Mick Nieman Memorial Golf Tournament raising money for Alzheimer’s set for this weekend
The third annual Mick Nieman Memorial Golf Tournament is set to tee off Saturday.
Sisters Nicole Ambrosi and Wendy Weiss started the tournament in 2020 to raise funds for the Alzheimer Society of Alberta and Northwest Territories in memory of their dad, Mick Neiman, who passed away from Alzheimer’s in 2014.
The first tournament raised $35,000 in donations for the Alzheimer Society and the 2021 tournament raised $45,000.
Ambrosi said the tournament started with a focus on Alzheimers awareness which has changed over time to instead focus on community support for those families affected by the disease.
“It’s really turned into more of a celebration of the ones that we’ve loved and lost while having a little bit of fun and raising money for an important cause,” Ambrosi said. “My sister and I have done this and it’s been really, really rewarding. We feel very fortunate to have the support from businesses, even people we don’t know and businesses with the donations. It’s amazing.”
Ambrosi said the tournament idea came from wanting to raise money for Alzheimer’s awareness and because their father liked being part of the community and golfing. She said both years sold out sooner than they ever expected and she was humbled by the support they’ve received. This year’s tournament, hosted at Cottonwood Coulee Golf Course, is also already sold out but Ambrosi said anyone interested can still donate or attend their banquet at Ralph’s steak house after the tournament. The banquet will include a live and silent auction, raffle items, booze basket, a 50/50 draw and speeches from both sisters.
More information for the tournament can be found on their Facebook page, Mick Nieman Memorial Assc.
Holli Bjerland, the provincial lead of the philanthropy team with the Alzheimer Society of Alberta and Northwest Territories, said the money raised in events like the Mick Nieman Memorial Golf Tournament help provide a personalized service for those with Alzheimer’s.
“There’s 50,000 Albertans living with an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis right now and that number is expected to grow,” Bjerland said. “We receive approximately 150 new referrals every month and the money is used for personalized support to help folks who have a diagnosis, their family members or care partners navigate that journey. Whatever they might need for support and disease education, as well and research work groups.”
Bjerland said any money raised from the golf tournament will go toward providing services in Medicine Hat and southeastern Alberta and is crucial for their operation.
“Coming out of COVID it’s been really critical because all of our fundraising in-person events were halted. With Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia, of course, all of those community supports in person were halted while demand went up,” Bjerland said. “Everybody’s aware that folks with dementia were so deeply impacted and with increase in demand, I mean, we just simply can’t operate, we can’t do it without the support of the community.”
Individuals who would like support and access to dementia-specific information, resources and supports can call the Alzheimer Society of Alberta and Northwest Territories’ toll free line: 1-866-950-5465
Ambrosi said her and her sister won’t be golfing in the tournament as they are leaving it up to the rest of their family.
“My dad was a really good golfer, my sons are good golfers and I do not golf,” Ambrosi said. “We kind of golf but we’re not very good at it, so we’re not golfing. We drive around and we talk to a lot of the people that are in the tournament, our family and friends and new friends that we meet along the way. My mom is golfing, my dad’s brothers and my sister is golfing; we drive around and we visit everyone, it’s so fun.”