Wishing all the athletes competing in Football (soccer) a warm Hamilton welcome, and hoping these Games bring a positive experience of sport, fellowship and community spirit to all who attend and participate. Thank you to the many volunteers who will help make the Games a success. Looking forward to taking in some of the action at the new stadium!
Tomorrow, Sunday July 13th, marks the 23rd annual CAPPY Ride to raise funds for the programs and services offered by the Community Child Abuse Council. At the moment, it looks entirely possible the ride will be a damp one. But the motorcycle community supporting this event comes out for the cause moreso than the ride itself. Yes, it’s a popular, police escorted scenic route and a tremendous show of 2-wheel (and sometimes more) camaraderie. But those who come out know
that the ride wouldn’t happen if we didn’t need to do more for children and youth who are sexually abused – more treatment, more education, more prevention. They know that 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 5 boys are sexually victimized before reaching their 18th birthdays. And they know that too many youngsters, some as young as 3 years, wait far too long for trauma treatment after experiencing sexual abuse.
A tip of the hat to all those who ride for this important and worthwhile cause. And a shout out to the many amazing volunteers, sponsors, donors, and musicians who make the event such a tremendous success year after year.
Registration and breakfast start at 8:30 am at the Ancaster Fairgrounds. All are welcome.
For details, visit www.cappyride.ca
Ami Dar and the team at idealist.org are about to start something, and practical dreamers everywhere will want to hear about it. On March 11, 2014 they will launch “a new network – online, on the ground, in cities, villages, schools and workplaces” to join together people all over the world who want to work together on 3 global challenges. But the challenges aren’t hunger, or poverty, or disease, or world peace (or then again, maybe it is about that…). The challenges Ami and team have in their sights are big challenges, but they may surprise you. As he puts it, “These challenges are quiet—you’ll seldom hear about them in the media—but they affect all of us. And if we can tackle them, all our other problems will be easier to deal with”.
The goal is to bring together a network of people to tackle these challenges – “an ecosystem of possibility”. To find out more about the project, the March 11 launch, and how to join in, here’s the link: http://www.idealist.org/March11
Congratulations to Scott Piercy, the 2012 RBC Canadian Open Champion, and warm thanks to the thousands of visitors at the tournament who helped to support the Community Child Abuse Council. It was an amazing week. Probably the most excitement for the charity partner came on Saturday – Purple Ribbon Day at the Open – when a sea of purple ribbons adorned hats and shirts, lanyards and golf bags all around the course. Nearly every player, and many caddies, wore the child abuse awareness ribbon and helped to get the message out to television audiences as well as golf fans.
Sales of reusable water bottles, purple ribbons, and donations raised more than $70,000 during the week, and will be added to proceeds from hat sales at RBC branches and other fundraising still taking place as part of the ongoing “Heart of the Open” campaign.
Bo Van Pelt added a purple ribbon to his hat on Saturday, but kept the Council’s logo on his hat all week!
Special thanks to the amazing volunteers who worked so hard all week to make this such a success for the Council! For photos and updates, check the Council’s web site over the next few weeks: www.childabusecouncil.on.ca
The buzz on the course at Hamilton Golf & Country Club today included the excitement surrounding the arrival of Open Champion, Ernie Els, who will compete this week in the RBC Canadian Open. But on a quiet corner of the course, early in the day, six generous supporters of the Community Child Abuse Council got a real treat when they joined PGA Tour Pro, Bo Van Pelt, for a private clinic. These donors paid to spend time with Bo, get tips on their short game, and putting advice, all to raise funds for the Council’s child abuse treatment, prevention, 
and education programs. Bo Van Pelt didn’t disappoint…he spent individual time with each of the six, provided valuable insights and tips, and shared his knowledge of the game openly. After the exclusive clinic, Bo joined the group for lunch in the RBC Clubhouse Suite and talked about all things golf…life on the tour, competing with the world’s best, juggling family life with career duties, and the quirks of tournament play. He’s a personable and generous man, and a bighearted supporter of the charities selected to partner with tournament stops on the PGA Tour. The hat he wears this week during competition will bear the logo of the Community Child Abuse Council, part of his ongoing support of the many causes embraced by professional golf and its sponsors.
