Representatives from the Burns & McDonnell office at the Great Plains Power Station site presented a cheque for $42,000 to River Street Promotions, the result of their third annual charity golf tournament, which received an outpouring of support from individuals, businesses, and community organizations.
The announcement took place at Ross Wells Park.
The tournament was held on June 16 at Hillcrest Golf Club and built on the success of Burns & McDonnell's previous tournaments.
"A few weeks ago, we held the third annual Great Plains Power Station Burns & McDonnell golf tournament to support Homestand '23, that's going to be held right here at Ross Wells Parks on September 9," said Brad Butcher, B&M's project manager. "That's a great event to support the youth of Saskatchewan. Through the generosity of the local Saskatchewan people, subcontractors, and vendors, Burns & McDonnell is happy to present the Homestand '23 team a cheque for $42,000.
"We appreciate you letting us be a part of it, and we look forward to attending it."
B&M's first charity golf tournament raised $17,000 for Joe's Place, and last year's cheque presentation was to Hunger in Moose Jaw for $26,000. The tournament has grown in prominence each year and received increasingly generous support.
"It was an awesome day, it was the third one we've done here in Moose Jaw. The Hillcrest was amazing and always super accommodating," said Jami-Lee Cuthbert, B&M site manager. "This year, we had 144 golfers, about 26 volunteers, we could not do it without them, of course.
"So much support from different suppliers, vendors, and local businesses, providing us food holes, beverage holes, we had all kinds of challenge holes throughout the course. I think everyone had a really great day, and then we finished it off at the Heritage Inn, which has also been awesome for any event we've hosted there. Overall, I think everyone had a great time and were extra generous this year."
The money will go to the River Street Promotions Fund, shared between Prairie South School Division (PSSD) and Holy Trinity Catholic School Division (HTCSD), to support youth mental wellness in southern Saskatchewan.
"This means a lot to us at River Street to receive this gift from Burns & McDonnell and their contractors," said RSP's Andy Hamilton. "This relationship started a couple of years ago, and when they informed us that we would be the beneficiaries of their golf tournament, we were absolutely thrilled."
Hamilton said the amount of the donation exceeded their expectations and would result in more dollars going toward mental health projects for schoolchildren in the province.
Amanda Olson, superintendent of learning at PSSD, said the RSP fund has enabled mental health wellness projects on both a divisional level, as well as more specifically at individual schools. She recently met with HTCSD director Ward Strueby to discuss plans for the RSP fund this fall, including conferences and symposiums supporting students, teachers, parents, and support staff at the two school divisions.
"We're a very diverse school division, so every school has unique needs related to mental health wellness. This initiative allows them to individualize what the support looks like, and River Street Promotions dollars help that out.
"It's great to see the community come together and support such a great cause," Olson added. "Definitely above my expectations and great to see. A very heart-warming [donation], and a heartfelt thank you on behalf of myself, [PSSD], and Holy Trinity for those funds."
Homestand '23 will start with a live broadcast of the traditional Banjo Bowl football game, followed by a concert featuring Corb Lund, Lindi Ortega, the Mike Plume Band, and Jordyn Pollard.
