The fifth annual CK Charity Classic, in partnership with the Business Social Network, brought in more than $44,000 this year.
Organizers, sponsors and recipients gathered recently to celebrate as well as announce next year’s tournament beneficiaries.
There were three main recipients of the funds raised from this year’s tournament. First was the Mental Health Network of Chatham Kent which received a new air conditioner for their facility thanks to a partnership with Handy Bros. and a new double oven kitchen setup to allow them to teach and prepare meals daily.
The Ontario Student Nutrition Program received support to allow them to purchase more than 17,000 snacks for school-aged children in Chatham Kent.
Finally, FreeHelp CK benefitted to allow them to serve 125 seniors weekly with their Meals for Seniors program.
Due to the overwhelming generosity of both sponsors and participants, the CK Charity Classic was also able to give out additional funds in the form of a sponsorship for the Chatham Kent Children’s Safety Expo.
The CK Charity Classic was also able to make a donation that allows the CK Racquet Centre to purchase equipment for a pilot program to introduce school-aged kids in Chatham Kent to tennis.
The beneficiary for the sixth annual CK Charity Classic will be the Village Resource Centre in Wheatley.
The Kiwanis Club of Chatham-Kent is now a permanent partner of the CK Charity Classic. This strategic partnership will ensure the longevity of the CK Charity Classic and help the Kiwanis to fund their Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and keep getting high-quality books into the hands of youth in Chatham-Kent.
In its fifth year, the CK Charity Classic has raised and distributed more than $146,000 to various Chatham Kent not-for-profit and charitable organizations focusing on supporting community health and wellness, delivering exceptional services, and much more.
The Chatham-Kent Charity Classic is a non profit founded by Adam and Erin Dickinson along with Eric Koscielski as a way to give back to Chatham-Kent. All proceeds raised by the CK Charity Classic stay in Chatham-Kent.
Helping to make children better now
Employees with Bayshore have teamed up to raise $5,125 for the Make Children Better Now charity.
The money was raised in a variety of ways, including a 50/50 draw at the annual Christmas party, as well as office raffles for spa gift cards, Bayshore apparel and paid day off vouchers.
Unused office furniture was also sold to raise funds, and employees also made voluntary payroll donations, with Bayshore matching every dollar.
“We’re proud of the collective effort and generosity of our team, and we’re excited to support such a meaningful cause,” said Bayshore Chatham/Windsor administrative assistant Rebecca Robinson in a media release.
As a government-funded health-care organization, Bayshore Homecare Solutions provides free services through referrals from Ontario Health at Home. Bayshore offers personal support worker (PSW) care, nursing care at home, and clinic services.
ALUS tours C-K
Chatham-Kent hosted the 2025 ALUS Canada Eastern Hub Conference recently, bringing together ALUS communities and employees from across the country.
Attendees included ALUS Canada employees, representatives from many Ontario communities, several municipalities in Quebec and one community from the USA.
ALUS Canada is the national parent organization supporting locally run ALUS communities. Its slogan is “Where agriculture and nature meet.”
ALUS Chatham-Kent was established in 2019, with the help of the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority (LTVCA).
“One of the unique features of the program is that all decisions are made by a Partnership Advisory Committee (PAC), composed of local stakeholders such as agriculture producers, agriculture partners, community partners, ecological experts and municipal departments,” said Rashel Morin-Tremblay, ALUS Chatham-Kent program lead, in a media release. “Local farmers trust these active community members because they are their neighbours, their friends or their fellow farmers and that’s what makes the program successful.”
The ALUS Canada board of directors appointed Jordan Sinclair as the new CEO this year. Sinclair has been a member of the ALUS Chatham-Kent PAC since 2019 and joined ALUS Canada in 2023.
Sinclair is a Chatham-Kent local, holds a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and an M.A. in Applied Mathematics from Wayne State University.
This year’s conference was based out of Retro Suites in Chatham. Attendees boarded a bus to visit several local projects. Highlights included a large-scale natural watercourse habitat restoration project by Bob and Moira Kerr.
The group also visited Bkejwanong Territory (Walpole Island), where they walked the land and learned about the island’s unique natural landscape.
- Business Voice is a bi-monthly column in The Chatham Voice that highlights some of the achievements made and efforts underway in Chatham-Kent’s business community. Send your information to [email protected].