This is an incredibly important week for the Council. Amid the helicopters delivering golf’s royalty onto the course and the media scrambling for the action shots, humble volunteers are engaging golf fans and community attendees in work that will prevail long after the tournament ends. Their efforts over the next several days will help to ensure the right help is there at the right time for children who turn to us for hope and healing after the pain and trauma of abuse. Every purple ribbon they sell, every person they speak with, and every moment they spend being ambassadors for this important cause will leave a lasting legacy that far outlasts the buzz on the course.
Thanks Bo, and good luck this week.
At 6am in the morning, the footprints of the first volunteers and officials to arrive on the course are visible in the dew on the grass…it’s the first day of what will be an action-packed week filled with activity at the Hamilton Golf & Country Club as the 2012 RBC Canadian Open gets underway. And some of those early tracks in the fairway belong to volunteers supporting the Community Child Abuse Council in its precedent-setting involvement at this year’s national tournament…an amazing group of caring and hard working individuals who battled the gruelling heat and humidity all day long to sell reusable water bottles and purple awareness ribbons, accept donations, and manage an on-site effort that will raise important funds to support the Council’s vital child abuse prevention, education, and treatment programs. They are champions even as the week begins, and the entire operation wouldn’t be happening without them.
Brandt Snedeker strolls by, mere hours after flying back from that other Open across the pond. Stephen Ames rolls in a putt with a small but appreciative gallery watching from the shade. RBC’s Gord Nixon, President and CEO, tees off in the morning RBC Invitational Pro-Am. The course is alive with energy and anticipation. Ernie is coming. And right there in the midst of this inspiring environment…tremendous exposure for an important cause, conversations about a difficult topic, and generosity in support of hope and healing for children and youth affected by trauma and abuse. It’s a wonderful experience to be in the midst of all this, knowing that the week ahead will bring significant gains for the Council in numerous ways.
Retief Goosen causes a considerable stir as he plays through the Par-3 sixteenth hole, but it’s the family walking past – all wearing purple ribbons – that captures my attention. There’s a lot going on today, not least a community coming together for the enjoyment of sport and the support of a good cause. It’s a wonderful start.
If you visit the RBC Canadian Open this week, look for the Council’s volunteers in their yellow shirts and be sure to stop by one of five water stations on the course to buy a reusable water bottle and get a purple ribbon. Saturday, July 28th is Purple Ribbon Day on the course.
The Community Child Abuse Council’s Heart of the Open campaign kicked off officially today, beginning an unprecedented effort to raise funds in support of child abuse education, prevention, and treatment programs. Details about the campaign – and how you can help – are posted on the Council’s web site: www.childabusecouncil.on.ca.
In partnership with the 2012 RBC Canadian Open, the Council is selling “inside the ropes” experience packages, corporate hospitality packages, and group tickets that get golf fans up close and into the action for the RBC Canadian Open’s return to the Hamilton Golf & Country Club, July 23-29. The Council’s team of volunteers will also be on-site at the tournament selling reuseable water bottles and purple awareness ribbons. Proceeds from all campaign activities will support vital prevention, education and treatment programs for child and youth victims of abuse and trauma.
A sizeable lead-off gift from RBC will enable the Council to enhance its current programs and services, but our community has an opportunity to join with RBC and realize an even greater result by supporting the Council’s campaign. Children as young as 3 years of age are currently waiting several months for trauma treatment, and the education and prevention initiatives so crucial to fighting child abuse are in need of financial investment. Remember, 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually victimized before reaching adulthood. Here in the Hamilton area, that translates into a significant
number whose lives are affected – shouldn’t we be able to help each and every one of them?
We may never see another opportunity like this one to respond as a community and invest in the lives of our youngest and most vulnerable members – please check out the many ways you can help to support the campaign, and help the Council in its efforts to create a community free of child abuse
.
I had the pleasure of presiding at the induction of two new Leaders for Kids today at a breakfast event hosted by students at Mohawk College. Leaders for Kids is an initiative of the Community Child Abuse Council, bringing together community leaders from all walks of life in support of the Council’s vision of a community free of child abuse. These are individuals who step up, speak out, and lend their support to the Council’s work with child and youth victims of sexual abuse and trauma. 
They go above and beyond, and are recognized as Leaders for Kids in appreciation of their commitment and contributions.
