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Raffling off PGA package expected to help Langley’s Special Olympians

Volunteers are selling PGA Tour Championship package raffle tickets at Redwoods and Newlands.
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Langley’s Keith Klopfers was all thumbs after earning a medal in softball, but he sure wasn’t all thumbs when on the field earning the award. (Special to the Langley Advance)

Special Olympic volunteers are setting up at The Redwoods Golf Course today, not to swing a club but to sell raffle ticket to help keep individuals with intellectual disabilities involved in sports in Langley.

Then, on Sunday, they’ll be back out again – this time at Newlands Golf Course – trying to sell the last of their raffle tickets before Monday’s draw date.

Special Olympic BC – Langley was formed in 1988, and today provides 16 different sports programs to approximately 200 athletes – ranging in age from three to 60, said local coordinator Lorraine Griffith.

But, to keep the programs going, the group needs money. So, they’re raffling off a special golf-related package – hence the decision to sell tickets this weekend at the local golf courses.

The prize is two VIP tickets to the PGA Tour Championship in Victoria (Sept. 14-17), including access passes to the Legend Clubhouse, food and beverages in the clubhouse, preferred seating on the 18th green, and a three-night stay at the Oswego Hotel in Victoria. (Transportation not included).

“Fundraising is key to our ensuring our athletes are able to practice and compete throughout the year,” Griffith elaborated.

Through Special Olympics, athletes experience joy and acceptance, cultivate friendships, self-confidence, overcome obstacles, and achieve their goals, she said.

“This is an intense training year for several of our teams and individual athletes as we are prepping for National Games in Nova Scotia. To be able to make sure that we have proper facility time and up-to-date equipment for our athletes and coaches will help give them a head start in competition at all levels.”

SOBC - Langley is offers year-round programs empowering athletes with intellectual disabilities the chance to gain skills and improve their health while enjoying training that could take them to competitions at local, regional, national, and international levels.

Those interested in helping can purchase raffle tickets for $20 each this weekend.

There are only 500 available to be sold. As of Friday, they were only about halfway there.

“Odds are excellent,” Griffith said.

Volunteers will be set up at Redwoods on Saturday, Aug. 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and then will be at Newlands for the same four-hour stretch on Sunday,

The draw for the tickets will be made at 6 p.m. on Aug. 28.



Roxanne Hooper

About the Author: Roxanne Hooper

I began in the news industry at age 15, but honestly, I knew I wanted to be a community journalist even before that.
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