Deadline of December 6 for Canadian golf community to submit nominations for Community Leader Award & Future Leader Award to recognize individuals’ impact through golf.
October 24, 2024 – Golf Canada and the Golf Canada Foundation are pleased to announce that nominations for the 2024 Lorie Kane Community Spirit Awards are now being accepted through to Friday, December 6.
The inaugural Lorie Kane Community Spirit Awards were launched in the summer of 2022 and the Canadian golf community is invited to submit nominations for one of two signature recognitions – the Community Leader Award as well as the Future Leader Award.
The Lorie Kane Community Leader Award celebrates individuals over the age of 19 with a demonstrated ability to lead community initiatives; who have contributed a measurable impact through volunteerism or charity; or have showcased excellence in their involvement with, or support of youth programs such as First Tee – Canada or other junior golf activities.
The recipient of the Lorie Kane Community Leader Award will receive a $5,000 donation from the Golf Canada Foundation to advance a golf program or golf-related initiative of their choice.
To recognize youth who are making an impact in their community, the Lorie Kane Future Leader Award will honour an individual 19 years of age or younger who embodies community leadership; has a history of sportsmanship or demonstrated activities to make the game more inclusive; or an individual who has used golf to create a meaningful impact in their community.
The recipient of the Lorie Kane Future Leader Award will be awarded a $5,000 donation towards their post-secondary education.
The Lorie Kane Community Spirit Awards were named to honour the Canadian golf icon for a longstanding commitment to advancing the sport, charitable work and giving back to the game that defined her Hall of Fame career. Kane is a member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Canada Sports Hall of Fame as well as a recipient of the Order of Canada.
“On behalf of Golf Canada and the Golf Canada Foundation, we are pleased to begin accepting nominations from the Canadian golf community for the 2024 Lorie Kane Community Spirt Awards,” said Golf Canada President David McCarthy. “Lorie Kane is a Canadian golf icon who has given back so much to numerous communities across Canada through her charitable work. She is a role model to many and has made significant contributions to the continued growth of our sport. We look forward to recognizing individuals who share a similar commitment with their positive contributions to the game in their communities.”
In 2022, Fareen Samij of Burlington, Ont. and Bob Beauchemin of Brampton, Ont. were named the inaugural co-recipients of the Lorie Kane Community Spirit Awards.
A five-time Canadian Women’s Long Drive champion and former golf touring professional, Samij is a respected entrepreneur, speaker, and author who founded the Smashing the Grass Ceiling golf program to engage women and young girls to connect and be inspired on the golf course.
Beauchemin, a PGA of Canada professional and Head Teaching Professional at Oakdale Golf and Country Club, was nominated for his efforts to advance junior golf including First Tee Canada, as well as his mentorship to countless golf industry professionals through the Humber College Professional Golf Management Program.
In 2023, Simeon Pompey of Montréal, Que. and Rosie Allen of Corner Brook, Nfld. were named the 2023 recipients of the Lorie Kane Community Spirit Awards.
Pompey earned the 2023 Lorie Kane Community Leader Award for his long-time support of First Tee which led him to be at the heart of the program’s success in Montréal since the launch of First Tee – Premier départ Quebec in 2021. He has also played a key role in the launch of golf programming in the Indigenous community of Kahnawake, on the south shore of Montréal.
Allen was the recipient of the 2023 Lorie Kane Future Leader Award. She played an instrumental leadership role in helping to develop the First Tee – Canada program at her home course, Blomidon Golf Club in Corner Brook, Nfld. Allen has devoted her time to First Tee programming as well as helping to plan and run events for her club’s junior girls’ program.
The Canadian golf community is invited to submit individual nominations for the 2024 Lorie Kane Community Spirit Awards through an online nomination form. The nomination period will close at 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, December 6.
Click here to nominate an individual for the Lorie Kane Community Leader Award.
Click here to nominate an individual for the Lorie Kane Future Leader Award.
At the conclusion of the nomination period, all Lorie Kane Community Spirit Award submissions will be compiled and evaluated by a selection committee that includes representatives from Golf Canada, the Golf Canada Foundation, Honoured Members of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, industry representatives and the Golf Journalists Association of Canada.