Tuesday, October 05, 1999
Eager duffers ignore drizzle
Golf events fund outings for disabled
BY JANICE MORSE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
LIBERTY TOWNSHIP — It was drizzly, gloomy and chilly at Monday's Putt, Chip and Drive contest. Nevertheless, a dozen adult golfers with developmental disabilities were thrilled to show off their skills.
“It's a little wet, but it's fun!” exclaimed Adam Condo, 29, a Fairfield man who has a learning disability.
Grinning broadly, Mr. Condo walked away from the event at the Elks Country Club with wins in two of three categories. He won the chip contest and also the drive contest, smacking the ball 125 yards. “I like to hit it far!” he said.
Dale Murphy, a golfer with Down syndrome, didn't mind hitting the ball short distances. “Yeah, baby! Yeah!” he shouted as his ball came closer to the hole than anyone else's. He won the putt con test.
Each winner received a medal, and all participants were given a Special Olympics participation medal.
“The weather didn't dampen their enthusiasm for being out there on the golf course,” said Pam Long, spokeswoman for the Butler County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, an agency that provided some volunteers. “This is a big-time event for them.”
Following the Putt, Chip and Drive Contest for those with disabilities, an “Even the Score” golf scramble — in its fourth year — drew nearly 200 participants, including Mr. Condo and others with disabilities. Their $125 entry fees helped raise funds for Miami Valley Industries (MVI), a nonprofit organization that solicits work from businesses and pays people with disabilities to complete it.
Figures from this year's event were unavailable Monday, but last year's scramble grossed $30,000, Mrs. Long said.
MVI parcels out the funds to allow adults with disabilities to enjoy recreational activities.
“A lot of them don't have much money, and some have never been able to take a trip their whole adult life,” Mrs. Long said, adding that the money may be used to send some participants to a Cincinnati Reds game.
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