The ninth annual Garry Peters and Rich Pilon Celebrity Golf Tournament kicked off Wednesday morning in Saskatoon.
The tournament officially starts tomorrow at the Dakota Dunes Golf Links and all funds raised go to KidSport Saskatchewan.
The golf tournament was started by former NHLers Peters and Pilon in 2006.
Tournament chairperson Jackie Pilon says organizers started the event as a means of making sports accessible to all children.
“Gary, Rich and Dan Demchenko (Saskatoon baseball) got together and they decided that they wanted to raise money for a sports organization that benefits youth,” she says. “They knew they struggled for money sometimes as kids when they were trying to play their sport that took them to great heights, so they wanted to be able to give back.”
Shannon Hanson of KidSport adds last year the program funded 9,000 kids from across the province to take part in activities and they couldn’t have done it without events like the Peters and Pilon golf tournament.
“As we know, sport’s very expensive and yet it’s really valuable,” she says. “It helps develop our leaders of tomorrow. So, an event like this helps us put some of those kids into opportunities they may not have.”
This year’s guest celebrity golfers include former New York Islander Stanley Cup champions Bob Bourne, Clark Gillies and Billy Smith.
Since it’s inception, the golf tournament has raised about $450,000 for KidSport and Pilon says the event is on par for another good year in 2014.
She says this year’s tournament is sold out with 216 golfers participating which should raise about $100,000.
Children between the ages of five and 19 are eligible for KidSport funding to a maximum of $750 per year, per child.