When Terry Rantala decided to start a fundraiser for a cause that is very dear to his heart he figured he might as well have it focused around one of his passions.
Rantala is the chair of the ninth annual Darts for Autism event, which was held Friday and Saturday at the Moose Hall.
The cause has particular importance to Rantala, whose son suffers from autism and said the money raised helps families pay for non-subsidized expenses.
“The money we raise goes to help pay for therapies and things the government doesn’t cover anymore,” Rantala said.
“It’s really important to get word out because even ten years ago people didn’t know what autism is. Now there’s an awareness, but there’s government funding for certain things until they’re 18 but after that there isn’t as much.”
Over 40 people came out to participate in both Friday’s evening session as well as Saturday’s afternoon festivities. The event wraps up Saturday evening.
The event features both singles and doubles darts competition, as well as a group spaghetti dinner. Rantala said there were players of various skill levels, from complete beginner to competitive darts players. In addition, there were six people from Minneapolis that made the trek up north to show support for the cause.
Next year is the tenth anniversary of the event, and Rantala said he hopes to collaborate with Children’s Aid to make the event bigger and better.
