District 70 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) organized a charity golf tournament in Wichita, Kansas, to raise funds for Guide Dogs of America | Tender Loving Canines (GDA | TLC). The event brought together thirty-three teams, who played under best-ball rules with a cap at par per hole.
The tournament raised more than $68,000 for GDA | TLC. According to organizers, it costs about $60,000 to train and raise one guide dog for a person in need.
IAM District 70 Secretary-Treasurer Teressa Peart said, “To know that what you are doing is helping someone’s life, helping them gain their independence, it is a wonderful feeling for us. It’s just an amazing thing”.
Dawson Hart, a military veteran from the Iraq war who was left legally blind after an IED explosion, attended the event with his guide dog Bauer. Hart received his first service dog through GDA | TLC ten years ago and has relied on Bauer for the past five years. He traveled from North Carolina to Kansas to support the tournament and meet participants. Hart stated, “Making donations is fine, but that’s not meeting somebody, that’s not shaking somebody’s hand and saying thank you for saving my life, because that’s what they do. That’s what these folks right here are doing.”
IAM Local 774 President Brian Alexander described the high demand for participation: “Within the first couple of weeks of registration for the tournament we were sold out, nothing more was left, but we kept getting calls: ‘Hey can you add my team? How can you say no? So the locals and the district worked with Mattie and her staff at Sand Creek Station Golf Course and we made a way.”
Craig Martin, IAM Southern Territory General Vice President, commented on the significance of the event coinciding with other union activities: “This is a perfect way to celebrate the Guide Dogs of America | Tender Loving Canines 77th birthday. District 70 had a lot of events going on simultaneously that weekend with a major ratification vote for Bombardier members, but they still found time to give back to this important charity. Thank you to all who participated”.
The winning team finished with a score of 58—14 under par—highlighting both competitive play and charitable giving.