Teams are needed for the Coldwater & District Curling Club’s 5th annual We Care Ladies’ Charity Bonspiel, slated for March 3.
This year’s event will be a fundraiser for Charlee’s Run, which helps raise money to support neonatal and pediatric needs at Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital (OSMH).
The We Care Bonspiel started in 2014 with an event that raised money for Crohns and Colitis Canada and Spinal Cord Injury. In 2015, local ladies swept and curled for Hospice Simcoe, while in 2016, money went to Royal Victoria Hospitals’ Hearts and Minds Campaign. Last year, the participants raised money for Cody's House.
The popular Coldwater event was previously known as Curl for the Cure, an event that, for 10 years, supported the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
This year’s charity, Charlee’s Run, is named in memory of Charlee Clare Holmes, who died the day she was born. Sixteen months after Charlee’s death, Mallory and Dave Holmes welcomed a son, Keenan, into the world. Days later, Keenan became ill and was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at OSMH.
Keenan was in the unit “for 11 of the most stressful, terrifying and emotionally draining days of our lives,” said Mallory. “We are forever indebted to this hospital and its staff for saving our son’s life.”
When the Holmes family learned that neonatal unit was in need of support, they quickly saw a way to create a legacy for their daughter and help raise much-needed funds for a vital component of the hospital. So, last April, they organized the inaugural Charlee’s Run, which raised $40,000. The second-annual event will take place at Couchiching Beach Park on April 28. (www.charleesrun.com)
The bonspiel in Coldwater hopes to help bolster the fundraising effort. The March 3 event’s goal is to raise $10,000. The event can accommodate 16 teams and currently there are openings for four more teams; cost is $180 per team.
The We Care Ladies’ Charity Bonspiel will kick off when games begin at 8:30 a.m. Coffee and muffins will be available to fortify curlers and lunch will be provided. Team costumes are encouraged for the fun-oriented event.
To register or for more information, email [email protected] or call 705-686-3946.
