INNISFAIL - The town’s Dough Boys have made a big splash at the practice putting green at the Innisfail Golf Club.
And in doing so, it will support needy clients of the Innisfail & Area Food Bank.
For more than 10 years, the Rotary Club of Innisfail has asked longtime Innisfail residents Bill Hoppins and Dex Dersch to put together a putting green contest alongside the service club’s annual Rotary Club of Innisfail Charity Golf Classic, which this year was held on July 3.
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“We've had other contests that are unique, and this one is the first time we turned it into a fundraiser within a fundraiser,” said Hoppins. “Dex is a very creative fellow, and every year he says we have to change the contest.
“This year he came up with the idea of raising money for the food bank, and we're going to have a contest, and call it Putt for Dough.”
Hoppins said Dersch and his wife baked bread loaves with a hole the size of ones seen on golf greens.
“He went to the Co-op, locally supplied bread, and coated them with eight coats of shellac, and then they cut the hole in the centre,” said Hoppins. “I said, ‘Dex, they are a work of art.”
As for curious tourney participants, they did not have to pay any fee to enter the contest.
The entry fee was included when they registered and paid to enter the Rotary golf tournament.
And if successful at the contest, they received a ticket to be eligible for a draw at the tourney banquet.
“The contest was designed so that if the golfer putted the ball through the hole, he got a chance to win a draw depending on which loaf he put it through,” said Hoppins.
The game itself was simple. Players were given three balls, with a value of $1, $3 and $5, for a total of $9.
If golfers sunk one or all, the total value was paid by Hoppins and Dersch.
“It was us. We are the Dough Boys,” said Hoppins. “We’re trying to get money for the food bank, but we weren't going to give any money unless these guys knew how to putt and that's what made it fun.
“And they were like, ‘hey, let's take these dough boys. We're taking money out of their pocket for the food bank,” added Hoppins. “That got them excited, and Dex and I don't mind giving money to the food bank.”
When the contest was over Hoppins and Dersch paid out a total of $130.
But it did not end there.
Golfers came by and donated $5, $10 or $ 20 for the food bank, which raised another $110.
And then later at the tourney banquet Hoppins and Dersch received another donation for $400.
“She stood up and said, ‘give it to the Dough Boys and the food bank.’ We’re up to $640,” said Hoppins, adding more money came in as he counted donations.
The evening ended with a total amount of $755.
With that money Hoppins aimed to purchase hygiene products from Paul’s NOFRILLS Innisfail that will go to local food banks clients, products the agency is not allowed to purchase.
“Paul (Begg) is going to not only buy $750 worth of good soap at a good price he’s going to top things up to $1,000,” said Hoppins, who is also grateful for the generosity of tournament participants.
“The golfers got in the spirit of giving, and apart from the putting contest, they tripled the funds that were raised.”
