Every swing helps a child
11th annual hole-in-one challenge
Mike Zettel
Published on
Aug 20, 2008
When avid golfers and those not so familiar with the game take a shot at a hole-in-one at Westport Practice and Training Facility this week, they'll be doing more than aiming for the million dollar jackpot.
Much more.
Every swing taken by every player will work towards the St. Catharines Kiwanis Club's goal of helping children in the community.
A major fundraiser for the Kiwanis Club, the 11th annual hole-in-one challenge kicks off today with participants aiming to sink their ball in the hole 100 yards away. On each day of the competition, which wraps up on Sunday, the 10 competitors whose ball lands closest to the target will qualify for Sunday's $1-million hole-in-one challenge. Prizes will also be awarded each day of the competition.
When the time comes for the challenge mid-afternoon Sunday, the target will be moved out to 150 yards, as the 50 semi-finalists swing for the grand prize of $1 million. As well, the player who gets closest to the pin in this round will win a trip to Whistler to compete at another hole-in-one contest in September.
The competition is one of the most important events of the year for the Kiwanis, which has which has set a goal of raising $15,000.
As with anyone putting together an outdoor activity, organizers are hoping Mother Nature co-operates. Last year, the weather was not on their side and the low turnout meant that only $13,000 was raised.
As the St. Catharines Kiwanis Club marks 11 years running the event, the service club has teamed up with another organization dedicated to helping children. This year, a portion of the proceeds raised will be directed towards Mike's Miracles, named after 12-year-old Mike VandenDool, who died of cancer in April after a 17-month battle.
Event chair Brian Hider said it was hard not to be touched by Mike's story and his courage.
Mike grew up quickly in the last 17 months of his short life, most of which was spent at McMaster Children's Hospital in Hamilton. While there, he was appreciative of all the support he received from organizations dedicated to helping children. However, he saw that not all children had the same opportunities he was blessed with, and the foundation he started, Mike's Miracles, represented his determination to correct that.
In an earlier interview with Niagara this Week, Mike's father, Brian VandenDool, said it was his son's wish when he learned treatment for his cancer was not working that the work of the foundation continue after he was gone.
"One of the first things he said is, 'Promise me you'll keep Mike's Miracles going,' " VandenDool said at the time.
Hider said what Mike's Miracles is trying to accomplish lines up with the mandate of the Kiwanis Club and that it makes sense for them to work together.
"We saw, as did many of us in the community, what Michael went through and his suffering and what he tried to start," he said. "And we felt that it meets our goals and what we want to do in the community. We wanted to fund a project that directly affects kids in the Niagara region.
"We think it meets all of our goals."
VandenDool, speaking at Westport driving range last week, where he and his wife, Terri, will be lending a supportive hand for this week's challenge, said they were "thrilled" to learn the Kiwanis wanted to help.
"The more funds we raise for Mike's Miracles, the more it will help kids who are on this cancer journey," he said. "And we're very thankful for the St. Catharines Kiwanis Club for doing that, and we're looking forward to it."
VandenDool said his son made it very clear that the name of the foundation was not about him or what he was doing for children. Rather Mike's Miracles represents the wonderful things people and organizations did for him.
"Those were miracles in his life," he said. "That's why the name Mike's Miracles came out."
Among the miracles was a family trip to Disney World shortly before Mike passed away, a vacation organized by Help a Child Smile, in conjunction with the Florida-based charity, Give Kids the World. "It was probably one of the most beautiful experiences as a family that we had," VandenDool said.
Another involved the family staying in a cabin at Camp Trillium, where Mike swam, did rock climbing and archery and went sailing. This summer, Mike's Miracles purchased a new sail boat for the camp.
Ultimately, VandenDool said, the purpose of Mike's Miracles is to enrich the lives of children with cancer as much as possible.
"Mike looked around him and saw there was a lot of need, a lot of kids who were not getting the support that he was," he said. "He wanted to make the lives of these kids on their cancer journeys just a little bit better, a little more fun, a little easier."
Hider said everyone, not just regular golfers, has a good chance to do well at the challenge. The cost to play is $1 per ball or $20 for a basket and competitors can play as often as they wish.
The Kiwanis Club of St. Catharines thanks all the generous sponsors of this event and invites everyone out to join in the fun and try your skill or luck at winning $1 million or lots of other mprizes
Westport Practice and Training Facility is located on Third Street, just north of the QEW.