In 2006, UCTE recognized an opportunity to make a difference in a different way. We decided that the annual golf tournament could also benefit a charity. The national president at the time, Mike Wing, said that he wanted a charity that:
- Was national in scope
- Received little to no funding from government or United Way or was one of the big ones since they receive a lot of attention
- Helped workers get back to work or in the workplace
After a little research, we came upon the Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind. They met all the criteria and we had active members who had guide dogs.
Over more than 10 years later, UCTE has raised more than $50k and sponsored more than 9 dogs who have actively gone on to be partnered with a person.
Recently, the Mike Wing Charity Golf Tournament was credited with the sponsorship of yet another dog that, in honour of Mike, will be named either Mike or Wing. The puppy isn’t born yet but will be part of an upcoming litter of pups in 2019.
The previous dog, sponsored in 2018, is Bert. Although Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind wants its best dogs to become guide dogs, there is a small percentage that is moved into the organization’s breeding program. Bert completed his obedience and socialization training and, due to his wonderful temperament and intelligence, has become a stud dog so that his amazing qualities will be passed onto future litters of guide dogs.