Today’s honourees were Laura Gainey and Vince Isber from RBC, who were both instrumental in the Council’s selection as Local Charity Partner for the 2012 RBC Canadian Open. They join a group of bighearted and generous friends to the Council, all tremendous partners who set an example for community involvement and leadership. Laura Gainey is the first Honourary Leader for Kids ever inducted into this group. In fact, the Council has never before included anyone from outside the Hamilton community. But Laura has embraced our work and supported our efforts in influential ways, and you would be hard-pressed to guess that she wasn’t a Hamiltonian if observing her commitment to local children. Vince Isber is an active and respected community booster, whose involvement with numerous community organizations and projects is admirable. Vince has stepped forward to support the Council in generous ways, and is coordinating the involvement of RBC employees from across this region in the Council’s Heart of the Open fundraising campaign.
These two Leaders for Kids exemplify what it means to get behind a cause and are demonstrating what is possible when leaders offer their talents and ideas to support an important community issue. Laura and Vince visited the Council several months ago, and showed a keen interest in its programs and services provided to abused children and youth. They asked thoughtful questions and followed up by taking action on the things they learned that were needed in order to meet the needs of more youngsters affected by the trauma of abuse. They deserve the honour they received today, and they join an impressive group of like-minded community members who are making a difference each and every day in the fight against child abuse. Congratulations Laura and Vince, and thank you to all our Leaders for Kids.
The eyes of the golfing world will be on Hamilton this July as the RBC Canadian Open returns to the Hamilton Golf & Country Club.
But the heart of the Open, this year, is linked to helping child and youth victims of sexual abuse and trauma here in our community. RBC has chosen the Community Child Abuse Council as the Local Charity Partner for the 2012 RBC Canadian Open, and committed a sizeable financial investment to help the organization in its mission – to reduce the incidence and impact of child abuse and to promote the safe and healthy development of children. This is truly a gift wrapped in hope, and represents a significant opportunity for this community to make great strides in its support of vulnerable and victimized youngsters. By supporting the Council in its partnership with the RBC Canadian Open, the Hamilton region has an unprecedented chance to turn an already generous donation from RBC into something bigger – and to see the legacy of the 2012 Canadian Open be a lasting one for local children’s mental health.
The Council is about to launch a fundraising drive – The Heart of the OPEN Campaign – to engage the support of the community and to involve Hamiltonians in this partnership with RBC and the Canadian Open. Some of the campaign’s activities are directly tied to the Open, including advance ticket sales, exclusive VIP and “inside the ropes” experience packages, and on-site sales. Limited edition hats will be sold in area RBC branches in the weeks leading up to the Open with proceeds going to the campaign. Other campaign efforts are bringing together some of RBC’s corporate clients, community leaders, and friends of the Council in a range of fundraising initiatives aimed at demonstrating that the Hamilton community can and will step up to support child abuse prevention, education, and treatment in partnership with RBC.
Campaign proceeds will help enhance treatment programs for child and youth victims of sexual abuse, expand parent support groups, and invest in proven prevention initiatives. The Community Child Abuse Council is unique in providing these specialized services in the Hamilton community, and continuously works to increase its capacity so that all children needing this help can receive it. A waiting list for treatment has been an ongoing challenge, with children as young as 3 years of age often waiting several months for clinical services. A robust campaign success will also enable the Council to secure a permanent home for its programs and services.
Statistics show that one in three girls and one in six boys is sexually victimized before reaching adulthood. In Hamilton, Chief Glenn De Caire of Hamilton Police Service has publicly referred to rising rates of sexual assaults against children and women, and child pornography, as “troubling” given otherwise declining rates of violent crime in the city. The trauma resulting from sexual victimization can have a lifelong and significant impact if not treated early and effectively. The scars of abuse can last decades and can impact generations.
The 2012 RBC Canadian Open will be held July 23-29 at Hamilton Golf & Country Club
An energetic campaign team comprised of volunteers from all corners of the community is now hard at work to ensure the success of this fundraising initiative. Their efforts, along with the generosity of RBC, bring much-needed attention to child maltreatment and a vital financial investment in the future of local children and youth. To find out more about The Heart of the OPEN Campaign, to volunteer, or to support the cause, watch the Council’s web site for details ( www.childabusecouncil.on.ca). If you’re a golfer, a golf fan, or know others who are, you can help make the excitement of the Open (July 23 – 29 last long after the trophy has been claimed and the crowds have dispersed…be part of the Open and please support the Council’s campaign and help to make sure the legacy left by the 2012 RBC Canadian Open is one that invests in children and youth well into the future. If we as a community can match RBC’s investment we can take huge strides that are long overdue. Thank you!
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