PGI Golf Tournament 2000

A calm and sunny day on the greens was followed by a sumptuous evening banquet on the tenth anniversary of the Manitoba PGI at Pine Ridge Golf Course on May 31. Relieved we were to avoid the rainfall that plagued most golf courses throughout the month of June.

A genial slate of 132 golfers attended, including Ron Riopka, Intergovernmental Affairs; Manitoba Chamber of Commerce reps; four school superintendents; and national sponsor teams from Canada Post, Petro Canada, Royal Bank, Great West Life, Air Canada, and The Cooperators. Stiff competition indeed! Top honours went to the committed foursome from Ducks Unlimited: Jim Ingebrigtsen, Bob Kindrachuk, Brian Gray and John Markowski. Bob Kindrachuk was also the Gzowski Winner as the person who best embodies the spirit of the tournament.

The Cooperators’ Learner Achievement award winner, Jacqueline Moquin, of the Deaf Literacy Program, accepts a cheque for $200 and a framed certificate from Bill McEachern

It was a pleasure to meet Iolle Fabbro, National PGI coordinator, from ABC CANADA. She gamely chipped in to cut Gimme Strings for thirty golfer teams, worked on setup the night before until midnight, then awoke bright and early to assist at registration and throughout the day.

Thanks to the dedicated crew of volunteers on the steering committee, over $50,000 worth of prizes were secured. Corporate Chairman Kerry Knudsen obtained sponsorships for commemorative vests from MTS Advanced, Oracle Corporation Canada, and Nortel Networks to ensure that every single golfer went home with a concrete reminder of the value of their $195 registration fee.

A digital camera was donated by Epson and generated a profit of $850 in the silent auction bidding process by the First Class technology project of CBLS.

Evening Ceremonies

Master of Ceremonies Jim Ingebrigtsen hosted the evening.

Abe Friesen, Manitoba Learner Rep to MCL, opened the evening banquet with grace, and highlighted the importance of literacy programs with his personal story. Rosemary Arnaud from the Learner Speakers’ Bureau introduced Kyra Zimmer, instructor, and Jacqueline Moquin, learner, from the Deaf Literacy Program. Jaquelin was the winner of The Cooperators’ Learner Achievement Award certificate and a $200 cheque. Congratulations to all nominees and their program instructors for taking part in this contest.

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