QUEEN’S FOOTBALL TEAMS UP WITH GOLF 4 ALS CHARITABLE PROGRAM
Michael Grobe
Kingston, Ont. (April 23, 2008) – Queen’s University Golden Gaels Football have teamed up with the ALS Society of Ontario in its newly created charitable initiative entitled ‘Golf 4 ALS’ associated with the Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA).
As a major new fundraising initiative for the ALS Society, the goal of ‘Golf 4 ALS’ is to help raise essential funds which help to provide the necessary equipment and support services to those living with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) and to help create awareness for the terminal illness.
Queen’s involvement includes members of the football team along with its coaching staff selling RCGA Golf Cards with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the ALS Society of Ontario.
“It is a devastating disease and we felt compelled to offer our support to the program,” said Warren Goldie, Offensive Coordinator for the Queen’s Football team. “Several of our friends of football have been touched by this disease and when faced with an opportunity to help – our team wanted to respond.
“At Queen’s we promote responsibility and leadership within the communities that we live, work and play,” said Queen’s Football Head Coach Pat Sheahan. “Our students-athletes continue to give on and off the field and this is just one more example of how they rally behind a cause to help.”
On Monday, the RCGA and ALS Society of Ontario launched the program provincially with Damon Allen, Jude St. John and Bryan Crawford of the Toronto Argonauts having signed on with the ALS Society of Ontario as official ‘Golf 4 ALS’ spokespersons.
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a rapidly progressing and fatal neuromuscular disease that causes degeneration of the motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. More than 80 per cent of those diagnosed with ALS die within two to five years of symptom onset. Every day, two to three Canadians are diagnosed with ALS, and every day, two to three Canadians die from the disease. There is no cure or effective treatment and the cause is unknown.
“We are fighting an incurable disease that devastates families physically, emotionally and financially,” said Maureen Sheahan, president & CEO of the ALS Society of Ontario. “We are very excited about this new partnership with the RCGA. We hope to raise significant new dollars to support families with ALS from across the province. Damon, Jude and Bryan are true champions on and off the field and it’s great to have them helping to build awareness for the program and the disease.”
The RCGA Golf Card is a web-based rewards program designed specifically for golfers. The program rewards golfer loyalty at participating golf courses by offering RCGA Golf Card members a free round of golf with every five rounds paid. They also receive one 50 per cent off trial voucher for every participating golf club in the program. In addition, RCGA Golf Card members can redeem their AIR MILES reward miles for rounds of golf at any participating course.
By the start of the golf season, there will be more than 150 participating golf courses in Ontario and Western Canada.
The Queen’s Football initiative is already off to a great start with the support of corporate partners including the Canadian Benefits, Scott Environmental Services, TyRoute Telus and Mortgage Intelligence. More corporate partners are expected in the coming days.
RCGA Golf Cards are available through the Golf 4 ALS program by visiting www.rcga.org/ALS and using promotional code 08ALSQueens01 or by calling the ALS Society of Ontario toll-free at 1-866-611-8545.
