MOOSE JAW — Members of the Moose Jaw International Medical Mission (MJIMM) team may perform valuable work for less fortunate people in Guatemala, but they also require significant financial support to ensure successful projects.
To generate funds for its February 2025 trip to Patzun, Guatemala, the organization is hosting an inaugural golf tournament at the Hillcrest Golf Course on Saturday, Sept. 7. Registration occurs at 9 a.m., and a shotgun start happens at 10 a.m.
Registration for individual players is $100 and for teams is $375. All registrations include a cart, burger and beer.
The event will be a “quick fundraiser” since it will be only nine holes, as the organization doesn’t want to interrupt the course’s regular golfers too much, said Louise Rogoschewsky, tournament organizer. There will be contests throughout the event, such as best ball, while there will be plenty of food to enjoy.
The deadline to register is Sunday, Sept. 1, while the Mission’s goal is to have 80 people or teams participate, she continued. There is still room for more participants, so anyone who wants to join should email [email protected].
The idea for a golf tournament fundraiser arose after one of Rogoschewsky’s friends suggested the team hold something like that. The friend pointed out that it would be fun, there would be a big group of people participating, and it would be possible to generate plenty of money.
“We have had other fundraisers, and they make some money, like $1,000 or $2,000, and so I was told that we could make a larger amount for a one-day event,” the organizer said. “So that’s our goal.”
The team’s overall fundraising goal this year is $80,000, which is the money it requires to purchase medical supplies and ship them to the Central American country, Rogoschewsky continued. Meanwhile, the members are technically volunteers, so they pay their own expenses, such as flights and food.
“So as a group of about 40 people, that’s a lot to fundraise in about 10 months, so we started early,” she stated.
The organizer added that the team is looking for corporate sponsors for the golf tournament, with those businesses acting as sponsors for the nine holes.
Rogoschewsky has travelled to Guatemala several times over the years with the MJIMM, a group comprised of about 40 surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, family physicians and support personnel. Moreover, many of these people are from Saskatchewan, including Moose Jaw, Regina, Prince Albert and Saskatchewan.
“We land in Guatemala City (and) we travel to a smaller city of Patzun, and we provide a variety of medical services, including health education, medical interventions (and) surgeries,” she said.
Several teams then visit smaller communities around Patzun and install wood stoves, provide medical information, provide medications, and sometimes distribute female hygiene products, Rogoschewsky continued. These hygiene products are part of the Days for Girls program, which aims to provide women and girls with underwear, reusable pads and education since not every woman understands her own body.
“So that was my big privilege to contribute to that mission last year,” she added.
For more information about the Moose Jaw International Medical Mission, visit its Facebook page or visit the Bridges of Hope website.
