Lake Chelan Memory Cup draws crowd

CHELAN – Fifty participants from outside North Central Washington arrived in Chelan to compete at the very first Lake Chelan Memory Cup, held on June 23 at Bear Mountain Ranch Golf Resort.

In charge of putting this tournament together was former Seahawk and NFL player David Kirtman. Kirtman is member of the Board  of the Alzheimer’s Association Washington State Chapter.

Kirtman became a board member because his dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2017. Louis Kirtman, David’s dad, become the second generation to be affected by the disease in the family. Ever since Kirtman found out his dad was being affected, he knew he wanted to get involved and find ways to impact the cause.

In particular Kirtman wanted to focus on the North Central Washington area because there are a lot of people living here who are retired and of older age. “My wife, Chanyn, grew up in that area and we spend time there every summer. We love the community there and knew it would be the perfect place to raise funds and awareness for Alzheimer’s disease,” said Kirtman.

This inspired Kirtman to plan this event in order to raise money for the association and decided the Lake Chelan Memory Cup would then take place here in town. Players were divided into teams and played golf on a sunny Saturday morning. A shotgun start made things easier, with every hole used as a first hole. All teams played a full round (18 holes).

Local businesses sponsored the event. The people who attended the event also had the chance of purchasing raffle tickets and winning some unique prizes. At the end, over $25,000 was raised for the Alzheimer’s Association Washington State Chapter, which provides care and support services for individuals and families impacted by Alzheimer’s and dementia. The association is also the largest nonprofit funder of Alzheimer’s and dementia research.

The first place in the tournament went to Team Jung: Andre Jung, Chris and Joan Davies and Alonzo Mitz.

Former Seattle Seahawks participated in the event including Jordan Babineaux, Chris Spencer and Alonzo Mitz.

Alzheimer’s Association Development Director Roxanne Gossard, Special Events Manager Andrea Simmonds and Marketing and Communications Director Carrie McBride were present.

This tournament will be back in town next year and for the next two decades said Kirtman.

A support group in Chelan for family caregivers is also in Kirtman’s plans, but in order for that to happen, the association needs a volunteer Support Group Facilitator. If interested visit, volunteermatch.org.