Hirsch Creek Golf and Winter Club golf pro Winston Michell last week played a staggering 10 rounds of golf to raise awareness and funds for the ALS Society of B.C.
Michell started playing at 7 a.m. and finished after 9 p.m., during which time he played 180 holes with a total of 754 shots, all part of the 12th annual Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) of B.C.’s Golfathon for ALS, raising over $1,000 in the process.
Hirsch Creek was one of 36 golf courses across the province that participated in the Golfathon, the proceeds going towards providing crucial support services to ALS patients and their families, friends, and caregivers, through the ALS Society of B.C.
Society Executive Director Wendy Toyer said the Golfathons are a crucial part of the society’s campaign to raise awareness and funds for the society.
“There is no known cause or cure for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS ) yet, but there is hope through the ALS Society of B.C.,” said Toyer.
PGA of B.C. executive director Donald Miyazaki said the association was proud of the association’s participation in the Golfathons.
“In our eleven years of involvement, the efforts of our members have generated over $1.3 million,” said Miyazaki. “I am confident that with the continued support of our members, 2017 will be the most successful PGA of B.C. Golfathon for ALS to date.”
ALS, also referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a fatal neuro-degenerative disorder that affects a person’s motor neurons that carry messages to the muscles, resulting in weakness and wasting in arms, legs, mouth, throat and elsewhere.
Typically the person is immobilized within two to five years of the initial diagnosis.
The golf club is still accepting donations on behalf of the ALS Society, and is accepting cash or cheques for which the Society will issue a receipt.
