The second annual Working the Iron charity golf tournament surpassed everyone's fundraising expectations.
The tournament, held in honour of the late Henry Heyink, raised $79,500 in one day and presented a cheque to the Alzheimer Society of Chatham-Kent.
"We raised an amount of money that just blew us away," said Sarah Huizing, one of Heyink's daughters.
"My sisters and I, we talk about the generosity of the community," Huizing said of the residents of Chatham-Kent. "It's mind blowing and we're just so grateful for everybody. We could not have done it without everyone's support."
For the last two years Heyink's daughters Karen, Rebecka, Sarah, and Amy have organized the event. Last year, they raised $65,000 for VON Home and Community Care.
When asked why they changed the recipients of the funds to the Alzheimer's Society, Huizing said it was to honour their late grandmother.
"My dad's mother had Alzheimer's disease," Huizing shared. "So, we wanted to give back to an organization in the community that could potentially offer support to patients that are suffering with Alzheimer's, but also their families."
Brandon Ball, CEO of the Alzheimer Society of Chatham-Kent, said that the amount raised is "massive" for the non-profit organization adding that they were floored by the total amount.
"We had no idea, it was going to be in that ballpark," he said. "It's pretty incredible."
Ball side this is the biggest fundraiser of the year for CK's Alzheimer's Society and it's especially remarkable as it was organized by a third party.
The Alzheimer Society of Chatham-Kent offers a number of services to the community including day programs, in-home respite care, public education, and fundraising.
Joel Emery, the society's Fund Development and Admin Coordinator, said that as a non-profit organization, they rely heavily on donations and this money will make a huge difference.
"We really rely on donations to keep operating, to keep our programs and services alive," he said. "For anyone who can't afford the mandated co-payment for day programs or home respite donations come in and help those people that might not be able to afford it."
Emery added that the money will stay in Chatham-Kent and be used to help people in the community.