Opinion: Now, more than ever, say Shaw Charity Classic sponsors, charities need us to come together

Albertans are nothing if not resilient.

In early 2020, Alberta was poised to suffer the largest economic decline the province had ever seen — and then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Thousands have lost their jobs, hundreds of businesses are hurting, and many Albertans are worried about how they are going to take care of their loved ones. But — as Albertans have always done when disaster has struck our community — we are banding together and moving forward.

For many families, the impacts of the pandemic have been extreme, and many are relying on the services and supports of charities and community organizations.

More are turning to food support, counselling, and children and youth programming to help them manage through the hardships brought on by the pandemic. None of these resources would be available without the thousands of people who donate to, work for, and volunteer at charities across our province.

Charities have been forced to transform their operations to continue to deliver services while keeping employees and volunteers safe from COVID-19. This means incurring costs to provide services remotely and introducing pandemic protocols.

While the need is greater than ever, organizations are finding the impact of these changes stressful on operations. A recent survey found 85 per cent of agencies have seen funding decreases, with over 50 per cent needing to reduce staff.

As Albertans, we recognize we must come together as a community and support the charities that work to ensure the health, safety and well-being of our families and neighbours. As we look beyond the pandemic, let’s remember these organizations are there for us when times get tough.

Seven years ago, our fathers, JR Shaw and Clay Riddell, got together with some other like-minded leaders to create the Shaw Charity Classic — the PGA Tour Champions’ only Canadian event — at Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club. For sure, the idea was to create a landmark event, but JR and Clay truly saw the lasting impact was in building a charitable platform to help families in Alberta.

In its first seven years, the SCC, as it’s known, raised more than $48 million to support over 200 charities. This year, despite our inability to come together due to COVID-19, we called on our community to continue the tournament’s legacy of giving.

The reaction and results were absolutely remarkable. Donations flooded in to help Alberta charities that need our support more than ever.

Typically, around this time of year, friends, charities, volunteers and media get together to celebrate the total donations raised through the SCC. But in true 2020 fashion, we’re doing things a little differently.

On Dec. 7, we will announce this year’s total. Every day leading up to the announcement, the Shaw Charity Classic will share stories on its social media accounts of how the event has helped individuals, charitable organizations and our community.

We are grateful and inspired by everything this community has accomplished — especially in a time of crisis. But we also know the work can’t stop now.

As we reflect on 2020, we are drawn to a quote from JR: “We will see more change and more success as long as we are prepared to embrace new ideas and not accept the status quo. If you want to see the future — look around you. Together we will make it happen, together we will make the future.”

Every one of us has an important role to continue to play if we are to move forward as a strong community. Take a moment to volunteer for your favourite cause, donate if you’re able, or simply thank a neighbour or friend for making our community brighter.

Right now, we don’t know what the future holds, or when we will be able to come together again, but one thing is for certain: As Albertans, we will always have each other’s backs.

Brad Shaw is executive chair and CEO of Shaw Communications Inc. and Jim Riddell is chairman, president and CEO of Paramount Resources Ltd. and tournament chairman of the Shaw Charity Classic.