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
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.