To our valued supporters of the Willow Park Charity Golf Classic,
We hope that you and your families are keeping healthy and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. As we navigate through these uncharted waters, we wanted to reach out to thank each of you for your continued support of the Classic.
The committee and I have continued to meet virtually, and we have been in contact with the Willow Park ownership group, sponsors, players and charities. The support has been overwhelming.
We have made the difficult, and we feel, responsible decision to postpone the 2020 Willow Park Charity Golf Classic. The Classic will resume in 2021 and we are honouring our commitment to Calgary Reads, who will be the recipient charity in 2021.
If you have any questions of comments, please feel free to contact me or Don Bannerman:
- Chris Burgess – burgessyyc@gmail.com / 403-271-4231
- Don Bannerman – dpbannerman@telus.net / 403-803-5417
We appreciate your continued support and will be in contact through the coming year.
We wish good health to you and your families, and we’ll see you in 2021.
Sincerely,
Chris Burgess Chairman, Willow Park Charity Golf Classic Committee
About the Classic:
The Willow Park Charity Golf Classic began with a simple idea . . . a belief in the importance of giving back to the community, of supporting worthwhile causes on behalf of the Club and its members.
For over 30 years, since 1988, through the generosity of Willow Park directors and members, and through the support of sponsors, players and volunteers, the Willow Park Charity Golf Classic has donated over $11.1 million to Calgary charities. The 2021 proceeds from the Willow Park Golf Charity Classic will support Calgary Reads.
About Calgary Reads: Literacy is a basic human right. Children who struggle to read by the end of grade 3 are at great risk for low self-esteem, learning challenges and high school non-completion leading to a variety of negative life-outcomes. Strong reading skills lead to higher education, earnings, and social capital. The ability to read well is a building block for self-sufficiency and full engagement in family and community life in adulthood.
Calgary Reads is a vibrant, multifaceted reading movement. We are an early-literacy initiative acting as a bridge between home, school and community. We create communities where reading matters and where our children are equipped to become thriving and productive members. We create positive change in literacy outcomes for children by:
- Offering programs and initiatives to help schools, parents, businesses, and communities create literacy-rich environments,
- Placing books into the hands and homes of young children who have few or none of their own.
- Providing learning opportunities for educators and parents.
We opened the Children’s Reading Place in 2017, a heritage home in Inglewood that celebrates the joy of families reading together and inspires valuing books, making time for reading, and creating special reading places at home, in schools, and in community.
“Every child deserves the chance to read with confidence and joy. Calgary Reads
and our collaborative partners are making it happen!”
Get involved in the Charity Golf Classic
- Donate: The Classic committee welcomes items for the Live and Silent Auction valued above $250.
Calgary Reads Donation Form. The Donation Form is also available at the Club office. - Sponsor: A variety of sponsorship levels are available. Sponsorship Information.
- Play: The playing field for the Classic is full. Please contact Chris Burgess to be placed on the waiting list. Cost is $4,000 per team plus a donation to the selected charity.
- Volunteer: To volunteer on the Committee or during the event contact Chris Burgess.
Willow Park Charity Golf Classic Recipient Application Process
The process of selecting the recipient charity for the Willow Park Charity Golf Classic will begin in January 2021. Interested charities can apply by filling out the application form found below and emailing the completed form to wpcccharityapplications@gmail.com no later than Friday April 22nd, 2021. If there are questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at the email above and we would be happy to help. Thank you for your interest in partnering with us.
Charity Classic Committee
Chris Burgess
Chairman
Eileen Anderson
Director’s Representative
Don Bannerman
Treasurer / Selection Committee
Katrina Bradley
Selection Committee / Governance
Jennifer Davison
Sponsors Day
Linda Gagne
Secretary / On-Course Food
Shawna McGovern-Burke
Volunteers
Jerry Sturko
Sponsorship / Signage
Rob Ward
Media
Diana Wennerstrom
Auctions Coordinator / Selection Committee
Russ Girling
Sponsorship
Cal Wenzel
Sponsorship
Wayne Fairbairn
Head Golf Professional and Manager of Operations
Herb Hardowa
WP Food Services
Margaret Pigeon
WP Management
Audited Financial Statements:
Recipients of the Charity Classic
2021 Calgary Reads
2019 Pacekids Programs $445,000
2018 Calgary Counselling Centre $700,000
2017 Children’s Hospital Foundation Kid Sim Program $433,000
2016 Distress Centre Calgary $410,000
2015 Fresh Start Recover Centre $520,000
2014 Calgary Meals on Wheels $572,000
2013 Impact Society of Calgary $499,000
2012 The Alex Youth Health Centre $531,000
2011 Bethany Care Society $535,000
2010 Kids Cancer Care Foundation, Camp Kindle $450,000
2009 Association for the Rehabilitation of the Brain Injured (ARBI) $490,000
2008 Calgary Homeless Foundation $485,000
2007 Renfrew Educational Services $490,000
2006 Calgary Land Trust / Habitat for Humanity $600,000
2005 Discovery House / Calgary Foundation $505,000
2004 Rotary Challenger Park / Calgary Foundation $535,000
2003 Calgary Foundation $500,000
2002 Hospice Calgary / Calgary Foundation $400,000
2001 The Vocational & Rehabilitation Research Institute / Calgary Foundation $350,000
2000 Woods Homes / Calgary Foundation $325,000
1999 Salvation Army Children's Village $280,000
1998 Alberta Adolescent Recovery Center $250,000
1997 Epilepsy Association of Calgary $135,000
1996 Calgary Urban Project Society $125,000
1995 Canadian National Institute for the Blind $125,000
1994 William Roper Hull Child & Family Services $100,000
1993 Alberta Lung Association, Calgary Division $90,000
1992 S.T.A.R.S. Rescue Ambulance $90,000
1991 Juvenile Diabetes Association $60,000
1990 Illetis & Colitis Association $55,000
1989 Make a Child's Dream Come True $35,000
1988 Crime Stoppers $25,000
Total $11.1 million
