District 70 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) in Wichita, Kansas, organized a charity golf tournament to raise funds for Guide Dogs of America | Tender Loving Canines (GDA | TLC). The event brought together thirty-three teams on a Saturday morning, using a best-ball format with four-person teams. The rules limited scores to par per hole to keep play moving.
The tournament raised more than $68,000 for GDA | TLC. According to organizers, it costs about $60,000 to train and raise one guide dog for someone in need.
IAM District 70 Secretary-Treasurer Teressa Peart commented on the significance of the event: “To know that what you are doing is helping someone’s life, helping them gain their independence, it is a wonderful feeling for us. It’s just an amazing thing”.
Dawson Hart, a military veteran who lost his sight due to an IED explosion in Iraq, attended the tournament with his guide dog Bauer. Hart shared his appreciation for GDA | TLC and those supporting its mission: “Making donations is fine, but that’s not meeting somebody, that’s not shaking somebody’s hand and saying thank you for saving my life, because that’s what they do. That’s what these folks right here are doing.”
Brian Alexander, President of IAM Local 774, described the high demand for participation: “Within the first couple of weeks of registration for the tournament we were sold out, nothing more was left, but we kept getting calls: ‘Hey can you add my team? How can you say no? So the locals and the district worked with Mattie and her staff at Sand Creek Station Golf Course and we made a way.”
Craig Martin, IAM Southern Territory General Vice President, noted the occasion also marked another milestone: “This is a perfect way to celebrate the Guide Dogs of America | Tender Loving Canines 77th birthday. District 70 had a lot of events going on simultaneously that weekend with a major ratification vote for Bombardier members, but they still found time to give back to this important charity. Thank you to all who participated”.
The winning team finished with a score of 58—14 under par—contributing both competition and support toward providing service dogs for those in need.
