Homebase 2022:
Home Runs for Mental Health
The NHL ‘Boys of Summer’ are Back!
Hometown heroes and hockey stars Josh Gorges and Blake Comeau are back to host Homebase to raise funds for local mental health care.
KELOWNA, BC, March 22, 2022 – Homebase is back! After a two-year hiatus, one of the community’s most beloved family sports events is squaring up to hit another fundraising home run for the KGH Foundation.
The Gorges-Comeau Homebase Charity All-Star Game & Slo-Pitch Tournament will take place Friday, June 24, and Saturday, June 25, in Kelowna. Raymond James is also back as the presenting sponsor.
For many of the all-star roster of current and alumni NHL’ers, this year’s cause, mental health care, hits close to home.
“Mental health challenges do not discriminate. As athletes, fathers and just regular guys faced with the pressures of life, we too have found ourselves struggling at times,” says Homebase co-host, hometown hero, former Kelowna Rocket and celebrated, retired NHL defenseman, Josh Gorges. “For me, it’s incredibly meaningful to be able to host this event to raise much-needed funds to support mental health care right here in my home community.”
A highlight of the action-packed weekend features an ALL-STAR match complete with an autograph signing Friday night. Gorges and co-host, Dallas Stars’ winger, Blake Comeau, will each captain a celebrity team of active and retired NHL’ers and local celebrities. Teams square off in a truly hilarious ‘game’ of softball. While final rosters will be announced in the coming weeks, past ALL-STAR games have included Kelowna ‘boys of summer’, Carey Price, Shea Weber, Brendan Gallagher (Montreal Canadiens) and Luke Schenn (Vancouver Canucks).
The Gorges and Comeau teams then take to the field on Saturday for tournament play. Team registration and ticket sales will open in mid-April. Interested teams should reach out to the KGH Foundation.
Proceeds from Homebase will support the KGH Foundation’s ‘We see you’ campaign, launched this month to support the needs of local mental health care providers for immediate funding and system innovation.
“We are thrilled to bring Homebase back and provide an opportunity for folks of all ages and stages to come out and have a whole lot of fun, while also doing something really worthwhile for our community,” says Chandel Schmidt, Senior Director of Philanthropic Programs for the KGH Foundation.
“Being a part of this event is really important because mental health care is for all of us,” says Erica Whiteley, Branch Manager at Raymond James Ltd. in Kelowna, the event’s presenting sponsor. “We all have the capacity to make a difference. All it takes is stepping up to the plate!”
She adds with a smile, “For Team Raymond James, batting practice has already begun!”
“There are plenty of other sponsorship opportunities up for grabs,” says Chandel. “If you or your organization would like to learn more about a high-value sponsorship opportunity with Homebase, please contact us at the KGH Foundation.”
Stay tuned to Stingray media sponsor stations New Country 100.7, K96.3, and kghfoundation.com/homebase for the opening of team registration and release of ticket sales!
Since 1978, the KGH Foundation has worked with a generous community to raise funds to support world-class healthcare close to home for a rapidly expanding and diverse population in the interior of B.C. Today, the KGH Foundation is the lead fundraising organization for Kelowna General Hospital and its associated facilities, JoeAnna’s House and Central Okanagan Hospice House.
Raymond James is a leading North American independent full-service investment dealer offering an extensive range of professional investment services and products, including private client services, financial and estate planning services, portfolio management, insurance, equity research, investment banking, and institutional sales and trading. Through its network of approximately 8,500 financial advisors across Canada, the United States and key international centres, Raymond James manages more than US$71.26 trillion in client assets under administration. For more information about Raymond James, please visit www.raymondjames.ca.