Fore! Thousand dollars for a good cause
- EFN Staff | October 16, 2014
A lot of kids out there are running from issues at home or dealing with addiction and despair. The Saskatoon Downtown Youth Center Inc., also known as EGADZ, always has an open door for those youth to come to. Dealing with youth with a myriad of different needs always puts a strain on the organization to provide innovative services and support on a very tight budget and they rely heavily on community support to go above and beyond in helping children.
This fall, just in time to help with back to school, the Dakota Dunes Men’s and Ladies Golf League showed up with a cheque for $4000, EGADZ share of the proceeds from the League’s annual charity tournament. “Money like this, unfortunately there is never a shortage of demand,” said Bill Thibodeau, the Executive Director of EGADZ. “Back to school always is costly so we help with lots of kids. Money like this fills the gaps and is really important and timely.”
Ernie Scoles is president of the League and as a local business man and philanthropist, he sees the needs in the community. “We used to raise funds and donate it back to the Dakota Dunes youth golf program,” said Scoles. “But this year we approached EGADZ to see if they wanted our support because they do important work with youth and they could use the money.”
EGADZ helped run the tournament and the money is important, but Thibodeau says the networking at the tournament and new organizations they met are just as valuable. “The partnerships help because it spins off awareness as more people become aware of what we do in certain areas and it leads to a lot of contacts and in-kind services,” said Thibodeau as he listed several services they receive from companies that want to support them. “That allows us to free up funds so we can invest the moneys into where it is needed and that’s the kids.”
This year the men’s and ladies champs were Kelly Bitternose jr and Linda Ellerington respectively, but the League is about more than just golfing. It is also about friendships and giving back. For Scoles, picking EGADZ this year was a no brainer. “They help single moms and kids and if you can help that one person, great. If you can help ten, better.”