The Okanagan community is rallying to support children in need at the 16th annual Cops for Kids Charity Golf Tournament.
Taking place today at Black Mountain Golf Club, the full-day event includes not only golfing, but a buffet dinner, a live and silent auction plus fun games for the 60 or so participants.
The organization is hoping the tournament raises about $20,000.
Cops for Kids is a charitable foundation comprised of RCMP officers and personnel with a passion for helping children in need, be it for medical crisis, illness, disability or trauma.
The charity believes the financial burdens that families face when a child is in medical need can cause significant hardship and stress. To offset some of the pressure, funds raised go towards medical expenses such as treatments, specialized equipment and symptom management.
Lori and Kevin Fennessy know firsthand about the financial difficulties a family faces when a child is sick. Their son Connor battled soft tissue cancer for several years until he passed away at the age of 17 in 2008. During these tough years, the family turned to the foundation for assistance.
Lori Fennessy said, “We’re here to give back to Cops for Kids because Cops for Kids helped us at a time when we desperately needed help.”
The organization’s president, Grant Fletcher, is proud of the work the organization has been doing. He estimates the foundation has raised more than $4 million to date.
Fletcher said, “We’ve done everything from renovating homes to allow wheelchair accessibility and elevators…we do tricycles for impaired ability and specialized wheelchairs… but we also do funding for travel expenses for families…”
The foundation has several fundraising initiatives throughout the year. This includes the signature event, the annual Cops for Kids Ride, which will take place September 14 to 23, 2018.