The George’s charity golf tournament raises $92,000 for program that provides lunches for students at eight Okotoks schools.
A charity golf tournament has raised $92,000 for the Okotoks School Lunch Program.
Organized by The George Traditional House in Okotoks, the annual tournament was held on July 19 at the Speargrass Golf Course.
A ceremonial cheque presentation held at The George on Aug. 6 brought in many key organizers and some of the more than 80 sponsors. During the ceremony, the fundraising amount was unveiled, which almost doubled last year’s total.
It’s the single biggest contribution to the Okotoks School Lunch Program to date.
The program run out of Okotoks United Church provides food to students at eight Okotoks schools.
Brian and Shannon Olson got the idea to start the charity after seeing a similar one in Calgary. They identified that the Okotoks community needed some support for its students and decided to launch the program with the help of the church.
“If a kid needs food, they get it,” said Brian Olson. “We have absolutely no bias towards any religious beliefs or (circumstances).”
The program works through the schools’ teachers and counsellors. If they identify a student that may not be eating during lunch, the program will reach out to the parents and offer to provide the student with free lunches.
The Olsons explained that they can provide up to a few hundred lunches for students on any given day.
The charity also provides students with grocery gift cards to take home for family use.
The program is funded by donations with a big chunk coming from the annual golf tournament.
John Nicastro, owner of The George, wanted to give back to community by supporting a cause that would make a difference.
“There’s a lot of kids that are going to school hungry,” said Nicastro. “Let’s invest in our future, these kids are our future.”