Students at a dilapidated school in Kenya are receiving educational enhancements one tee-off at a time.
Fifty golfers recently gathered at the Ponoka Golf Course to raise funds for A Better World humanitarian organization out of Lacombe.
Organizer Warren Schnoor has been involved with the charity for several years. “It came to my attention there’d never been one (charity golf tournament) before.”
The proceeds, totaling more than $7,500, will go to a school project in Sogobet, Kenya.
Each golfer pays a $175 entry fee and receives a $50 charity receipt. Schnoor has also raised more than $5,000 alone on the promise he’ll shave his mustache for the cause. Schnoor hasn’t seen his lip in 25 years.
“Some of my friends decided I should shave my mustache off. My friends know how attached I am to it,” he said with a laugh.
Schnoor, who visited the location last October, wants to undertake a number of tasks at the school, including new buildings because what’s there now are unsafe for the children.
“How you could learn and go to school in them is a whole other question,” said Schnoor.
He also wants to build more washrooms as 340 children are sharing two. There’s also basic improvements needed to desks and other smaller items.
Although this is only the first year, Schnoor is hoping to make A Better World Charity Golf Tournament an annual event. “We know that the money is going to a good cause and we know there’s some students in Kenya that will greatly benefit.”