Ability to share and give at the heart of every great community

I love spending time with my family.
Especially when we're all at an event working together as volunteers.

For the past seven years, my father, mother and older brother Pete and his wife Joan have spent the first Monday in June at Kawartha Golf & Country Club volunteering for the Annual James Fund Golf Classic. We sell tickets, greet sponsors, join golfers with their teams and even play in the tournament.

The golf classic raises money for children and their families battling neuroblastoma - a deadly cancer that took the life of James Birrell when he was just eight years old. The annual tournament, which raises on average more than $40,000,  is pivotal in helping families deal with the costs of cancer treatment, including hotel, gas, parking fees and even medication. It also affords children an opportunity to attend a retreat at Camp Oochigeas where they can try and forget that for one weekend a year they are not suffering with this terrible disease.


Every year, when I turn on to the long road that leads up to the clubhouse, I'm overcome with a sense of nostalgia mixed with sadness, hope and yes, even pride that I get to volunteer at this annual event. There is an energy that flows throughout the day connecting sponsors, golfers, volunteers and organizers to the spirit of James Birrell and his family who have worked tirelessly to help families struggling to get through what is probably the most difficult period in their life.

I'm grateful my parents have taught me the value of giving of yourself to help others. I believe this ability to give and share is at the heart of every great community.