Golf outing will raise funds for defibrillators for schools

The Bedford Heart Heroes is hosting its first-ever golf outing on Friday to raise money for defibrillators to be placed in Bedford Public Schools.

The organization, started by the Lion's Club of Bedford Township, is led by a committee of people who are dedicated to raising awareness of the need for defibrillators, or AEDs.

The golf outing is open to people of all ages and will take place at Giant Oaks Golf Club, 1024 Valetta Drive, beginning with a 9 a.m. check-in and a shotgun start at 10 a.m.

Registration for the event, consisting of four-person scrambles, costs $60 per person. The fee includes use of a golf cart as well as a steak dinner at the club following the outing.

The event will also feature a par-3 hole-in-one contest.

Those who participate will have the chance to win various prizes, including $10,000 round-trip domestic air fare for two, a Sharp LCD flat-screen television, or a set of Callaway Diablo Irons.

Proceeds from the event will go toward 10 automated external defibrillators for Bedford Public Schools.

Bedford Heart Heroes member Bob McCarthy, the organizer for the outing, said he was looking for a good way to raise support for the AEDs program.

"One way to raise money is golf," Mr. McCarthy said. "Everybody likes a golf outing."

Mr. McCarthy said the Bedford Heart Heroes is trying to accomplish four things: to provide equipment such as the AEDs; to provide free training for coaches, athletic directors, and the general public working at the Bedford Public Schools; to cover the costs of yearly maintenance and instructions for the equipment, and to create a foundation to provide funding for future maintenance and training.

So far, Bedford Heart Heroes has donated three AEDs to the Bedford Sheriff's Department, he said.

To register for the outing, call Mr. McCarthy at 419-213-0188.

Contact Payton Willey at: paytonwilley@theblade.com or 419-724-6065