Willow Park charity golf tournament raises record $700,000
About 150 golfers along with 80 volunteers hit the links on Wednesday and Thursday for the 31st annual Willow Park Charity Classic.
A record $700,000 was raised for this year’s recipient, the Calgary Counselling Centre, thanks in part to an anonymous donor who contributed $1 for every $2 raised.
“The special thing about the tournament is we’ve been in business for 31 years,” said tournament chairman Chris Burgess. “It started with the owners of Willow Park golf course and a couple of big sponsors wanting to do something for local Calgary charities.
“Our mandate is to raise money for a different charity each year and we have a selection committee that picks local Calgary charities. We try to look for charities that aren’t in the mainstream and have national or international funding.”
Past recipients have included the Calgary Distress Centre, Alberta Children’s Hospital and the Calgary Homeless Foundation.
This year’s fundraising figure brings the total mark to $10.7 million since the tournament began three decades ago.
“We’ve had teams and volunteers and sponsors that have been with us for 31 years,” Burgess said.
This year’s tournament saw 36 teams take part in the two-day event at the Willow Park Golf and Country Club.