Canadian country musician Gord Bamford raised $464,755 during his 12th annual Charity Golf Classic for The Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre and other children's charities. The two-day fundraiser, held August 7-8, got the total tally for the Gord Bamford Foundation across the $4 million milestone since launching in 2008.
"This event is a testament to the way Albertans pull together to support their communities,” said Bamford, an award-winning artist with 24 trophies from the Canadian Country Music Awards. “It’s been 11 years of building tremendous friendships with sponsors, attendees, and the great people that operate these important charities. It’s a real pleasure to be able to support such a long list of worthy recipients.”
The annual golf event, which attracted around 750 guests and featured performances by Bamford, Dallas Smith, Aaron Pritchard and Jojo Mason, brought in $76,0000 from its first-ever live pledge drive.
The Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre is a non-profit that protects and helps the recovery of children vulnerable to or victims of emotional, sexual or physical abuse. "Empowering children and families impacted by abuse to lead healthy and fulfilling lives by building a community that collectively battles child abuse," the Red Deer, Alberta based charity says on its website.
The donation from the Gord Bamford Foundation will go towards building a child advocacy centre, modeled after the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre, where communities in and outside of Red Deer can tap a one-stop destination to receive support. For example, children that have experienced abuse can be interviewed at the centre, helping families avoid traveling to multiple sites, which in turn lessens the children having to experience traumatic flashbacks of the abuse. And the one-stop centre will allow representatives from the police, child protection and health therapy and medical personnel participate in daily case assessment and planning.
"Agency partners will be located in the same offices which allows for easy follow-up by each child-focused partner," the Gord Bamford Foundation says on its website.
Other youth-focused charities that received cheques from the 12th annual golf tournament included MusiCounts, which has given musical instruments to D’Arcy McGee Catholic School in Toronto on Bamford's behalf, Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Lacombe & District, which mentors local youth, Make-A-Wish Foundation in northern Alberta, Hockey Alberta Foundation, Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, which help children from families with a financial need to start a new sport, RDC College – Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre, and Robbie Dean Family Counseling Centre.
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