Lois Gilbertson Selected as RCGA Volunteer of the Year for 2008

Honour to be presented at the Association’s 2009 Annual General Meeting in Halifax

Halifax, N.S. (RCGA) – The Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) is pleased to announce that Lois Gilbertson of Winfield, Alta. will be honoured for her contributions to the game of golf as the recipient of the RCGA’s 2008 Volunteer of the Year Award.

The award will be presented on Saturday, January 17th at the Association’s Annual General Meeting which is being held at the Marriott Harbourfront Hotel in Halifax, N.S.

“Volunteers are the engines that drive the success of amateur golf across the country and the RCGA is delighted to recognize Lois Gilbertson for her tremendous efforts in 2008,” said Andrew Cook, 2008 RCGA President. “The RCGA fully appreciates the contributions of the many thousands of volunteers who help grow the game in the country and hope they will continue to embrace the wonderful spirit of volunteerism.”

For more than 20 years, Gilbertson has played a pivotal role in growing youth and women’s golf in the Alberta area. An avid golfer, her game has now taken a back seat to teaching kids through the CN Future Links and Girls Club programs.

For years, Gilbertson taught young golfers at Fairways West in the CN Future Links Level 1 program and is currently working on setting up a Girls Club in Drayton Valley and Breton.
In her first year, 50 kids registered and the enthusiasm for junior golf began to grow. She decided to start working with kids because she enjoys giving young golfers something to look forward to and wants to help to keep them out of trouble.

Along with teaching CN Future Links programs, she gathers supplies and equipment to run her youth programs since many of the children cannot afford golf equipment. Gilbertson provides the necessary equipment and teaches the children without monetary compensation.
With her collected donations, she also acquires prizes for the participants, the golfer who pays the most attention and the one who shows the most willingness to learn.

Although this was a project Gilbertson initially started on her own, she now has many women who support her in her endeavors and has taken on quite a handful in terms of coordinating activities. Two of the courses she runs programs from do not have golf pros, so she recruited help from her friend, CPGA Pro Susan Wright to teach level two.Along with her commitments to youth golf, Gilbertson plays an important role within the Alberta Golf Association. For more info on Lois Gilberston, please click here.

ABOUT THE ROYAL CANADIAN GOLF ASSOCIATIONThe Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) is the governing body of golf in Canada, representing 377,000 members at 1,600 clubs across the country. Recognized by Sport Canada as the National Sports Organization (NSO) for golf in this country, the RCGA’s mission is to grow participation in and passion for the sport while upholding the integrity and traditions of the game. The RCGA conducts programs and services to help shape the future of golf in Canada. High performance athlete development, CN Future Links, Canada’s national junior golf program, turfgrass and environmental research, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum, Rules of Golf and amateur status, handicapping and course rating are only some of the initiatives the association leads for golf in Canada. In addition, the RCGA conducts Canada’s most prestigious golf championships. The RBC Canadian Open and CN Canadian Women’s Open attract the best professional golfers in the world, while regional junior and national amateur championships showcase the best in Canadian golf.

For further information on what the RCGA is doing to support golf in your community please visit www.rcga.org.