In June, the Falk Fehr Foundation hosted the 2024 Hockey Champions Charity Tournament in Winkler. The golf tournament, an annual occurrence, is quickly becoming a fundraising powerhouse in the area.
The Falk Fehr Foundation presented donations from the golf tournament to its three chosen charities on August 16th. Eric Fehr, who gives his name to the foundation, called it “an exciting day for the community and an exciting day for us.”
“We were lucky enough to give away $70,000,” he says. “[The tournament] was a great event. We were just so thankful that we continue to get the support year after year. Obviously, these golf tournaments . . . can have a life span, but people keep showing up, and we're going to keep putting this tournament on as long as there's demand for it.”
This year, the tournament fundraised for the Winkler & District Food Cupboard, South Central Cancer Resource (SCCR), and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Pembina Valley.
“It's very difficult to choose charities every year,” says Fehr. “There are so many great, deserving charities in this area.”
Because the services at the Winkler Food Cupboard are in high demand, Falk Fehr Foundation chose it as one of its recipients this year. Fehr says that approximately 160 families are supported by the cupboard.
For Milt Olfert, the chair of the Winkler Food Cupboard board, the donation means even more than its monetary value.
“It's not as much [about] the money as the support. We have a business community, we have a foundation that cares about people that are [in] hard times, whether it's the food cupboard, cancer care, or Big Brothers Big Sisters,” he says. “[The community shares] a passion for those that are struggling in some way, whether it's health or food insecurity. I think that's the key here. The money is great and it's going to be used well, but [this is] . . . something we're called to — to help those that are in hard times.”
Olfert notes that that the call spreads through events like the charity golf tournament.
“It's contagious,” he says. “It's contagious from [Falk Fehr Foundation] to the business community to the larger community, so it's really exciting.”
The funds donated through the Falk Fehr Foundation will go towards purchasing essentials for those in the community who may be experiencing food insecurity.
“At the Winkler Food Cupboard, we purchase a lot of staple items for our clients. We have donations too, but we make sure that things like flour, rice, oatmeal, pasta, milk, eggs, and some meat are there for our clients,” he says. “With this money, we can continue to purchase those items, so they have quality food. We want to make sure it's healthy food [to which we] can add fruit and vegetables.”
For Fehr, the work that South Central Cancer Resource does is also important to support.
“[The resource] does a great job of transportation and accommodation and everything in between for families that have cancer, and they support the whole family, not just the individual, which is great,” he says.
Freda Lumgair is on the SCCR board. For Lumgair, because the organization is funded entirely through community donations, the contribution from Falk Fehr Foundation is invaluable.
“This is huge,” she says. “We will be able to support people with transit to their tests, transit to radiation therapy, that type of thing.”
Lumgair says that the funds will also help couples whose income is affected by a cancer diagnosis.
"We have a program [for] people [who] are off work because one partner has cancer [and] the other partner is helping out,” she says. “[This] causes a decrease in income . . . . If things are getting really tight, they can come in [and] they can talk to our office staff. We don't want them to have to choose between groceries and being able to get medication or treatment. We do have small amounts of money that we can give out.”
The SCCR supports over 200 clients in various ways.
While the SCCR works with the cancer community, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Pembina Valley targets another vulnerable demographic that the Falk Fehr Foundation is also passionate about — the youth.
“They do a great job mentoring the youth in this area, and for us, that's something we’ve always wanted to do. [To give] everyone a chance to succeed and a chance to grow in this community and become a community leader,” says Fehr.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Pembina Valley has a variety of in-school and out of school mentorship programs that provide children in the community with healthy guidance.
“It is amazing to see the support of the community, but also to know that a local foundation is choosing us [and that they] support us and see the vision that we're also seeing,” says Jenelle Neufeld, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Pembina Valley. “There are no words for something like this, especially the amount that they're giving, and it's just amazing to know that they support what we are also trying to do.”
Neufeld says that the donation will be used for mentorship.
“All of the money that we receive through donations, fundraising, everything goes right back into our mentoring programs,” she says. “We are an intervention before things get bad for these kids. [If] they need support in something that they are already going through, mentoring is a great way to do that. Like the stats show, . . . mentored kids are less likely to [get involved with] crime, they have better success rates with school, and they're just overall happier. Knowing that the Falk Fehr Foundation also believes in that is absolutely amazing to us.”
For Fehr, each of the charities addresses an important part of the community. Falk Fehr Foundation is helping in the mission to make the Pembina Valley a comfortable home for everyone.
“Everything kind of fit together in a different way for us, but obviously, [they are] all deserving charities,” he says.
According to Fehr, the success of the Hockey Champions Charity Tournament is yet another reminder of the Pembina Valley’s benevolence.
“This is the most generous community in Canada, there's no doubt about it. We're so grateful to be a part of it,” he says. “Every year, we wonder if the tournament is going to fill up and if the tournament is going to get the same support, and every year we're able to write these big cheques to the charities in this area. [I’m just] super proud to be from Winkler.”
For more information about what the Falk Fehr Foundation does in the community, visit its website here.
~With files from Ty Hildebrand~