GOLFERS RAISE $400,000 TO FIGHT POVERTY
A full slate of 144 golfers took a swing at global poverty last week and raised $407,550 at the Glendale Golf and Country Club during the 19th annual World Partnership Golf Tournament (WPG).
Proceeds will support Aga Khan Foundation Canada’s development program in Africa and Asia, initiatives that help women and men lift their families out of poverty.
“Funds raised this year will help build and strengthen education and health care systems in Central Asia and East Africa, including Afghanistan, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique and Pakistan,” said event co-chair and former Canadian deputy prime minister Anne McLellan.
“Now more than ever, Canadians are aware that concern for communities beyond our borders is a responsibility we share as global citizens.”
Dave Mowat, co-chair and ATB Financial president and CEO, said the camaraderie and generosity of the mixed group of players was heartwarming.
“Many local companies chipped in to ensure every cent raised goes to helping fight poverty in poor communities,” he added.
The Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC) is an international development organization and registered Canadian non-profit charity that tackles breaking the cycle of poverty on multiple fronts.
“Over the long term and working with local communities, we seek to improve the access to quality education and health,” event chair Salim Chatur said.
By also increasing food security and creating economic opportunities for men and women, the foundation strives to build strong, resilient communities.
“It’s no small challenge,” Chatur said. “Today, nearly 1.5 billion people still live in poverty without access to basic needs, such as reliable sources of food and water, quality education and health care.
“But we know change is possible and we can have hope because of well-supported campaigns such as our WPG.
“Since 1990, mortality rates of children under five have been reduced by 50 per cent and there are one billion fewer people now living in poverty than there were 25 years ago. Canadian support has been integral to this progress.”
WPG events are held annually in seven cities across Canada and have raised more than $14 million since 2000.
Businessman Sine Chadi, who helps many local charities by acting as auctioneer, sold an East African safari that included three game parks and four cities for $44,000, and attracted another $7,200 for a suite at an Edmonton Oilers game at Rogers Place.
A cash appeal raised $82,000 to help fund District Education Officers in Tanzania and Kenya.
Richard Wong, one of Edmonton’s most popular businessman and community champions, is leaving July 12 to work for DHI Holdings Inc. on Vancouver Island.
The hotelier will serve as vicepresident and CEO of subsidiary North Coast Hotel & Resort Company, whose portfolio includes Campbell River’s Painters Lodge, Quadra Island’s April Point, Port Hardy’s Quarter Deck, LPT in Kelowna and Richmond’s Abercorn.
“Edmonton will always be a very special place for my wife and I,” said Wong, who resigned his post as executive vice-president of Nova Hotel’s 14 properties. “I came to Edmonton 14 years ago and leave a much better person.
“Therefore, I brand this city ‘the city of caring.’ I learned a valuable lesson here, that the size of your heart is more important than the size of your wallet.”
When Fiji-born Wong came to Edmonton looking to acquire a property for Sutton Place Hotels, he climbed out of a cab and immediately decided the former Four Seasons Hotel was it.
In 2003, he became the company’s general manager of its Edmonton hotel and quickly built an enviable network by helping countless business and charity organizations.
To name a few of Wong’s offices: he served as the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation chair, was an Edmonton Economic Development director and a board member of the Edmonton Police Foundation and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and Winspear Centre.
He has also has served on NAIT, NorQuest College, Kids in the Hall, city tourism and Fort Edmonton boards, and is past president of the Pilgrims Hospice Society and secretary of Edmonton’s 150th Birthday Celebrations Society.