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Date: 8/9/2023
EAST LONGMEADOW — On Aug. 28, golfers will tee off and raise money for eye research in the 34th Annual East Longmeadow Lions Memorial Golf Tournament.
“Our main goal is definitely eye related,” Lion Dave Martinez said of the fundraising tournament.
The Lions Club was formed in 1917 as a community service organization. Eight years later, Helen Keller addressed the Lions at its International Convention and challenged them be “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness.” Since then, sight-related causes have been a mission of the Lions Club.
Martinez said the primary benefactor of the tournament is the Massachusetts Lions Eye Research Fund, a nonprofit that funds research into blindness and sight disorders. In the past, the tournament has raised as much as $4,000 for the organization.
Some of the funding raised by the Lions is used for other events and charities, such as supplying glasses for seniors and supporting Valley Eye Radio, an organization that records volunteers reading newspapers and other print media for the seeing impaired.
Businesses also sponsor the Lions through yearly donations. The Lions also host beer and wine dinners and a cornhole tournament as fundraisers. These funds are used for community events, such as East Longmeadow’s fishing derby and annual tree lighting.
The tournament will be a scramble format at Franconia Gold Course. Beginning at 9 a.m. with a shotgun start, the play will continue into the afternoon and be followed by dinner at Mario’s Café Ambiance, 60 Shaker Rd. The tournament fee is $115, which includes 18 holes of golf, a golf cart, pre-tournament breakfast, raffle prizes and dinner. For those not interested in golf, the fee for dinner only is $35.
Prizes will be awarded for the best score, the second-best score and a random drawing.
“That way, if you’re not a strong golfer, you still have a chance at winning something,” Martinez said.
Martinez said people make the golf tournament into a tradition. “Every year we get a few new foursomes, but a lot of teams come back year after year,” he said.
Up to 100 players can enter the tournament and spots are still open.
Checks can be made payable to Lions Club of East Longmeadow and must be mailed with a registration form to Lion Dave Martinez, 163 Elm St., East Longmeadow, MA 01028 or emailed to dmartz@comcast.net.