LAC LA BICHE - The numbers haven't yet been tabulated from the recent Healthier Communities Golf Tournament hosted at the Lac La Biche Golf Club by Portage College and Lac La Biche County – but t the results are expected to be as healthy as last year's event.
Last year's event saw almost $23,000 collected. Over the last three years, the tournament has helped to raise almost $60,000.
The golf tournament has been part of the fundraising schedule for both organizations for the last several years, raising money for the Lac La Biche Regional Health Foundation as well as health programs at Portage College.
Funds this year were again raised through entry fees, a silent auction held during the after-game supper, and sponsorship.
Without knowing the exact amount from the event that took over the local golf course at the start of the month, Lac La Biche County's community partnership coordinator John Usher says it will likely be about the same as last year and previous years.
Major sponsors for this year's tournament included the Edmonton-based companies currently involved with the construction or the new aquatic centre in Lac La Biche and the new Main Street project. Other sponsors included the municipality's legal representatives, the company hired by the County for staffing consultation, and the company responsible for the municipality's property assessment reviews. Locally, the Martushev Group and Canadian Natural were also major sponsors.
One issue affecting this year’s funds, he said, is the overall increases in expenses associated with hosting events. He explained that while organizers have tried to reduce costs associated with putting on the event, they have also incurred higher expenses, like food costs.
“Everything else is higher priced now, and we haven’t raised the cost of the tournament, so it’s hard to say,” he said. “I’ll have to wait for the final numbers, because who knows, it might be a surprise, jump out of the bag.”
Whatever the final numbers are, Usher believes Portage College and the local health foundation will still receive a generous sum of money from the proceeds.
In previous years, Portage College has used money raised from the event to purchase equipment for the nursing and para-medicine programs such as stretchers and IV pumps. Portage College used a portion of the funds received from last year’s tournament to procure cut suits and an ambulance simulator for the paramedic program. For this year, the post-secondary institution wants to put money towards virtual reality technology for its health programs.
The Lac La Biche Regional Health Foundation uses money raised from the annual sporting event to buy equipment and beds for the William J. Cadzow Healthcare Centre, as well as for upgrades in infrastructure to accommodate new equipment at the 50-year-old hospital.
