STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
The annual Swing Fore Recovery 5B Open Golf Tournament will go on—but with a twist.
The fifth annual tournament, which raises funds for The National Alliance for Mental Illness-Wood River Valley, will be held throughout the month of September as a precaution against the coronavirus.
Individuals can golf on their own or play as a foursome by registering a team at the www.namiwrv.org/golf website. They’ll receive a code to register their participation on an 18Birdies app. Players can play any golf course around the world and input their scores.
Local golf courses—Elkhorn, White Clouds, Twin Falls, Bigwood and Jerome—are offering special pricing during September.
The foursome with the best score will take home certificates for golf from Elkhorn, Bigwood, Twin Falls and Jerome golf courses, along with gift certificates from local restaurant.
In addition to the golf tournament, there will be a raffle with such prizes as a Sun Valley Challenger Ski pass, a BCRD Nordic ski pass and gift cards from Atkinsons’ Markets. Raffle tickets will be sold online at www.nami-wrv.org or at the Ketchum and Hailey Farmers Markets through Oct. 4.
Winners of the golf tournament and raffle will be announced during a virtual party at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5. To join, RSVP to info@namiwrv.org.
Those who would like to show their support as sponsors can purchase a sponsorship. Sponsorship levels start at $200 for a tee box sign that can be displayed on social media and at a place of business. Sponsors will be promoted at all NAMI-WRV events and programming throughout the year.
Funds raised by the tournament, raffle and sponsorships will promote educational programs that support individuals with mental illness and their family members, along with programs that strive to eliminate the stigma with mental health illnesses.
NAMI-Wood River Valley expanded its monthly support groups from five per month to nearly 80 groups per month this past year. Its Bluebirds program promoting mental health and suicide support is now in five schools in Blaine County. It created the only Spanish-speaking NAMI Family Support Group in Idaho and it taught wellness strategies to 15 enrollees in its eight-session Family-to Family class.
Director Christina Cernansky said the group has been working hard to ensure people are not overwhelmed during the ongoing COVID pandemic.
“Unfortunately, our increased efforts to help come with increased needs, but we are confident our community will rise to the challenge and help us drive this campaign the distance to make this Suicide Prevention Awareness Month the most effective yet,” she said.
The Sun Valley Suns hockey players are partnering with NAMI-WRV to raise suicide awareness.
“We know what the burden of silence can carry, and we hope to raise awareness amongst community members to let them know that individuals are not alone, they need to know where to reach out for help,” said Owner John Burke.
Questions? Call Christina Cernansky at 208-481-0686 or email info@namiwrv.org.