Why do we Golf?
More than a Sport
Every year, Youth Ottawa hosts our Mayor’s Golf Classic. It is a charity event that brings the community together with local city councillors, changemakers, and youth to spend a day outside raising money for our cause.
Those who attend aren’t just coming to golf, but are there to raise money for youth in the community through Youth Ottawa’s services and programming.
A Brief History of the Event
The Annual Mayor’s Golf Classic started in 2000 when Larry O’Brien was the mayor of Ottawa. The event allowed our sponsors and business partners to show support and raise funds for youth programming, which continues to be a big part of the event today.
What now?
This year’s Charity Golf Classic will take place on August 9 at the Marshes Golf Course in Kanata.
It is also Jim Watson’s final year as Mayor, and we are so thankful for all of his years of support. His fervent support of both Youth Ottawa has helped us amplify young voices in the community. This year’s event will allow everyone to spend a lovely evening with the Mayor while raising money for a good cause.
For such a special year, we have some special items lined up for our silent auction, such as:
- Staycation Relaxation Packages
- Tom Brady Jersey
- BrookStreet Golf Package
- Patrick Mahomes Helmet
- Jerry Rice Football
- Wayne Gretzky Jersey
- Auston Matthews Jersey
- Barry Bonds Jersey
- Kobe Bryant Jersey
- Mike Tyson Gloves
& more….
Entertainment on the Green!
Sponsored by Caivan Communities, celebrity entertainer Todd Keirstead will be joining foursomes on the golf course. Todd has proven year after year of being one of the world’s greatest celebrity golf entertainers. Along with being voted Trick Shot of the Year on Golf Channel, Todd has been featured on ESPN, Sports Illustrated, TSN, NBC Sports and TMZ.
Michael Kors has launched a new line of golf attire that will be on view at the tournament. Golfers can purchase pieces from the line, with 20% of all proceeds going to Youth Ottawa.
There will be four hole-in-one contests on the green during the tournament, located at holes 3, 5, 12 and 17. We thank Kanata Renovations for sponsoring holes 3 & 12 and RBC for sponsoring holes 5 & 17. The hole-in-one prizes stem between $5,000 and $10,000.
Evening Entertainment
We will also have plenty of entertainment throughout the evening, including an art battle and performance from singer/songwriter John Swayty.
The art battle will take place during the cocktail hour, when seven young artists will paint a piece based on the theme of youth voice in a 25 minute round. Once they’re done with their pieces, the audience will get the chance to vote for their favourite artists by placing a raffle ticket in a small box beside the painting that appeals to them the most. The artists will also be able to auction off their pieces at the end of the night for additional fundraising.
John Swayty is a Lebanese Canadian Artist based in Ottawa. He is also a 3rd year student at the University of Ottawa in Business and IT. He has performed at various Youth Ottawa events and other shows around the city. He is also currently the Music Director for CASCO which is a Telfer uOttawa Charity Organization that supports the Children’s Hospital of Ontario.
For John, music is his passion but it is also one of his favourite ways to inspire others to spark their creativity. John wants to encourage others to continue working on their passion and hobbies and be unique in the industry of their interest. When music evolves, it brings harmony and love to the people around it and is one of the best ways to unite everyone.
These two forms of entertainment are all thanks to our Artistic Mentorship Program (AMP), which we relaunched earlier this year. As a program, AMP aims to re-engage youth with the arts by providing them with mentorship and resources to get them on the right track to success.
As we had put this program on pause for the pandemic, we are so excited to be bringing it back and hope you are too! We are looking for additional funding and support to help us continue supporting young artists, which is why events like the Golf tournament really help us!
Two more incredible youth will also be joining us at dinner to speak about their experiences as our most recent Mayors for a Day. The Mayor for the Day contest is another event we brought back since pausing it for the pandemic, all thanks to us bringing back the Ottawa Youth Engagement Committee (OYEC).
OYEC consists of a group of civically-engaged youth striving to make Ottawa a better city by working together with the municipal government on issues that affect young people the most, such as environmentalism and inclusivity. The group perfectly exemplifies Youth Ottawa’s core fundamental value: that youth should have a voice in policies that affect them most.
At 6:00 p.m., we will announce the championship prize for ‘Best Foursome’ and ‘Most Honest Foursome’, where each golfer will receive a prize sponsored by Enbridge.
We couldn't have done it without you!
As always, we would like to thank all of the companies and partners that helped make this happen. Mattamy has been our title sponsor since we started the Mayor’s Golf Tournament in 2000, and there have been several other sponsors both new and ongoing that have helped us bring this event to life for 25 years.
Listen to a piece we did with title sponsor Mattamy homes last year!
- Title Sponsor: Mattamy Homes
- Honourary Host: Mayor Jim Watson
- Golf Cart: Ken Gordon Holdings
- Trophy: Enbridge
- Entertainment: Caivan Communities
- Golf Balls: Minto Communities
- Registration: Urbandale
- Media sponsor: Rogers Radio
Of course, we would also like to thank the hole sponsors who donated:
Why Charity Events Matter
Charity events like these provide us with funding to continue our outreach. All of the money collected goes towards a good cause; but even more importantly, charity events are the start of a butterfly effect. Even a small donation could be the key to one more student’s long-term success.
However, the fundraising doesn’t end at the ticket purchase. Often, the ticket price goes towards paying off the event itself. This is why all attendees are asked to continue donating throughout the day in various ways, whether through our silent auction, raffle, or simply donating directly!
We thank you for doing your part in supporting youth all around Ottawa by donating!
If you are interested in supporting Youth Ottawa’s program, please consider donating here.
