(l to r) Randy Fred, Donn Sherry, Director, Dave Ruckman,

                                     and Dean Thompson, Director with Gold Medals

Randy Fred and Dave Ruckman, blind lawn bowlers, recently won Gold Medals at the Canadian finals, beating out previous world title holders and qualifying them to compete at the International Blind Lawn Bowlers Championships in New Zealand, February 15 – 28, 2015.

Rules mandate that blind players must be accompanied by a sighted Director/Coach. The registration fees, travel and accommodation expenses amount to $20,000 for the 2 Gold Medalists and their Directors to compete at these international games. 

How can you help ?  By donating to this campaign, your generosity will enable Randy and Dave to achieve their ultimate goal of World Champion status!  These amazing athletes are representing Canada and Canada is YOU!  Please donate and make this dream a reality.  Tell your friends and pass on this information to everyone who might be interested.  We need your help.  

Enquiries at various levels of government to date have been futile regarding acquisition of travel funds but we will continue the pursuit, broadening our horizons day by day.  

Requests for funding or sponsorship to date include:  local corporations, service clubs, sport specific and blind organizations, social media, crowd funding, and community fundraising events.  Beer and burger/silent auction nites have been scheduled locally in Nov and Dec. 

Lawn Bowling Clubs across the Province are being challenged to contribute through their own fundraising events.

The background of these blind bowlers, and their quest to compete internationally, is a story that deserves to be told nationwide.  They will represent Canada and citizens need to know about these outstanding athletes and their remarkable achievements to date.    

Meet the Bowlers:  

Randy Fred has been living without vision since the age of 15. As a major talent in the world of vision impaired athletes, he is an inspiration to the sport, his colleagues and his community. To date, he has earned 19 Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in Provincial and National competitions. Competing at the International Games in New Zealand would be a dream come true.

In his working career, Randy has:

•          Founded 2 book publishing companies;
•          Won the Lt. Governor’s Outstanding BC History Award for bestselling book 
           “Stoney Creek Woman: The Story of Mary John” by Bridget Moran;
•          Presented with the Gray Campbell Distinguished Service Award in 2005 for
           his contribution to the BC publishing industry’;
•          Currently, he is producing videos to establish an internet radio/television
           station for the Hul’gumi’num language.

In 2010, Dave Ruckman lost the majority of his vision over a 3 day period due to a blood flow disorder to the optic nerve.  With the ultimate reality, the loss of employment, loss of income, marital status and a social network, life became a challenge.

In 2011, Dave became a member of the sight impaired program at the NLBC. The lawn bowling community has provided a conduit for new friendships and a physical activity essential to a healthy lifestyle.  Dave has steadily improved as a lawn bowler with victories and top three finishes both in sight impaired and fully sighted bowling tournaments.

This summer, together with two sighted bowlers, he won the 2014 Tenderfoot Tournament for bowlers from all over the north island with 3 years or less experience.

Did you know that the Nanaimo Lawn Bowling Club is one of the largest, most inclusive clubs for persons with a disability in BC, if not Canada?  We are very proud of our sight impaired members and all those who rally to coach and support them.  

The Nanaimo Lawn Bowling Club has established a fundraising committee who is working diligently at raising sufficient money to send these exceptional athletes to fulfil a dream of a lifetime. The quest has been coined the “Journey Down Under”.