For Matt Duchene, returning home every summer and helping to raise money for Haliburton Highlands Health Services is one of his favourite ways to give back to the community.
The National Hockey League star was at Blairhampton Golf Course July 19 for the annual Matt Duchene Charity Golf Classic. This year’s event drew 187 golfers, who combined to raise $222,000 – a new record total.
“This is one of my favourite summer events. Anytime you’re raising money for a hospital in a small community, you know that money goes a long way. Sometimes rural communities can get overlooked, there’s not a lot of money to go around, so being able to raise some here is a big deal,” Duchene said.
Both live and silent auctions performed well, said Melanie Klodt Wong, executive director of the Haliburton Highlands Health Services Foundation, which partnered with Duchene for the event. Some of the top-selling items included a custom-made tiki bar and several signed pieces of hockey memorabilia, donated by Duchene and the NHL Players’ Association.
Teeing off on the first hole, Duchene said it meant a lot to him spending the day surrounded by friends and family.
“I’ve been looking forward to this all week – I’ve got three of my best friends with me, my dad, a lot of other really close friends who all still live here. That’s why it’s so important to me, doing this and raising money for the hospital, because it means there are more services available for them and everyone else in the County should they need them,” Duchene said, speaking to the recent addition of CT and, soon, mammography. “We need stuff like that around here.”
Klodt Wong said the money will be used to purchase new CPR assist devices and bladder scanners, purchasing ice machines for the in-patient unit at Haliburton hospital, and room upgrades at Highland Wood and Hyland Crest long-term care homes.
“While our big focus right now is our CT campaign, there are so many other things we can’t forget about. The amount raised again this year is amazing as it allows us to make some of the important purchases [that have been on wish lists] for a long time,” she said.
Klodt Wong confirmed the event was a sellout, with tickets claimed within hours of being made available.
She said fundraisers like this are extra important as it allows the hospital to upgrade equipment and facilities the provincial government doesn’t cover.
“We’re so thankful to everyone who helped make this a record-breaking event,” she said.
