An astonishing $20,000 was raised for equipment at High River General Hospital through another successful Stacy Regier Memorial Golf Tournament at Meadowlands Golf Club last Saturday.
Registration was full with 144 golfers taking part, and an additional 20 to 30 people joining for dinner in the evening.
Now in its sixth year, the tournament is held annually as a celebration of the life of Stacy Regier, who died in 2008 from head trauma resulting from a car crash.
It’s been held every year since her death, and has raised more than $150,000 for medical equipment at hospitals in Calgary and High River.
But the tournament isn’t all about money, assured Cindy Regier, Stacy’s mother and tournament co-ordinator.
“We never have a target (amount),” she said. “It’s about raising money, but it’s not all about that; it’s about getting family and friends together, celebrating Stacy’s life and keeping her memory alive. And along with that, we do like to raise money and give it to charity.”
At the time of Stacy’s treatment, her family was asked by doctors whether to keep her on the hospital’s only CoolGuard machine, which puts the body into a hypothermia-like state to help decrease brain swelling. Three other head injuries also required its use that day, with Stacy’s being deemed by doctors to be the most critical.
On the same day Stacy died, her family made a commitment to purchase another CoolGuard unit for the hospital, and decided that they would fund it through a golf tournament held in her memory.
“We were all kind of shocked that we were asked if we wanted to leave her on it, because you think everybody has lots of equipment,” said Cindy Regier. “After she passed, we (felt) nobody should be asked that question, and that we should buy one.”
Her family helped make that purchase in 2009, and has since provided Foothills Medical Centre’s Intensive Care unit with other important medical equipment.
Soon, they’ll determine how to spend this year’s proceeds, which, for the first time in the tournament’s six-year history, will go to High River General Hospital.
“With the flood last year in High River, we really felt a need to send our money over there this year,” said Regier. “We will buy equipment, but we haven’t chosen what equipment yet, because we first wanted to see what we would raise and what’s really needed over there.”
Proceeds from next year’s tournament will likely go to a medical facility in the Red Deer area, she added. And there are plenty of people already counting the days until next year’s tournament.
“We want to keep Stacy’s memory alive, and this is where all our friends and family gather once a year,” said Regier. “With the busy lives that we all lead, it’s the one weekend of the year that we get to come back, and we all talk about our daughter and our friend.”
Donations for the cause are still being accepted, and may be made online at www.stacyregierlegacy.com.
Another charity golf tournament, Drive Fore the Cure, is set to take place at Meadowlands on Aug. 15, with participants still being sought. Proceeds from that tournament go toward Canadian Cancer Society. More information is available by phoning 403-887-5100.