Disc golf fundraiser to be held in memory of Grand Island man

• What: Leon D. Carr Memorial Disc Golf Tournament and Fundraiser
• When: Saturday, July 5. Tee time: 9 a.m.; fundraiser: noon.
• Where: Blue Heron Disc Golf Course, Beaver Island State Park.
• Why: To raise funds to cover funeral and medical costs incurred by the family and to establish an annual scholarship to be given in Leon’s name.
• Long-term goal: To also to fund a skiing safety awareness program and to support youth activities in the Grand Island community.
• Events: Disc golf tournament, followed by raffles, Chinese auction, food and drink, 2 live bands, family activities.

The Leon D. Carr Memorial Disc Golf Tournament and Fundraiser will be held starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, July 5, at Beaver Island State Park

Leon Carr, 29, of Grand Island, lost his life this past winter at Holiday Valley Ski Resort, pursuing a sport he loved – snowboarding. He was an experienced snowboarder and was wearing his helmet at the time, but the injuries he sustained were too severe.

A chef who was locally famous for his one-of-a-kind soups and specials at the Village Inn restaurant on Grand Island, he pursued life with a joy and enthusiasm that drew people to him.

You name a sport, he did it with grace and ease – softball, jogging, bicycling, camping, hacky sack, frisbee.

 One of his favorite pursuits was disc golf at Beaver Island State Park.

It is in his honor and memory that his friends and family are holding The July 5 disc golf tournament. Tee time is at 9 a.m., and the fundraiser follows at noon. The event is being held to raise money to cover the funeral and medical costs incurred by the family and to establish an annual scholarship fund to be given in his name.

He was a graduate of Grand Island High School and Erie Community College, from which he graduated with honors. His girlfriend, Sarah T. Gurbacki,  remembers “his strong sense of family, his ability to make friends with everyone he met, and his true generosity, even to strangers.”

Organizers also hope proceeds eventually can fund a skiing and snowboarding safety awareness program, as well as youth activities in the Grand Island community.

Besides the tournament, the fundraiser will include raffles, a Chinese auction, food and drink, live bands and family activities.

Donations are welcome, including items of value, gift certificates, gift baskets or monetary contributions. There also is an opportunity to sponsor one of the 18 holes on the disc golf course for the day of the tournament. To sponsor a hole, a business or individual can donate a monetary gift, as you see fit, to the memorial fund in exchange for a sponsorship sign at a disc golf hole and inclusion on the fundraiser Web site.

Donations can be sent by June 28 to: Leon D. Carr Memorial Fund, PO Box 924, Grand Island, NY 14072. For more information, visit the fundraiser Web site at www.leondcarr.com, or contact Amanda at 816-8148 or Christina at 812-7617.

Leon D. Carr, playing disc golf at Beaver Island State Park.