CLIFFORD – The Forrest family and local communities joined forces to raise $60,000 for two hospitals in need.
The funds were raised through the Mary Lynne Forrest Memorial Golf Tournament on July 17.
The tournament was inspired by George Forrest’s late wife.
Mary Lynne died in November of 2002 from an “inoperable brain tumour” that was in a location the doctors couldn’t get to without “damaging everything,” Forrest stated.
After Mary Lynne died, her daughters, husband and friends came up with the idea of a golf tournament to honour her.
Every year the event is held on the third Wednesday in July at Pike Lake Golf Course, where the couple first met when they were teenagers.
“It was absolutely perfect, it was a great day; good weather and lots of good people out there playing golf,” Forrest told the Community News.
Each year the tournament beneficiary switches between two hospitals: – Palmerston and District Hospital and Mount Forest-based Louise Marshall Hospital (LMH).
Forrest decided to support both hospitals this year for the tournament’s 20th anniversary and in recognition of hitting the tournament’s $1-million milestone.
“I was very excited cause you never know what you’re going to do until the week of, so I was quite pleased,” noted Forrest referring to the $60,000 raised.
Since its inception, the tournament has raised money for equipment like defibrillators, a portable ventilator, dialysis chairs, echocardiogram machines and this year’s funds went to new hematology analyzers for the hospitals’ lab departments.
The day was filled with golfing, live and silent auctions, dinner and speeches.
Next year’s tournament will raise funds for LMH but the specifics have yet to be discussed.
“They (LMH) have a needs list that’s updated all the time and then it’s about February before I really get to know what we’re going to support,” Forrest noted.
