Tony Harris hopes to continue the philanthropic approach of his father, the late Tom Harris, with a charity tournament at Nanaimo Golf Club.
The inaugural Tom Harris Charity Classic is set for June 15 with proceeds going to the Tom Harris Community Endowment Fund, a legacy fund established in Tom’s honour via the Nanaimo Foundation. Harris said his father was very involved in the community and finding ways to give back. In recent years, Tom had focused on encouraging others to think of themselves as philanthropists.
“The idea behind the tournament is multi-fold,” said Harris. “Bring old friends and associates together to celebrate Dad and to give them a chance to have fun and visit and share memories. At the same time, of course, to raise money for the … fund and that money will be directed back into the community by family members in the way that Dad always would do that and the way that we have as an organization over the years.”
Harris said a golf tournament made sense as it would give people several hours to visit, experience camaraderie and it is a lovely environment with the ocean in the background.
The tournament takes place at Nanaimo Golf Club with tee off at 1 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m.
There are 132 spots available for the tournament and Harris said there are 48 spaces available for those who want to attend dinner only. Entrance fee for a single player is $300, $1,200 for a group of four and $150 for those who only want to attend dinner.
People can also make donations or get more information on the tournament website.
“Our idea is not to hold onto that money to accrue interest,” said Harris. “We’ll aggressively raise money and then aggressively give it back into communities … We want to get that money out and doing its work, helping underprivileged youth, supporting education and various other causes in the community.”
Tom Harris died last June at Roche Harbor, Wash. He was Nanaimo’s Citizen of the Year in 2004 and was appointed to the Order of St. John and received the Rotary Centennial Service Award for Professional Excellence in 2005. He received Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 in recognition of his service to the community and to Canada.
reporter@nanaimobulletin.com
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