Cancer: an organization that strives to provide much needed support to families that travel to receive specialist treatments for their kids.
- Northeast Cancer Centre’s pediatrics wing which is seeking funding to build a ‘games room’ for young patients. This will provide entertainment as well as a reprieve from cancer treatment.
- Our Children, Our Future a not-for-profit that seeks to better the lives of underprivileged children in our community
- NEO Kids Foundation through the purchase of much needed medical equipment to help improve access to care in Northern Ontario
For more information about the Golf Marathon Sudbury or to get involved, visit: www.golf4hope.co.
