News Details

Ritchie Bros.' Corporate Kids Challenge event surpasses $1.1 million raised for KidSport B.C.

September 11, 2017

MLA Ravi Kahlon also presented a $400,000 contribution to KidSport from the Province of B.C.

BURNABY, BC, Sept. 11, 2017 /CNW/ - Helping others can be fun. Just look at the massively successful Corporate Kids Challenge held every September at Ritchie Bros.' headquarters in Burnaby, B.C.

For the past eight years, Ritchie Bros. has hosted dozens of corporate teams from the greater Vancouver area to participate in a charity sports day challenge to raise funds for KidSport B.C., a community-based sports funding program that provides grants for financially disadvantaged children to participate in amateur sport. In total, the event has raised more than $1.1 million for KidSport, including $138,000 raised at this year's event held on September 9.  

"I think the Ritchie Bros.' Corporate Kids Challenge is the best charity event in Canada, and it raises an unbelievable amount of money, allowing us to help more than 500 kids participate in a season of sport each year," said Pete Quevillon, Director of KidSport B.C. "We are so fortunate to have Ritchie Bros. as a member of our family—their support is so much more than just a corporate partnership. The level of commitment from the entire organization is ongoing, well outside the actual event day, encompassing literally thousands of hours of volunteerism and amazing fundraising. Quite honestly, I don't know of another corporation that displays this level of passion for a cause."

The Corporate Kids Challenge is designed to bring out the kid in you. The full-day charity event held every September, brings corporate teams together with a series of special guest teammates, including Canadian Olympians, local athletes and celebrities. This year's event featured John Herdman, head coach of the Canadian women's national soccer team; Canadian Olympians: Elizabeth Gleadle (javelin) and Evan Dunfee (race walking); and many others. The event also includes a silent and live auction.

"We believe strongly in the power of sport to teach the life skills necessary to build future leaders in our communities," said Todd Wohler, Chief Human Resources Officer, Ritchie Bros. "We started this event as a corporate charity initiative, but it has turned into so much more—now every year our employees run their own fundraising initiatives leading up to the event and this year they raised more than $13,000! Getting involved with KidSport has helped grow our company culture in more positive ways than we could have imagined."

Onsite for this year's event was Ravi Kahlon, MLA (North Delta) and Parliamentary Secretary for Sport and Multiculturalism, and also an athlete who competed on the Canadian national field hockey team for 12 years, to present a donation to KidSport from the province of B.C.

"Since taking on the role of Parliamentary Secretary of Sport six weeks ago, I've been travelling the province talking with sports groups, mostly at the grassroots level, and the one thing you hear consistently is that it's getting increasingly difficult for kids to get involved," said Mr. Kahlon, at the Corporate Kids Challenge event. "That's why the work being done by KidSport and the Corporate Kids Challenge is critically important and I want to thank Ritchie Bros. and all the companies here for getting involved. Our province has committed $400,000 to KidSport this year and I hope this continues and grows because it's critical that our kids get the opportunity to participate in sport—I wouldn't be here without it."

Ritchie Bros. is the host and main sponsor of the Corporate Kids Challenge every year. Other 2017 event sponsors included Bee-Clean Building Maintenance, Burnaby Firefighters Charitable Society, DER Resorts, Dorsey, Ernst & Young, Fortius Sport & Health, GWL Realty Advisors, Heritage Office Furnishings, Hilton Vancouver Metrotown, IT|IQ, Korn Ferry, Marsh, Zurich, RBC Capital Markets, Ritchie Bros. Financial Services, ServiceMaster, Somatic, Tippet-Richardson, Triple O's, Westminster Savings, and Yellow Pages.

Ritchie Bros. plans to host the Corporate Kids Challenge again in 2018. 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 a global asset management and disposition company, offering customers end-to-end solutions for buying and selling used heavy equipment, trucks and other assets. Operating in a multitude of sectors, including construction, transportation, agriculture, energy, oil and gas, mining, and forestry, the company's selling channels include: Ritchie Bros.Auctioneers, the world's largest industrial auctioneer offers live auction events with online bidding; IronPlanet, an online marketplace with featured weekly auctions and providing its exclusive IronClad Assurance® equipment condition certification; EquipmentOne, an online auction marketplace; Mascus, a leading European online equipment listing service; and Ritchie Bros. Private Treaty, offering privately negotiated sales. The company also offers sector-specific solutions including GovPlanet, TruckPlanet, Kruse Energy Auctioneers, and Cat® auctions, plus equipment financing and leasing through Ritchie Bros. Financial Services. For more information about the unprecedented choice provided by Ritchie Bros., visit RitchieBros.com.

Photos for media are available at rbauction.com/media

SOURCE Ritchie Bros.

Ian Malinski, Corporate Communications Lead, 1.778.331.5432, CorpComm@rbauction.com