This year’s Richardson Charity Golf Tournament will once again be an opportunity to help send children and youths living with epilepsy to summer camp, while having a fun day on the fairways and greens at Ariss Valley Golf Club near Guelph.
All proceeds from the Aug. 24 event will support Summerfest, an annual summer camp held at Camp Couchiching near Orillia that’s sponsored by Epilepsy Ontario. The camp helps children and youths living with epilepsy enjoy a summer camp experience with appropriate nursing care.
The tournament was launched by chief organizer Ian Richardson and his family in honour of his father who lived with epilepsy. Since its 2006 launch, the tournament has raised about $35,000. Each year the event aims to raise about $5,000.
Richardson explains what he likes best about the tournament.
“This is an opportunity for everyone to get together for a good cause, and it’s good to know that everything we make is going to help benefit some kids who might be going through a tough time,” he says.
“(Summerfest) gives (campers) an opportunity to develop and grow just like everyone else.”
Richardson adds that, for him, it’s especially important the money raised goes towards helping children living with epilepsy.
He notes that his father developed epilepsy as an adult and as challenging as the disorder was for his dad, “for a child to be going through something like that would be a very tough situation.”
During each tournament, Richardson meets a lot of new faces and he says one thing surprises him every year.
“You start to realize how many people either have a family member or a friend who has epilepsy,” he says. “There are a lot more people that have it than you realize.”
When the first tournament was held, most participants were the Richardson family members and some close friends. With each tournament came more people; at first friends of friends, then expanding to others.
Eventually, corporate sponsors came on board, including Suncor, Rogers Communications Inc., Burger King and several others.
The cost for playing in the tournament is $100, which includes green fees, a cart and a buffet dinner.
Click here to register for the tournament or to donate.
Writer: Deron Hamel
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