Craig Gilbert | [email protected]
They鈥檒l be shooting for a mil next year.
The 19th annual Tee Up for Tots golf tournament held at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge on Aug. 24-26 collected $938,876 for the Stollery Children鈥檚 Hospital Foundation.
That鈥檚 music to the ears of club pro Troy Mills, who has seen first-hand what the 鈥渙ne of the best children鈥檚 hospitals in the world鈥� is capable of during his first four years of fatherhood.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the biggest weekend of the year for us at the golf course,鈥� he said. 鈥淕olfers that come here are investing not only their time but their money as well. I ask a lot of (my staff) every day but this is the one where I really want them to kind of go above and beyond any of the expectations of the guests here. We really want to blow them out of the water.鈥�
His wife Danielle gave birth to their daughter Freya three years ago. Born at 32 weeks, 鈥淧eanut鈥� tipped the scales at just more than two pounds, having stopped growing in the womb more than a month earlier. She spent nearly the next three months at Stollery, including six weeks in an incubator.
She was diagnosed with Laryngomalacia and with weakened throat muscles, had trouble breathing and swallowing. She鈥檚 had two surgeries since; the hospital completes about 50,000 every year. Her new sister, Grace, turned one on Aug. 18 and has similar challenges with her larynx but counts her time spent at Stollery in days, not months.
鈥淲ithout the foundation, the hospital wouldn鈥檛 be what it is today,鈥� Mills said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one of the best children鈥檚 hospitals in the world. To have them in our backyard, we鈥檙e very lucky to have them 3.5 hours away.鈥�
Peanut now weighs 28 pounds. Add a layer of chocolate and she鈥檇 look right at home on the back shelf at Ana Lea鈥檚 Candy Lane next to the giant gummy bears.
鈥淲e wouldn鈥檛 have Freya without the foundation so we try to do whatever we can to give back.鈥�
The foundation鈥檚 vice-president of marketing, Martin Schuldhaus, said at his hydration station on hole 3 Stollery is one of the top three children鈥檚 hospitals in Canada and receives referrals from all over Western Canada and beyond.
He said the Jasper backdrop allows the foundation to market the event to couples with non-golf events from champagne tastings to horseback riding with help from sponsors such as Thompson Construction Group, and Edmonton Kenworth Ltd., and local sponsors including Mountain Park Lodges, the Jasper Brew Pub and Bear鈥檚 Paw Bakery.
The $938,876 will help buy equipment not supplied by Alberta Health Services, like their new non-invasive technology Synaptive, which acts as 鈥淕oogle Maps鈥� for the brain. It鈥檚 the only children鈥檚 hospital in Canada with that capability.
鈥淭he FJPL has been a tremendous host and a really great partner for us,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e love coming back to Jasper because it gives us the chance to really elevate the event. We鈥檙e always blown away by the generosity of all the sponsors.鈥�
