The fourth annual Swinging for STARS fundraising golf tournament will take place later this month in Saskatoon.
There is still room for approximately 10 teams in the June 21 event at the Greenbryre Golf & Country Club. STARS foundation event and development officer Ashlyn Yablonski said hosting events and generating revenue is key to the air ambulance’s service.
“The Government of Saskatchewan provides 50 per cent of our funding and the other 50 per cent (or $10.5 million) is what we need to raise each year to operate from our Saskatoon and Regina bases. Events such as this golf tournament are important to help us continue to keep STARS in our prairie skies, ready to help the next patient who needs us,” she said.
The entry fee is $185 per golfer, that includes 12 holes of golf, power cart, prizes from sponsors, a bar-b-cue lunch on the course, and a ticket to the dinner plus a commemorative program. New this year to the event is an outside partnership with another not-for-profit group. STARS will team up with the Saskatoon Millennium Lions Club. Yablonski said the collaboration has injected some excitement into the tournament.
“They are an amazing group to work with; passionate, dedicated, and the club make it fun. STARS is very lucky to have the group as partners on this event and hope to continue this partnership with them for future years,” Yablonski said.
The deadline to enter the tournament is June 18, contact Yablonski at 306-659-1525 or email ayablonski@stars.ca
STARS air ambulance provided emergency services in almost 200 Saskatchewan communities or regions in 2016-17 according to their website. In total they responded 874 times during that fiscal year.