GOLFERS DRIVE IN $400,000 FOR AGA KHAN FOUNDATION
Edmonton golfers raised $400,000 at the annual Aga Khan Foundation Canada golf tournament last week to help reduce poverty and improve life in some of the world’s most difficult environments.
At the tournament, Claudia Hudspeth, global head of health programs for the Aga Khan Foundation, praised a full slate of golfers at the Glendale Golf and Country Club for their efforts.
“The foundation supports development in 14 African and Asian countries,” said Hudspeth.
“Out initiatives improve access to quality education and health, increase food security, create economic opportunities for women and men, promote gender equality, support environmental sustainability, and build strong, resilient communities and local institutions — from hospitals to universities to private-sector enterprises — that help sustain progress over the long term.”
Edmonton was one of eight communities across Canada to generate funds at golf tournaments and could hear how they had helped.
“Last year, through our more than 340 health centres and 15 hospitals, we treated 5.3 million patients, including 224,000 admitted for in-patient care,” said Hudspeth.
“We conducted 61,000 surgeries and delivered 41,000 babies. In addition, we reached four million beneficiaries outside of health facilities through community health programs.”
Hudspeth said the golf tournaments had raised more than $14 million for development programs since 2000, adding the numbers are even more impressive when considering the populations served are in extremely remote, hard to reach and fragile contexts.
To bring home the message of tough settings, Hudspeth said last Saturday she was in a city two hours’ drive from Kabul, Afghanistan, occupied and held under siege for three days by the Taliban.
“The day before I left, I was in a meeting with the deputy minister of health and was ushered back to our office when we came under a movement ban because of a complex attack on a nearby government facility.”
In the midst of difficulties, the foundation continues to run the most sophisticated hospital for women and children in Afghanistan, and a significant part of the country’s primary care network.
BOB PLAYS GOOD GUY
Bob Westbury, who raised $9.2 million for the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival infrastructure and for whom the main theatre is named, led four special fun fundraising parties last week.
Each group took in a show and later dined a la carte at Bottega 104 Italian Kitchen, formerly Packrat Louie’s.
Westbury, the first chairman of the Telus Community Board, made sure all those enjoying the fine wines he had chosen were deftly slipped a Fringe donation sheet.
He was also happy Friday to bring good news to friends at the dinner, who included retired Syncrude president Jim Carter, former mayor and Alberta Party Leader Stephen Mandel, NorQuest president Jodi Abbott and philanthropist Ashif Mawji.
With two festival days left, Westbury told them box office sales had surpassed the total sales from last year, setting a new box office record.
FEAST ON THE FIELD
Feast on the Field, supporting the Capital Care Foundation, saw a record 500 people enjoy dinner in a Commonwealth Stadium end zone last week.
“We’d like to think next year we might attract an additional 100 people to come out and support seniors’ care, and we’d be able to set two lines of tables between the goalposts,” said Sherry Schaefer, a Capital Care Foundation director.
Guests dined on food donated by local producers and prepared by volunteer star chefs Steve Buzak, Serge Belair, Rafael d’Alcazar, Matt Phillips and Andrew Cowan.
Many later took to the field to learn from former Edmonton Eskimo players Patrick Kabongo and Hector Pothier how to throw a spiral football pass correctly.
TIME TO ZIN
Wednesday’s Zin on the River, supporting CASA’s child mental health initiatives, is themed as a Great Gatsby party. As well as providing stellar Zinfandel wines to sample, many restaurants have come on board for the event and offered meals for the auction.
The include Ruth’s Chris, Sorrentino’s, The Rebel, Chateau Lacombe’s La Ronde, Hardware Grill and the Italian Centre. The ESO is offering tickets for its concert of the Sounds of Simon and Garfunkel. Zin tickets at zinontheriver.com or 780-4002273.
INDIAN FLOOD RELIEF
A big-hearted restaurateur is planning a dinner to help southern India, which has been hit by the worst floods in a century. Hundreds of people have been killed and more than 200,000 have been forced into relief camps.
“I was delighted to finally talk to my parents this week,” says Ramesh Devangodi. “They were missing and I feared the worst.”
He is organizing a sit-down, six-course dinner at his Haweli restaurant in South Edmonton Common Sept. 9 and has been in touch with relief efforts he plans to support in India. For tickets call: 780-469-7007.