SURREY — A local church pastor will spend Father's Day golfing — but not the way most dads will be hitting the links.
John Burns will play a White Rock course for a full 24 hours, starting Sunday evening (June 21), in a bid to raise money and support for a favourite charity of his.
Burns, known as "PJ" to his staff at Relate Church in Surrey, will tee off at 8:30 p.m. at Peace Portal and, carrying his own clubs, will attempt to run and play as many holes of golf as he can over the following 24 hours.
He'll play through the night wearing a head lamp and hitting golf balls that light up, according to Kelly Voros, his volunteer administration assistant.
"He's done something like this before as a fundraiser, but it was 100 holes in a row, which makes his wife nervous," she told the Now. "He changed it up this time."
Burns is expected to run close to 65 miles and climb the equivalent of 400 flights of stairs during his lengthy round of golf, which should involve nearly a thousand swings of a club.
"He's out there training every day," Voros said.
Donors can sponsor him per hole, per hour or for the whole event, with money going to Watoto and Mercy Ministries Canada.
Watoto supports orphaned children and vulnerable women in Africa, while Mercy Ministries of Canada is a residential program for young women seeking help with issues such as drug and alcohol addiction, depression and eating disorders.
“When your body wants to stop, you have to have a good reason to keep going," Burns stated about his motivation for doing the golfing fundraiser.
"I think about the girls at our local Mercy home who have suffered unspeakable things. I think about the Ugandan women at Watoto who have no lips, ears and noses because they were cut off by rebel soldiers. I may be hurting, but to help these girls who have endured a lifetime of pain, I can handle a day."
Click here for more details about Burns' golf marathon, including a link to donate.
tom.zillich@thenownewspaper.com