Last week at Cobble Beach Golf Links, the fundraising committee for the Owen Sound Regional Recreation Complex staged a golf tournament and dinner.
I didn’t hear how much money they generated from the day, but with 100 people on the course, and probably another 50 pouring in for the dinner, I assume it was a nice financial bump to the process of funding the new venue.
Generally at these things, I’m not the most observant, but here’s one thing that jumped out at me.
I looked at the teams, the partners, the participants, about 3/4’s of whom I know, and it struck me that in almost every case, the people generating the funds for this event have children, but children who are, for the most part, long gone from being the main beneficiaries of the complex.
And I wondered to a dinner companion, why the room wasn’t instead packed with parents who currently have young swimmers, skaters, players & athletes of every description who will benefit from the venue the most in the short term,
The explanation was pretty rationale.
The parents with young Owen Sound and area athletes likely have more pressing needs for a few hundred dollars than gassing it all on a day of golf & dinner, as great as it was.
Whereas, the bulk of those in attendance likely felt that the venues in the city where terrific for their kids, and their city and hold the belief that the addition of the new facility will make the city that much more vibrant on many levels.
So the construction continues at Victoria Park, as does the fund raising here, there and everywhere.
I’m a big supporter of this project and hope that some day, in some way, the region will support every aspect of the project.
I’m Fred Wallace