Total includes a $400,000 contribution from the Province of B.C., presented by BC MLAs Greg Hogg (Surrey-White Rock), Michelle Stilwell (Parksville-Qualicum) and Richard T. Lee (Burnaby North)
BURNABY, BC, Sept. 13, 2015 /CNW/ - On Saturday, September 12, 2015, Ritchie Bros., the world's largest industrial auctioneer, hosted its 6th annual Corporate Kids Challenge at its corporate head office in Burnaby. The event raised more than $549,000 for KidSport BC™, a community-based sports funding program that provides grants for financially disadvantaged children to participate in amateur sport. Included in the total funds raised was a $400,000 contribution from the Province of B.C., presented by MLAs Greg Hogg (Surrey-White Rock), Michelle Stillwell (Parksville-Qualicum) and Richard T. Lee (Burnaby North). In its six years, the Corporate Kids Challenge has raised more than $2.9 million for KidSport B.C., including donations made by the Province of B.C.
"This has been a great year for sport in B.C. We hosted the Canada Winter Games in Prince George, the Women's World Cup in Vancouver, and today, the Corporate Kids Challenge here in Burnaby," said MLA Greg Hogg, during the opening ceremonies for the event. "In fact, the Province of B.C. has declared this week 'KidSport Week' so all British Columbians understand the great work you do for our province. On behalf of fellow MLAs Michelle Stillwell and Richard T. Lee and the Province of British Columbia I want to thank Ritchie Bros. and all the corporate sponsors for your support of this great charity."
For more than 20 years, KidSport has been raising money to help financially disadvantaged kids participate in organized sports, changing thousands of lives in the process.
"Last year we helped more than 7,400 kids, with about $1.6 million of funding. The money we raise here today goes a long, long way to making sure we keep pace with the demand and don't leave any kids on the sideline," said Pete Quevillon, Director of KidSport BC. "I would, once again, like to offer a huge thanks to Ritchie Bros. There is no other corporate partner who puts on an event like this that I'm aware of. It's so unique, unusual, and raises so much money."
The full-day charity event teams up Olympic athletes and local celebrities with corporate teams from the Greater Vancouver area to participate in a series of sports day challenges. Among the athletes and local celebrities participating this year were Tommy Europe, former CFL all-star and TV show host; John Herdman, head coach of the Canadian woman's national soccer team; Maëlle Ricker, Olympic snowboarder and Vancouver 2010 gold medalist; Kelsey Serwa, Olympic freestyle skier and Sochi 2014 silver medalist; and Liz Gleadle, Canadian Olympian in javelin and gold-medal winner in the 2015 Pan Am Games. The event also includes a silent and live auction.
Ritchie Bros. was the host and main sponsor of the event. Other sponsors included Bee-Clean Building Maintenance, Bell, Burnaby Firefighters Charitable Society, Creatix Business Solutions, End of the Roll, Ernst & Young, Hilton Vancouver Metrotown, Heritage Office Furnishings, IT|IQ, KPMG, Marsh, PWC, RBC Capital Markets, Ritchie Bros. Financial Services, Samsung, Somatic, Symatec, Tippet-Richardson, Traction, Triple O's, Unity Telecom, Westminster Savings, Xerox and Zurich.
"This event gets bigger and better every year thanks to all the corporate sponsors, KidSport athletes, our volunteers and the support of the Province of B.C.," said Todd Wohler, Chief Human Resources Officer, Ritchie Bros. "When Ritchie Bros. first met KidSport, we knew this was an organization we wanted to work with. Just like our founder Dave Ritchie, they greatly value the importance of youth sports and understand the life skills sport provides to help develop the community leaders of tomorrow."
Ritchie Bros. plans to host the 7th Corporate Kids Challenge in September 2016. Learn more about the event and how you can help at rbauction.com/kidschallenge.
About KidSport™
Established in 1993 by Sport BC, KidSport™ is a community-based sports funding program that provides grants for financially disadvantaged children ages 18 and under to participate in amateur sport and learn valuable life lessons and skills. The organization operates 178 chapters across Canada, 41 of which are based in British Columbia. For more information about KidSport™ and how you can help in your community, please visit www.kidsportcanada.ca.
About Ritchie Bros.
Established in 1958, Ritchie Bros. (NYSE and TSX: RBA) is the world's largest seller of used equipment for the construction, transportation, agriculture, material handling, energy, mining, forestry, marine and other industries. Ritchie Bros. TM solutions make it easy for the world's builders to buy and sell equipment with confidence, including live unreserved public auctions with on-site and online bidding (rbauction.com), the EquipmentOneTM secure online marketplace (EquipmentOne.com), a professional corporate asset management program, and a range of value-added services, including equipment financing for customers through Ritchie Bros. Financial Services (rbauction.com/financing). Ritchie Bros. has operations in 19 countries, including 44 auction sites worldwide. Learn more at RitchieBros.com.
Photos for media are available at rbauction.com/media.
SOURCE Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers