Golf tournament raises funds and builds relationships
It isn’t every day that students who receive scholarships get to meet the donors who contributed to them, but the MacEwan University Pro-Am, presented by Canadian Tire Edmonton West, isn’t your every day kind of event.
In its fifth year, this fundraiser connects students and alumni from the Professional Golf Management program with donors in a one-of-a-kind golf tournament. Each team of four paying players is led by a CGPA professional golfer who is in, or has graduated from, the Professional Golf Management program.
“The event has special meaning for the students because most of the students playing have also been recipients of an award funded by the proceeds of the event,” explains Alan Riley, coordinator of the Golf Management programs at the university. “They know how much the money helped them and they feel great about helping to continue the funding for current and future students.”
Great opportunity to meet and thank supporters
Cory Collins is one of those award recipients. He graduated from the program a year and a half ago, and is volunteering as a CGPA professional with the Pro-Am for the second time. “I feel really appreciative of the opportunity to thank the donors I play with during the tournament,” says Cory. “I was really lucky to benefit from some of the scholarships while I was in school, and I can’t express how thankful I am to those who participate in the tournament for their generosity.”
Scholarships made return to school easier
Cory didn’t always aspire to be a golf professional. He played some golf when he was younger, but wants to make one thing clear: “I certainly wasn’t a child prodigy or anything,” he laughs.
It wasn’t until he graduated with his Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Alberta and was working full time in a management position at Sport Chek that he started playing a bit more golf – which got him thinking about going back to school to pursue a new career. So he quit his full-time job and started the Professional Golf Management program.
“It was a big adjustment, for sure,” says Cory, who says that the scholarships he received definitely helped with that change. Now he is the assistant professional at the Derrick Golf and Winter Club, a position he feels he came into by making the right connections during his schooling.
“That’s something hugely valuable about the program at MacEwan,” he says. “It helps you create relationships and contacts early on. It all comes back to a program I think prepares us extremely well for a career in this field.”
The Pro-Am has raised more than $850,000 in proceeds and awarded over $246,000 in scholarships to students.
