The Falk Fehr Foundation’s annual Hockey Champions Charity Golf Tournament was a big hit this June, and last week three local non-profits benefited from that success.
On Friday, the foundation presented the Winkler & District Food Cupboard, South Central Cancer Resource (SCCR), and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Pembina Valley with $70,000 raised at the event. SCCR and Big Brothers both received $20,000, while the food bank got $30,000.
“We’ve had some great years the last couple of years and this is another one where all the support came together at just the right time and we were able to have another great event,” said Eric Fehr, who heads up the foundation alongside fellow retired homegrown pro hockey player Justin Falk.
The foundation was created with the sole intent of making a difference in the community, Fehr said, and they’re always humbled when the community in turn shows up to support that mission. The 2024 tournament, held at the Winkler Centennial Golf Course, had 165 golfers this year.
“There are a lot of people that keep giving year after year,” Fehr said. “We’re super thankful that they can enjoy the day and also give money to these great causes.
“It’s extremely difficult every year to choose which charities we give the money to,” he added, noting there’s certainly no shortage of worthy causes. “We’re trying to spread it around the community, and these are the charities that we thought were in need of some money this time.”
SCCR board member Freda Lumgair says these funds will go a long way in their mission to aid families dealing with cancer.
“It’s huge for us. We will be able to support cancer patients with travel into the city for testing, radiation therapy—somebody that is going through radiation therapy, they go Monday to Friday, often for a month or more.”
SCCR’s transportation program provides patients with rides and financial support to help offset the costs that come with frequent trips into the city for treatment.
The agency also supports families who are struggling with income loss due to a cancer diagnosis.
“When we have people that are at the point where maybe the wife is sick, the husband has to take time off work to help look after her and quite possibly the kids … so now there’s not as much income, if any, coming in, and they still need groceries and they need to get into Winnipeg for treatments.
“When things are tight, they can come and talk to our office staff and, based on need, we have gift cards that we give out to help.”
SCCR also offers skin screening clinics, radon awareness and testing, wigs and head coverings, a lymphedema program, accommodation assistance, and other wellness programs.
They’re only able to do all this with community support, Lumgair stressed.
“We’re not government funded. We’re all funded by donations,” she said, thanking the Falk Fehr Foundation for including them among the recipients this year. “Their support is just fabulous and we greatly appreciate it.”
Jenelle Neufeld, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Pembina Valley, says the $20,000 they received from the foundation is a huge support for their various one-on-one and group mentoring programs.
“Something like this is absolutely incredible to us because we are a smaller organization and I think that it is easy to kind of feel like you’re getting lost in the shuffle, but having the Falk Fehr Foundation believe in what we’re doing and choose us for something like this is absolutely amazing.”
The agency currently has six active traditional mentoring matches—teaming up adult volunteers with youth in the community—but as the new school year gets underway Neufeld hopes to see significant growth in their in-school mentoring program, in which teens are teamed up with younger students.
They’ll also be launching several group programs in the months ahead designed to foster self-esteem and promote good decision making in youth.
Meanwhile, the $30,000 the Winkler and District Food Cupboard received will help them stock their shelves for the next couple of months, allowing them to assist hundreds of people experiencing food insecurity.
But the donation represents more than just monetary support, reflected Milt Olfert, chair of the food cupboard’s board of directors.
“What it means to me is that the community cares about each other,” he said. “It’s not so much about raising a lot of money—it’s about raising money for people that need it.
“When an organization like this goes and raises money for Big Brothers or cancer resource or people with food insecurity, it means they care about the people around them. They care for whether people are having a hard time in their lives, and that’s huge.
“To me it’s not so much about the money—the money is great, but it’s the caring that is behind it for the community, reaching out and helping those that are in hard times.”
Photos by Ashleigh Viveiros/Voice
South Central Cancer Resource’s Naomi Fehr and Freda Lumgair (right) and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Pembina Valley executive director Janelle Neufeld (left) accept donations of $20,000 from the Falk Fehr Foundation reps.
