Legacy Golf Tournament launched to support Caledon Agricultural Society

By Riley Murphy

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Allan and Anne Thompson Community Fund has pledged its commitment to the Caledon Agricultural Society's (CAS) fundraising efforts for their new build with the launch of the first-ever Legacy Golf Classic.

CAS will be the Major Grant Recipient of the inaugural event.

CAS is currently planning to expand facilities on their existing fairground property to meet the needs of the Caledon community with a new community centre.

The proposed centre will enhance the community in numerous ways.

The CAS said it will provide a focus for education, social enrichment, physical activity, educational growth, conservation encouragement, and strengthen community links.

The importance lies in the community centre being close and highly accessible, especially to seniors, as there is currently a lack of facilities in the proposed area.

With the large capital campaign underway in the community, the Thompsons believed they

could do more to augment their Fund's ongoing support for Caledon charities and the

Campaign, and a golf tournament at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley was their first pick.

“This is the fair board's most ambitious fundraising effort in history and we wanted to

do what we could to help support their efforts,” says Allan Thompson.

The Allan and Anne Thompson Community Fund was established as a permanent

legacy fund through the Brampton and Caledon Community Foundation in 2022.

Interest earned from the Fund is used to support an annual grant to a community charity.

This year, it's through the inaugural Legacy Golf Classic.

Jim Boyd, President & CEO at Brampton and Caledon Community Foundation, said it's an honour for the Thompsons to include them in this.

“The Brampton and Caledon Community Foundation is proud to hold the Allan and Anne Thompson Community Fund. Allan and Anne are tremendous supporters of the Caledon community. Their charitable contributions over the years have been remarkable, but this year goes above and beyond. The Foundation is honoured to partner with Allan and Anne, the Caledon Agricultural Society and TPC Toronto at Osprey Golf in support of the Caledon Agricultural Society's capital construction Project,” shared Boyd.

He shared with the Citizen it's great to see their mission at Brampton and Caledon Community Foundation exemplified through the event.

“It breeds a lot of good feeling in the community that there are philanthropists out there that are endeavoring to support the charities in the community, and it's recognition that the charities are an important part of the community,” he said. “I think it sets an example as well as what can be done to raise money for projects and programs in the community.”

The tagline for the event is “Honouring Tradition and Driving Impact”

“For the Caledon Agricultural Society, it speaks to the longevity and historical community contributions while acknowledging their exciting vision for the property moving forward. It speaks to the work Chris and the TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley team are doing to advance his family's decades-long vision for the property. And it aligns with our own values and the impact we hope our Fund can make in our community,” says Anne Thompson, referencing the tagline.

Anne Thompson shared with the Citizen that the proposed CAS community centre is an essential opportunity for the Caledon Community.

“For Allan and I, we decided that, as part of their capital campaign team, we needed to do something to really kickstart it. A golf tournament seems to be a really popular way these days,” she said. “The Humeniuk family themselves are very generous with the community and charity and so for us, it seemed like a really good event to launch the campaign.”

Anne shared that, besides fundraising, they hope the tournament will be a great opportunity for camaraderie in the community, as well as raise awareness for CAS and their community centre.

She said Caledon has always stepped up when it comes to community fundraisers and charities, stating that the community has always felt extremely supportive.

“We want it to be about having fun and coming together for a good cause,” she said. “We just want everyone to have the same kind of success and fun from making a difference in their community that Allan and I are feeling by partnering in this project.”

Ed Taccone, President of CAS, told the Citizen that he feels extremely honoured.

He shared the society is working hard to raise funds, and this is an excellent opportunity to raise money.

“As a matter of fact, we had a complete survey down on the fairgrounds,” shared Taccone. “This is how confident we are.”

He said their architect is now working on the drawings to start the process as well.

“It's great to have such a powerful committee that we're going to see this through. That's our goal.”

Taccone added that, through the tournament, he hopes a sense of commitment will develop among the community and residents, and more people will come on board.

He shared that northwest Caledon is owed a building, a space where residents can gather and enjoy.

Taccone said they are currently seeking individuals and businesses to assist with the silent auction, which will be featured at the Legacy Golf Tournament and beyond.

Funds raised from the auction will go towards the new build.

The Legacy Golf Classic will be held on September 3 at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley.

More information can be found at legacygolfclassic.ca.