Over 100 golfers of all skill levels united at Granite Pointe Sunday for a fun day of raising money for BC Children’s Hospital — the driving factor, a voracious volunteer spirit.
Save-On-Foods employee Joanne Phillips spent her Sunday morning greeting members of the 27 participating teams. Selling 50/50 tickets, mulligans and “gimme strings,” her morning was social and satisfying.
“I love helping out,” she said. “Look at all the people getting out in the sunshine.”
Save-On-Foods has hosted the BC Children’s Hospital Charity Golf Tournament since 2005. General Manager Ron World says 100 per cent of the proceeds are donated and around $15,000 is raised through the fun event. About 30 extra golfers joined in this year and the tournament thrives on donations from 71 sponsors.
“There is great community involvement,” he said.
The 18-hole best-ball event featured Ebesse Zozo hot sauce tasting, Little Miss Gelato, drinks and hot dogs on offer — all by donation. Teams from businesses and organizations throughout the community made their rounds before sharing a meal together in the clubhouse.
For continued success of the tournament, World relies on his staff members who are always keen to help out by volunteering their time.
“People like to give back. They feel involved and good about helping kids,” he said. “It’s really nice they donate their time. This wouldn’t happen without them.”
Lindsay Britton is a Save-On employee who was a patient at BC Children’s Hospital. When she was seven-years-old, she had heart surgery. She is more than happy to be on board as a volunteer and seeing her employer benefit the hospital is heartening.
“It’s awesome,” she said. “It’s nice to see a big corporation giving back. It makes working there more personal.”
On Sunday, she and colleague Sharalin Gabriel spent the day on the 15th hole witnessing for a $10,000 prize hole-in-one prize offered by Coca-Cola.
“Everyone is having such a good time,” said Gabriel. “Save-On does a lot. They never stop. There’s a lot of giving going on.”