NHL All-Stars Play Ball and Win Big
for the KGH Foundation
KELOWNA, BC – June 27, 2022 – Local ball fields lit up with more than just lights over the weekend. NHL stars Blake Comeau and Josh Gorges were back with big smiles and plenty of heavy-hitter friends to participate in the Gorges Comeau Homebase Slo-Pitch Charity Tournament which raised over $242,000 in support of the KGH Foundation.
Along with presenting sponsor Raymond James Ltd., the pro-hockey players hosted the third Homebase Charity Slo-Pitch Tournament on June 24 and 25 in Kelowna. Twenty-two current and former NHL players were on hand for some fun and friendly competition, including brothers Brayden and Luke Schenn, Tyson Barrie, Jordin Tootoo, Carey Price, Shea Weber, Brendan Gallagher and Justin Schultz.
After a two-year hiatus, the community was clearly eager and ready for the return of Homebase with tickets to the All-Star game on Friday evening selling out well before game time. And with all proceeds going to the ‘We See You’ campaign in support of mental health care in our region, the ‘wins’ extend far beyond the ball diamonds.
“We are incredibly grateful for the support of our generous community and are so happy to have been able to come together again for this star-studded weekend of fun…and fundraising,” says Allison Ramchuk, CEO of the KGH Foundation. “While the pandemic kept us apart for two years, it has also magnified a critical concern in our region – mental health care and mental well-being, which the ‘We See You’ campaign aims to address. We feel very fortunate to have Josh and Blake on our team – not to mention their NHL friends, all of the sponsors, teams, volunteers and people who supported Homebase through ticket purchases for the Friday match, the silent auction and 50/50 draw. Thank-you. Each and every one of you contributed to the success of this year’s event.”
The two-day affair, which featured an NHL All-Star Match Friday evening at Elks Stadium and tournament play the next day at Mission Sports Fields, was a culmination of unique expertise and teamwork, thanks to all of the event sponsors, dozens of volunteers, 14 co-ed teams, and of course, the NHL players, all of whom put on quite an entertaining show.
It certainly was a show of support for mental health care. The over $242,000 raised will provide for the immediate needs of community mental health care providers in order to help people who are struggling right now and facilitate collaboration to support system innovation, to build the sustainable, inclusive, and accessible system of mental health care that we all deserve. For more information about the ‘We See You’ campaign or Homebase 2022, please visit kghfoundation.com/mental-health.
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.
