Last Saturday, the Ste. Agathe Community Development Inc. Golf Classic had a smaller turnout than years previous, but that didn’t discourage the teams who showed up from having a great time.
“It’s a fun day, it’s a fun event,” says Claude Lemoine, a member of the Ste. Agathe CDI and one of the tournament’s organizers. “The team that has the best score, we give them a gift card.”
“It’s not going to make a mortgage payment,” laughs Joel Gagnon, the CDI’s vice-president.
Indeed, the prize for the winning team was a symbolic gesture, but that didn’t discourage people from attending. Gagnon and Lemoine believe the main draw is how much fun people have.
The Golf Classic is one of the town’s annual summer fundraisers, and it’s far from a stuffy occasion. Homemade T-shirts and a mangled trophy are part of the day’s charms.
“Way back when we first got started, we went to Value Village and we got four ugly green jackets,” Lemoine explains. “This year, [the players] actually left with them!”
This year’s Golf Classic hosted 89 golfers for the day-long tournament. The teams were bussed in to La Vérendrye Golf in La Broquerie, where they enjoyed a non-competitive round of golf with friends and community members due. It was a very relaxed environment.
“I think everyone enjoyed themselves,” says Lemoine. “[The] revenue that we make off the tournament, we are donating it back to the community.”
Since its inception, the Ste. Agathe CDI has raised $109,000 for the community. This money has come from hosting events, but it also includes revenue from the Riel Industrial Park and Parc Cartier.
“One of the main reasons that our tournaments are successful is because of our sponsors,” adds Lemoine. “When we approach our businesses, they are sponsoring our Cheyenne Festival and our golf tournament.”
Twenty-two business from the community and the surrounding areas made contributions this year, a testament to the town’s strong roots of volunteerism. Approximately one hundred Ste. Agathe citizens have volunteered for the CDI in some way in the previous year.
The town has never been short on volunteers, with many having served in the community for years, and Gagnon says the philanthropic environment is something they hope to see continue as the population grows.
“We’re just pretty darn nice guys and girls,” says Gagnon.