With the Scotties kicking off in Calgary this weekend, a group of former champion curlers will be looking to raise money for a good cause right here in Kelowna.
The annual Canadian curling tournament started in Calgary Friday, and will carry through until next Sunday. But this Sunday, six former curlers will be manning the phones at the Kelowna Curling Club for the annual Sandra Schmirler Foundation telethon.
“It’s been happening for 20 years,” Jock Tyre, Kelowna Curling Club general manager, said of the fundraiser. “Sandra won a gold medal at the Olympics and then two years later passed away from cancer.”
Over the past 20 years, the annual telethon has raised a combined $4.7 million that has been given to newborn intensive care units at 61 hospitals’ across the country, including Kelowna General Hospital.
This year’s telethon will be hosted from several Canadian curling clubs throughout Sunday, and the Kelowna Curling Club will be the only British Columbian location.
“They would normally do the telethon right there at the arena [in Calgary], but because there’s no spectators at the arena they’ve spread it out,” Tyre said.
Sasha Carter, Jeanna Schraeder, Renee Simons, Mary-Anne Arsenault, Lisa Walker-Stephenson and Jacqui Adams will be manning the phones at the Kelowna Curling Club from 6 to 9 p.m. on Sunday.
Those looking to donate to the fundraiser Sunday can do so at 1-866-210-6011.
Kamloops’ Team Brown is representing B.C. at this year’s tournament.
Tyre says they’ll be showing the Scotties at the Kelowna Curling Club’s restaurant over the next week.
“Hopefully people can come down because it’s the best place to watch the Scotties,” he said.
