Piper Classic drives past ‘Strive for 25k’
The ninth annual Piper Classic golf fundraiser benefiting the Alexander Galt High School athletics program left this year’s ‘Strive for 25k’ campaign in the dust, surpassing the fundraising goal by $10 000.
“It was a great turnout and a great success,” said Honorary Chairman of the event, David Beaulieu. “No one backed out due to the weather.”
The Piper Classic is organized every year in honor of John Haller, a Galt teacher who passed away in 2007.
The goal of the tournament, according to Beaulieu, is to provide funding for the athletics program at Galt. The Classic is their biggest fundraiser.
“A lot of the money goes to underprivileged kids who can’t afford to play,” he said, adding that in past years, the Classic has allowed the school to buy new soccer nets, basketball uniforms, as well as provide annual maintenance, like buying new balls and equipment.
The director of the athletics department at Galt, Robert Fisk, was happy to announce the success of the event.
“We raised $35, 000. It’s the most we’ve ever raised,” he said. “We had our goal of 25k, which David had set, and we surpassed that. We also had 119 golfers, it’s our second largest turnout, despite the rain.”
Fisk added that they were able to receive 34 hole sponsorships, most being local, along with 45 donations from businesses and Alexander Galt alumni,
as well as 56 door prizes for participants. “We’re quite fortunate, we had a great time.”
Beaulieu stressed the important role the community has played in helping the athletics program.
“The response was amazing,” he said. “I launched ‘Strive for 25k’ because I wanted to give my time back, because someone did it for me when I was a student, but you feel bad asking all the time. Everyone is trying to raise money for something. There are so many groups relying on local donations. Still, the local support was amazing.”
The winning team for the Piper Classic was comprised of Adam Spirk, David Roy, Dan Doyon and Philip Ribeaux.
“The real winners, of course, are the 280 student athletes at Galt high school,” commented Fisk.
The funds amassed will go towards maintenance of the athletics department, new equipment and uniforms, banquets and awards for the student athletes and financial assistance for students in need.