In a rare day filled with sunshine, everyone was smiling as the 10 team Garry Shaver Memorial Blooperball tournament went to work, here Saturday, to raise $3,219 for the Dundas County Easter Seals council.
Organized by Barb Hodgson and Troy White with help from their friends, the day featured top notch action which was won by the Barn Muckers.
“We are fortunate to have people like Barb (Hodgson) and Troy (White) who put on events like this for us,” said Deanna MacKillican a member of the Dundas County Easter Seals council. “They really put a lot of work into this.”
MacKillican explained the $3,219 was raised through the tournament registrations, raffles and draws and will be used to assist families who have children registered with the Dundas County Council for Easter Seals.
The annual Garry Shaver Blooperball tournament is the second of three yearly events run by community volunteers in support of local Easter Seals children. Next up is the annual ball hockey organized by Brian and Tracey Shaver in Williamsburg in the fall.
MacKillican explained that numbers are down across the board. “We are down to just the three major fund raising events (the first is the Snowarama in February), we have just four council members on our board and we have probably less than 10 Easter Seals families registered with us.”
She says these are all numbers that the Dundas County Easter Seals Council would like to see increased.
For a number of years, the Council assisted some 16 to 17 registered Easter Seals families and MacKillican is unsure why fewer children are registered.
Easter Seals assists families in a number of ways including financial assistance of up to $3 000 per year, per child to help purchase essential mobility equipment such as wheelchair, walkers, ramps or lifts.
Easter Seals also owns and operates two fully accessible summer camps and offers 10-day summer camp experiences. For children who either don’t want to or are unable to attend Easter Seals camp, financial assistance is available to attend another summer recreational activity of their choosing.
Scholarships for young people with physical disabilities attending post secondary education are also available.
Children/youth up to 19 years of age are eligible for services through Easter Seals.
MacKillican indicated the Council would also welcome some new members. With three of the four living in the Morrisburg area and the fourth from Kemptville, some representation from the north end of Dundas County (the Winchester and Chesterville) areas would be very beneficial.
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