a golfer at Desert Blume Golf Course

By Tiffany Goodwein

Friends golf for men’s mental health

Sep 19, 2020 | 6:29 PM

MEDICINE HAT AB,- It started off as just a day to get together with friends, but it quickly evolved. About 20 people, all friends, teed off at the Desert Blume Golf Course Saturday to raise money for men’s mental health.

“During the COVID summer, it’s been kind of tough to move around, travel around so we’ve had a number of our friends that used to live here born and raised, lived here, and then moved to Calgary. said co-organizer Sean Bourassa.

The friends, each with a connection to the city wanted to do something to support men struggling with mental health, especially given the fact that a number of men in our community have died by suicide in recent months.

“ This situation I think has affected all of us in some way. Medicine Hat’s a small city and I think we all know situations that have happened recently or in the past where this has affected somebody in this tournament directly or indirectly,” Bourassa said.

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“I think for anyone who is born and raised in Medicine Hat, we see our city struggling a little bit, but we also realize at the same time there is power in adversity, and with that hopefully we can learn from what is going on and get better and be stronger,” co-organizer Kevin Fuhrmann said,

Through a few days of planning, the friends came together and formed Bugsy and Bee’s Battle for the Hat, a golf tournament equipped with a silent auction at The Mezz downtown.

“It started out as let’s put some money in the hat, play some golf today and then use some of that money towards a donation, people caught wind of the idea. Local sponsorship was overwhelming with the businesses and the support that came in. So we have a ton of prizes and really it’s going to come down to these 20 guys and some of the people that couldn’t be here but wanted to support this but are away,” Bourassa said.

The group of guys aimed to raise $1000 but have already surpassed their goal. Money raised is going to support the Canadian Mental Health Association’s fund for suicide education and prevention.