Golf tournament raises camp funds
LO NI NANNINI
Special to the Arizona Daily Star
This year, golf enthusiasts and advocates of those with disabilities can bring the fiesta to the greens to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with the 15th Tucson Breakfast Lions Club Annual Drive 'Fore' Sight Golf Classic — Fiesta de Golf.
The event is at 7 a.m. Sunday, May 1, at the Forty Niner Country Club.
'The tournament was canceled in 2020 due to COVID, and then there was still so much uncertainty last year, but we are very excited about the tournament this year. The need hasn't gone away, and there hasn't been much revenue coming in for the kid with special needs who attend Camp Tatiyee and Camp Abilities,' said Pete Weakland, who has coordinated the tour since its inception with fellow Lions Club member Dom Dominice.
Since 1958, The Lions Clubs of Arizona have sponsored Camp Tatiyee in P inetop-Lakeside with a goal of empowering the special needs community, according to Weakland. This summer, the camp, which is free of charge, will serve nearly 600 attendees ages 7 to adult over eight weeklong sessions with programs in the arts, recreation and adapted sports. Campers include those who are deaf and blind, as well as those with mental and physical challenges such as spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy and other conditions.
On the local front, Camp Abilities Tucson provides opportunities for children in middle and high school though the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind. The summer camp, which will be from June 5 through 11, offers one-on-one instruction in adaptive sports and recreation for campers who are blind, deaf or have multiple disabilities.
Both camps provide unique opportunities for social interaction and growth for those with special needs, according to Weakland.
'These are life-changing experiences for many of these kids. They are really looking forward to returning to the camps, and the parents are looking forward to it as well, since it provides respite for many of them,' said Weakland.
Weakland is also happy the Tucson Breakfast Lions Club is able to resume its support of the camps through the annual golf fundraiser, which he touts as 'one of the finest charity golf tournaments in Tucson with only a $100 entry fee.'
'We have staying power. Lots of clubs may have gone by the wayside over the last couple of years, and so have many golf tournaments. Our club has hung in there, and we are meeting in person again, with some members joining us on Zoom. It was a lean couple of years, but we are back to doing what we do, which is serving. 'We Serve' is our motto,' said Weakland.
Contact freelance writer Loni Nannini at ninch2@comcast.net
Supporters of the 15th Tucson Breakfast Lions Club Annual Drive 'Fore' Sight Golf Classic — Fiesta de Golf will raise funds for youth with special needs to attend Camp Abilities Tucson and Camp Tatiyee in Pinetop-Lakeside this summer. For more information about the tournament on May 1 at Forty Niner Country Club, visit the Tucson Breakfast Lions Club website at tucsonbreakfastlionsclub.org /drive-fore-sight.
TUCSON BREAKFAST LIONS CLUB
