Calgary man golfs ‘til he drops to raise money for the Special Olympics
June 21 marks the day with the most with the most sunlight in a year. Kevin Leibel spent the entire day doing something he loves, playing golf.
But Leibel isn’t just doing this for the love of the game. He’s golfing to help raise money for the Special Olympics.
For Leibel it’s a cause that hits close to home.
“I had a cousin who has down syndrome and he played in Special Olympics growing up," Leibel said, in an interview with CTV News. "I saw how much joy and happiness he got out of it, he did athletics, and the confidence and the fun that he had so I had to get involved.”
Leibel became a Special Olympics coach, but wanted to do more, so he came up with something he calls the Sunrise to Sunset Golf Challenge.
He had to get up 3:30 a.m. to make it to River Spirit Golf Club for his 5:08 a.m tee time. He’ll play until sunset which is set for 9:55 p.m.
If that didn’t already sound tough enough, he won’t be riding in any golf carts. His goal is to walk at least 110 holes of golf.
SUPPORT NETWORK
But he won’t have to play all of those holes alone. He has several friends he’s enlisted to play as part of his sunrise to sunset golf journey.
One of those who will be playing alongside Leibel today is long time friend Stephen Morris. Morris and Leibel have been friends since the eighth grade.
This is the first time Morris has golfed in three years and he says he’ll struggle just to play 18 holes. He can’t believe what his friend is doing.
“It’s pretty amazing what he’s doing for the Special Olympics and the fundraising and everything. His coaching has been such a great job so I’m really proud of him, he’s doing a great thing.”
While not playing today, Leibel will have his biggest supporter by his side, his wife Sarah. She can’t contain how proud she is of her husband.
“Yeah it’s so great to see him turn his passion into something really meaningful for Special Olympics. He also gets so much out of coaching, he gets so inspired by the athletes, so it’s just really fun to see it all come together today.”
Since starting fundraising in May, Leibel has collected roughly $12,500 in donations. He’s hoping to get past the $13,000 mark by the end of the day.
He also has big plans to grow the event. Leibel is hoping next year to fundraise with two other golfers, and to eventually turn the event into a full-blown tournament.
For those interested in donating, go to www.alldaygolf.ca which will direct donations to the Special Olympics website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.