Golf tournament supports Project Lifesaver

By BRIAN FUNK
Staff

A lot of golf tournaments get going with a shotgun start, but few begin with
a fire siren.
The sound signaled the beginning of a charity golf tournament sponsored by
Bogey¹s Restaurant of Galax that raised more than $7,000 for a new endeavor
to help residents of the Twin Counties.
Project Lifesaver is aimed at children and adults with afflictions that make
them prone to wandering away from home, such as Alzheimer¹s disease, Down¹s
Syndrome and autism.
The Galax Volunteer Fire Department is spearheading the Twin County chapter
of Project Lifesaver. Galax Fire Chief David Hankley said people often go
missing from nursing homes, special care centers and private residences.
Using the initiative¹s technology, a missing person can be located within
minutes of their disappearance.
The system uses a wristwatch transmitter that can only be removed by cutting
off the band.
When a person wanders off, their parent or caregiver can call 911 and the
dispatcher will alert the Project Lifesaver Rescue Team, which consists of
emergency service providers.
The team goes to the last place the person was seen and enters a special
frequency for that person¹s ID transmitter into a handheld receiver. Some
searches take only minutes.
Bogey¹s owner Stew Frazier was one of the first to donate to the Project
Lifesaver cause, which began earlier this summer. He also organized the
inaugural Bogey¹s Golf & Beach Blast tournament held July 29.
It was held at the Galax Municipal Golf Course, next to the restaurant.
The event drew 88 golfers to the nine-hole course.
³We heard from several golfers that it was one of the best-run tournaments
they¹d ever played in,² Frazier said.
He thinks both the quality of the tournament and the fact that it was for a
good cause contributed to the high turnout.
The tournament raised close to $7,000, bringing Project Lifesaver¹s total
funding to about $12,500.
Frazier said he¹d like the event to be held annually to benefit Project
Lifesaver.
Frazier said Bogey¹s plans to host more charity tournaments in the near
future, which will be announced on the restaurant¹s Web site,
www.bogeysgreatfoodandfun.com.
The Project Lifesaver board members said they are already asked about the
next tournament, planned for July 2007. They plan a few changes, noting that
more people would likely participate in a two-day event.
Hankley said he was impressed with support from the community.
The tournament had 45 hole sponsors. Graphic Traffic of Galax helped out by
printing all the hole sponsor signs.
Hankley said money raised prior to the tournament will pay for equipment.
The transmitters cost $165 each and Project Lifesaver will provide new bands
and batteries for $10 a month.
Tournament proceeds will be put aside to buy equipment for families that
can¹t afford it.
Project Lifesaver is setting up a non-profit foundation to handle donations.
³We¹ll use the money to pay for the bands, transmitters and batteries,²
Hankley said.
It will be about 10 weeks before Project Lifesaver receives equipment and
conducts a two-day training for 15 rescue workers and firefighters.
Five people will become trainers after the session, able to pass on their
knowledge to others. Team members will visit homes to change batteries and
train parents and caregivers.
Hankley said Project Lifesaver will have teams in all three localities.
After the golf tournament, guests enjoyed a traditional ³low country boil²
seafood buffet at Bogey¹s, a performance by the Crystal River Band and music
from DJ Janet Mullins.
Mullins, who donated her services, helped raise more money by ³auctioning²
her songs and taking up money from donors who paid her not to play ³Rocky
Top.²
Mullins raised $305 on her own.
Two armoires, donated by Vaughan and Vaughan-Bassett furniture companies,
were given away.
Volunteers who helped out with the tournament included the Bogey¹s staff,
Galax firefighters, the Carroll County High School Interact Club, Ronald
Rector and Chad Reeves.

Sponsors included John and Ann Vaughan, John and Suzie Garner, David and
Elizabeth Vaughan, James and Linda Riddle, Dustin and Tracy Snow, Southwest
Virginia Home Health Care, Galax Radiology, Grayson National Bank, Graphic
Traffic, Bridle Creek Par 3, Larrowe & Co., Guynn Furniture, SYSCO Foods of
Virginia, US Foods, Wachovia Securities/Eddie Hanks, Bogey¹s, Morton Realty,
Vaughan-Guynn Funeral Home, Paisley Insurance, Coram Construction and E&L
Diamond.
Also, Corinthian Hair Salon, D&J Plumbing, Larrowe Landscaping, Inland
Seafood, Cavalier Supply, Mountain Linen, The Gazette, All-State Restaurant
Equipment, Pearl M. Dixon, Fran Dixon, Holsten Valley, Eden Distributing,
Evans Distributing, Guynn Distributing, Twin County Energy, Tri-County
Glass, Park Avenue Limo, Wachovia Bank, The Galax Smokehouse, Alan K.
Caudell Attorney at Law; The Steiners (Chuck, Kandy, Trey and Jackson),
Williams Physical Therapy, Crowder, NAPA Auto Parts, Harmon Construction and
Vaughan-Bassett Furniture.
Also, Heartland Payment Systems, The Eye Glass Place, Twin County Regional
Hospital, Russell¹s Garage, Blue Ridge Physicians for Women,
Grayson-Carroll-Wythe Insurance, Mary Guynn, Hill¹s Trucking, Turman
Hardwood Flooring, Vaughan Furniture, Ballard Real Estate and Jeff Johnson
Family of Dealers.
Prize donors included Twin County Energy, Galyean¹s Garage, Cleveland Golf,
Prime Sirloin, Applebee¹s, Graphic Traffic, Wal-Mart of Galax, Wal-Mart of
Mount Airy, The Galax Smokehouse, Lowe¹s, Maurice Vaughan Furniture,
Vaughan-Bassett Furniture, Party Flavor, Blue Ridge Physicians for Women,
American Mirror, Oak Valley Country Club, Macado¹s and Draper Valley Golf
Course.
Also, Todd Chiropractic, Corinthian Hair Salon, Rayzors Hair Salon, Food
City, Crystal River Band, Turman Log Homes, Artifax, Galax Wellness Center,
Chestnut Creek Cabins, New River Trail Cabins, Harmon¹s Clothing, Richard
Childress Racing, Wachovia Bank, Embroideryville, Vaughan Furniture, Tuck
Chiropractic, Ricky Nelson, Wolf Glade Grocery, Mary Guynn, Tom McKnight,
Sunny Days Auto Care, Horizon Equipment Rental, DJ Janet Mullins, Becky
Guynn, Twin County Regional Chamber of Commerce and The Framer¹s Daughter.

For more information, visit Project Lifesaver¹s Web site,
www.twincountyprojectlifesaver.com or send e-mail to
projectlifesaver@galaxfire.com.

Winners of the Project Lifesaver Tournament
Championship Flight ‹ AM
1st ‹ Doug Bryant and Sam Bryant
2nd ‹ Ben Zachary and Terrance Evans
3rd ‹ Jay Guynn and Jack Guynn

Championship Flight ‹ PM
1st ‹ Jacky Anderson and Don Sharp
2nd ‹ Danny Roberts and James Williams
3rd ‹ Andy Cardwell and Onnie Harmon

First Flight ‹ AM
1st ‹ Mark Fackrell and Gary Ballard
2nd ‹ Dustin Snow and Kent Ross
3rd ‹ Chris Morton and Kevin Weatherman

First Flight ‹ PM
1st ‹ Rob Guynn and Becky Guynn
2nd ‹ Dr. Wade Peery and Harry Peery
3rd ‹ Mark Fackrell and Gary Ballard

Second Flight ‹ AM
1st ‹ Mike Stevens and Jack Carmody
2nd ‹ Tommy Golding and Dale Friese
3rd ‹ Harold Golding and Jim Jesse