Twenty-seven foursomes participated in the 27th annual Golf Fore Nova Vita tournament at the exclusive Brantford Golf and Country Club on Tuesday, August 13, 2024.
The 108 golfers showed up bright and early and ready to play the 18-hole scramble style golf tournament in an effort to help raise between $30,000 to $32,000 of net revenue for the organization.
All proceeds raised during the day go directly to supporting Nova Vita’s vital programs and services available to all members of the community impacted by domestic violence and homelessness.
“One of the things that we’re really talking about a lot, and it’s something that’s we’re experiencing too, is the huge increase in cost of living for everybody. So just as people are experiencing that in their own home with utility bills, the cost of groceries and all of that stuff, we’re also dealing with that but on a much larger scale especially since we are just a small local nonprofit organization,” said Jessica Powless, Fundraising and Events Coordinator for Nova Vita. “We’re not part of a big chain or anything else like that, so the funds that we raise at our events go towards directly supporting women, children and families that are experiencing violence, and are seeking safe shelter and support at Nova Vita. When people participate in events like this, they’re really making a positive impact within their own community, which is really, really important.”
During the event, golfers also had the opportunity to further support the organization through a few different options including partaking in the silent auction or even donating $40 to help the them raise $4,000 for this year’s “Mowers and Blowers” campaign.
“Again, it’s that same idea where just as people experience wear and tear in their own homes, that’s something we also have to work around and in the last year, we discovered that both our lawn mower and our snowblower need to be replaced. Both of them are really an essential part of keeping our facility safe and accessible for everybody, but also to make sure it’s welcoming as well,” said Powless. “We receive guests day in and day out, not only clients and residents, but also vendors, donors, volunteers and of course our own staff, so it’s really important for us to maintain our grounds and make sure that everything is in safe working order. Just like with our Garden of Hope campaign, a big part of what we do is creating a beautiful and welcoming space for everyone because we never want anyone to be apprehensive about coming in, we want them to feel welcome and secure.”
During last year’s event, Kelly Rudney, a three-time World Long Drive Champion, currently ranked number two in the world, was onsite to give a helping hand to players, however this year, Rudney was unable to make it.
With that being said, players still got a chance to receive assistance from the champion at the long Par-five on hole four. By donating $20 to Nova Vita, teams got to move their ball to her longest drive, a record of 384 yards.
While a majority of players took the advantage, a select few still wanted to take the shot to see if they could match her, but with no luck.
As part of the price to play in the tournament, players were also partaking in several extra bonus games including a golf pong game and the “Wheel of Destiny” putting contest run by local realtors, Joshua Wall and Jeff Meiusi.
“Folks will spin the wheel of destiny and depending on where it lands they’ll have to play that way,” said Wall. “As far as using your own putter, the possible outcomes are either doing it one handed or with their eyes closed. Then we have the Happy Gilmore options; So if someone lands on one of those, they’ll have to putt with a hockey stick either once, twice, or three times.”
With the tournament coming to an end and then golfers wrapping up their games, many headed into the clubhouse’s Grand River room to grab refreshments, a light dinner, and to look at the different silent auction items before listening in for the award presentations.
“This year we are giving out awards for the men’s flight division, women’s flight division and a mixed flight division,” said Powless. “We also have closest to the pin for both men and women, lowest score, the hole-in-one contest and more.”
This year’s prize for the hole in one contest was a round trip for seven nights in Hawaii (at the Royal Kona Resort), courtesy of TravelBrands rands and Marlin Travel Brantford.
The Golf Fore Nova Vita tournament is the second largest fundraising event of the year behind the organization’s International Women’s Day celebration and Powless said that overall, the day is about spreading awareness, having fun and raising money for an important cause.
“The whole point in doing a fun event like this is, it’s not just about fundraising, it’s also about raising awareness. We have quite a few new golfers with us today so it’s a great chance to let them know that we are so much more than just a bed and we’re way more than just a shelter,” she said. “We have children’s programs, we have youth programs, we obviously have women’s programs and we also always have men’s programs too so we really service the entire family. It makes me excited to know that when people come out to this event, they’re learning more about Nova Vita’s services and they’re learning that they don’t have to physically be staying with us in order to access our services and so that’s what it’s all about.”
If you missed this year’s tournament, Powless said that next year’s Golf Fore Nova Vita will take place on Tuesday, August 12, 2024, and that people interested in playing should start looking out for registration dates as soon as the golf courses begin opening for the season.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
