Total includes a $400,000 contribution from the Province of B.C., presented by MLA Gordon Hogg
BURNABY, BC, Sept. 12, 2016 /CNW/ - It's great to feel young again. On Saturday, September 10, Canadian Olympians, local celebrities and corporate teams got to relive their childhood with a charity sports day challenge at Ritchie Bros.' headquarters in Burnaby, B.C. The best part: the event helped raise more than $516,000 for KidSport B.C., a community-based sports funding program that provides grants for financially disadvantaged children to participate in amateur sport.
This was Ritchie Bros. 7th annual Corporate Kids Challenge event for the KidSport B.C. organization. Over the years, the event has raised more than $3.4 million for KidSport, including donations made by the Province of B.C. For the second-straight year, Parliamentary Secretary for Youth Sport, Gordon Hogg, was on site for the event to present a $400,000 cheque to KidSport B.C. on behalf of the province.
"Research tells us very clearly that the biggest barrier for participation in sports is funding, which makes the work being done by KidSport and the money being raised here at the Corporate Kids Challenge event so important," said Gordon Hogg. "Instilling the value of exercise and healthy living from a young age is a great way to keep kids active throughout their lives. I'm pleased to work with a great program like KidSport that provides unique opportunities to participate in organized sport, regardless of financial barriers."
KidSport has been raising money for financially disadvantaged kids more than 20 years, changing thousands of lives in the process.
"The money raised by this event over the past seven years has literally helped thousands of kids get involved in sports that otherwise wouldn't have been able to," said Pete Quevillon, Director of KidSport BC. "Ritchie Bros. has become a family member for us at KidSport and the Corporate Kids Challenge event that they host each year is the envy of KidSport chapters across Canada—this event and our relationship with Ritchie Bros. is irreplaceable."
The Ritchie Bros. Corporate Kids Challenge is a full-day charity event, teaming up Olympic athletes and local celebrities with corporate teams from the Greater Vancouver area to participate in a series of sports day challenges. This year's event featured multiple Canadian Olympians who participated in Rio 2016, including Erica Wiebe (gold medal in wrestling); Georgia Simmerling (bronze medal in track cycling); Ghislaine Landry (bronze medal in rugby sevens); and Evan Dunfee (4th place finish in race walking). The event also included a silent and live auction.
Ritchie Bros. was the host and main sponsor of the event. Other sponsors included Bee-Clean Building Maintenance, Burnaby Firefighters Charitable Society, Creatix Business Solutions, DER Resorts, Ernst & Young, Fortius Sport & Health, Heritage Office Furnishings, Hilton Vancouver Metrotown, IT|IQ, Korn Ferry, KPMG, RBC Capital Markets, Ritchie Bros. Financial Services, Samsung, Somatic, Telus, Tippet-Richardson, Vancouver Police, and the Vancouver Canucks.
"At Ritchie Bros., we believe strongly in the power of sport and competition to positively affect peoples' lives," said Todd Wohler, Chief Human Resources Officer, Ritchie Bros. "The skills taught through sports—leadership, listening, learning, teamwork and sportsmanship combined with the joy of accomplishment—are the same skills needed to succeed in business and other aspects of life. We'd like to offer a huge thanks to all the sponsors and to our employees who have jumped on board to support this event year after year. It is a tremendous privilege to participate in such a worthwhile cause and we can't wait to do it all over again next year."
Ritchie Bros. plans to host the Corporate Kids Challenge again in 2017. To learn more about the event and how you can help, visit 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 http://www.kidsportcanada.ca/british-columbia/.
About Ritchie Bros.
Established in 1958, Ritchie Bros. (NYSE and TSX: RBA) is the world's largest industrial auctioneer, and one of the world's largest sellers of used equipment for the construction, transportation, agriculture, energy, mining, forestry and other industries. Ritchie Bros.TM asset management and disposition solutions include live unreserved public auctions with on-site and online bidding; EquipmentOneTM, an online auction marketplace; Mascus, a global online equipment listing service; private negotiated sales through Ritchie Bros. Private Treaty; and a range of ancillary services, including financing and leasing through Ritchie Bros. Financial Services. Ritchie Bros. has operations in 19 countries, including 44 auction sites worldwide. Learn more at rbauction.com, EquipmentOne.com, mascus.com, rbauction.com/privatetreaty and rbauction.com/financing.
Photos for media are available at rbauction.com/media.
SOURCE Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers
Megumi Mizuno, Director, Human Resources, Ritchie Bros., mmizuno@rbauction.com