The Province - It's easy to give to Athletics for Kids
Dave Babych among charity's supporters
BY KENT GILCHRIST, THE PROVINCE
Former Canuck and B.C. Hall-of-Famer Dave Babych.
Photograph by: Les Bazso, The Province, The Province
When times are as tough as they are now, it's more important than ever that those who can afford it keep spending on things that might seem frivolous to those who can't.
That's what the hard-working volunteers who run A4K are hoping will happen tonight at the annual fundraiser at Hollyburn Country Club. A4K stands for Athletics For Kids and since 2003 it has raised more than $600,000 and helped at least 1,000 kids and their families.
"Normally by January we're sold out," said chairman of the volunteer board of directors Craig Knapton. "This year it's been a little tougher. Folks who used to buy four tickets are buying two [at $150 each], but we're sold out again. It has made us broaden our search, which is good. We've made more people become aware of A4K, too."
Also on the board are former Vancouver Canucks defenceman Dave Babych, who's being inducted into the B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame this summer partly because of his good charitable deeds, and writer/author Andrew McCredie, Chris Obst, Sandy Rogers and Valerie Pearson. Nearly all the money raised goes directly to the charity coffers because everything is done by the six-person board.
"It's easy to give for something like this," said Babych. "It's a terrific deal, absolutely. Most of us haven't needed to worry about the financial cost [of participating in hockey or soccer or any other team or individual sport] when we were kids.
"The toughest part for some families is putting their pride aside. We get a lot of referrals from teachers, counsellors and coaches. You want these kids to go and participate and not worry."
Tonight's gala combines a wild array of interesting and expensive silent and live auction items around a brilliant dinner and five amateur boxing matches. It's the major fundraiser of the year for a group that started out as a North Shore charity and has expanded through need and notoriety.
West Coast Boxing's Manny Sobral is the matchmaker for the bouts and many of the boxers come from his North Burnaby Club. Kevin Reynolds, the No. 1 cruiserweight contender in the country, who has his own gym Contenders at the Bentall Centre downtown, puts on his own white collar fight nights between the lawyers and stockbrokers he trains.
So far he's contributed $75,000 to A4K. Instead of birthday presents, Bob and Sue Leblevec suggest their guests make donations and have raised $20,000 for the Zajac Foundation and A4K. The Great Canadian Casino presented the 50/50 profits at last week's Rumble At The Rock V to Knapton.
"It's interesting where the donations come from," said Knapton, who could have included the auction items, too.
Former PGA Tour regular Dick Zokol, for instance, is donating two rounds of golf for four at his exclusive and just completed Sagebrush Golf and Sporting Club in Merritt and the charity is throwing in a night's accommodation at the famous Quilchena Hotel. That's expected to raise a nice chunk of change. And it's the right kind of crowd to come and have a look at what Zokol is offering.
Hollyburn executive chef Jerry Fyfe donates a four-course dinner for 10 in your home and he and his staff bring everything with them.
They deal with 86 sports bodies and as long as the family meets the criteria, children are supported right through their high school years.
In fact, there's now a bursary program where the kids can apply for post-secondary help, too.
As Babych says, it's an easy one to support. hkgilchrist@yahoo.com