36th annual CHAS Charity Golf Classic scores big
Readers know well your faithful social scribe is on the record stating “if you want an event to be a huge success, best get the ladies involved”. One of our city’s oldest organizations, Children’s Hospital Aid Society (CHAS), has been tireless in its support of the Alberta Children’s Hospital and agencies within our community by helping, for 110 years, improve the health and wellness of children and young adults. And CHAS is comprised solely of ladies. Seventy-five volunteers, to be precise, each of whom pay a fee to become a CHAS member. The organization has no paid staff and no permanent office, so the vast majority of funds raised through CHAS events (more than 97 per cent) goes to charity.
CHAS’ largest fundraiser is its annual Charity Golf Classic. The 36th annual took place under heavily smoky skies Aug 16 at Silver Springs Golf & Country Club. The SRO tournament continued its winning ways and this year netted more than $250,000 for completion of the purchase of state-of-the-art arthroscopic surgery equipment at the Alberta Children’s Hospital.
The 36th annual owes much of its success to Rob Laidlaw of Acumen Capital Partners who, along with his family, have donated proceeds — nearly $1 million — since 2010 from their annual Best Damn Stampede Party. Take a bow sentiments as well go out to tournament cochairs Evelyn Bowie and Lorna Hamm as well as other invaluable CHAS ladies including: Linda Middlemiss; Jennifer Foss; Dianne Ferguson; Carole Brawn; Geri Moon; Anna Maier; and Dorothy Woolstencroft who was invaluable assisting with photos and names for this write-up.
Highlights of the tournament included the always popular raffle of a high-end watch courtesy of Brinkhaus Jewellers, a raffle of two tickets for travel within North America courtesy of Air Canada and the raffle of an Ekornes leather recliner chair and ottoman courtesy of Steve Angelo, formerly of Nordesign.
And in a “can you believe I was this close?” moment, Dean Brawn with the Brawn Family Foundation team, was mere inches away from a hole-in-one that would have seen Brawn drive away in a 2018 Lexus RX 350 from Lexus Royal Oak. None-the-less, team Brawn took top honours as the tournament winners.
Others having a wonderful time on the links this day included: the Foss Wealth Management team and ladies 1st place winners Wendy Voelk, Cheryl Bernard, Olympic Silver Medallist 2010, Barb Wong and Marilyn Brenneis; Dr. Lisa Phillips, orthopedic resident, Alberta Children’s Hospital; chief orthopedic nurse Denise Neff; Air Canada Foundation’s Sherry Kureluk and Caroline O’Dwyer; Thomas Jeffery Men’s Wear’s Len Hamm and Candice Mauro; Stella Developments’ Dean Stella; Dave and Donna Graham; Maureen and Warren Graumann; the Tokay Capital Corp. sponsored team of Sandi Vandenbrink, Kevin Haynes, John Gough and Sharon Sherlock; long-time supporter and no stranger to scoring a hole in-one, Clara Ulrichsen; and others pictured at right.