Page 24 - GBC Eng winter 2021

BLACK LIVES MATTER GOLF PROGRAM
BLMG 3 Initiatives
1. BLMG-Junior Mentorship Program (JMP)
2. BLMG Invitational Tournament
3. BLMG Scholarship Fund for BIPOC Youth
BLMG-JMP Objectives
• Junior Mentorship Program (JMP) for underrepresented BIPOC youth between the ages of 12-18.
• Opportunity for youth to participate in both the JMP & the 2021 BLMG Tournament for free.
• Providing equipment for BIPOC youth.
• Educational component for juniors, involving various guest speakers which will consist of age appropriate conversations on the issues of racial discrimi- nation in society and in sports.
BLMG Scholarship Fund
• Nawaz Hirji has donated $3000 towards the 2021 BLMG Scholarship Fund for BIPOC youth and BLMG undertakes
to match that amount. For more information, visit www.blmgolfns.com or email blmgolf.2020@gmail.com.
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Golf Business Canada
more than 120 golfers in a tourna- ment style scramble made up of a mentor, junior, female and sponsor. The event could not have grown from 24 people to 120 in one single year without this support. The BLMGolf committee purchased 30 sets of clubs to use at any time for everyone involved in the clinics and program.
There also was huge support in the form of volunteers who assist- ed in the 7 weeks of clinics that lead up to the event and had over 60 participants, including youth and women. The clinics were run by Canadian PGA Professionals which included programs geared towards building character, instill- ing life values, and education of the sport of golf and promoting healthy choices through the game of golf and the mentors.
The BLMGolf program also travelled to Cabot Cape Breton a month before the big event with 10 mentors to bring awareness not only for Black people but people of colour, including Indig- enous people. This event included sessions for 20 youth comprised of teaching and education with guest speakers. Thanks to Ted Stone- house, Ed Ryan and the team and Cabot for making this happen!
RETURN ON INVESTMENT
So, let’s talk about return on invest- ment, focusing on the 10-mile radius surrounding your facil- ity. Immerse yourself within that community; seek out the under- privileged, find the youth, the women, and the people of colour or the families who can’t afford golf. Allow diversity, equality and inclusion at your facility and your bottom line will reflect that.
At Grandview, in 2020, we gained 11 new memberships; next year we expect that to grow to over 20 new memberships. We now have 5 new staff members from the community at a time when staff is hard to get. We created an annual event that had over $18,000 of revenue and introduced so many new people to this game! That is priceless!
In the future, we only expect this to grow and have added one more phase to our objectives and that is to include a focus on BIPOC women next year as part of phase 4. We would like to see this model implemented at other golf course across Canada! Truly embracing diversity, equality and inclusion is a win for your community and for your business.
Golf Business Canada