Invest in Kids Golf Classic brings fans and sport legends together in a fun-filled fundraiser

The excitement was at a fever pitch. Hockey legend Bobby Hull had just put his jersey from his days with the Chicago Blackhawks up for bid. From opposite ends of the room, another hockey great, Rick Vaive, and an avid Hull fan, Mike Welling (V.P., Unilever Canada), were doing their best to out bid each other for this coveted piece of memorabilia. As the bids climbed, Hull tried modestly to put a stop to the action. But encouraged by auctioneer Barb Richards, Vaive and Welling continued their competitive bidding. The tension in the room mounted as the stakes rose. Then, to the crowd’s surprise, Hull succeeded in ending the bidding by tossing two jerseys into the ring with the stipulation that both bidders buy one each, at the top bid. The crowd roared as Vaive and Welling shelled out $850 apiece and walked away with a jersey of their own.

This was just one of the many highlights that marked this year’s Invest in Kids Golf Classic held at Wooden Sticks, Uxbridge, Ontario, Monday, July 21. The event boasted 29 of the greatest names in Canadian sport, all of whom graciously signed autographs when asked and had nothing but praise for the cause they played for. Todd Brooker, award-winning member of the Canadian Ski Team from 1977 to 1987, led his foursome from Rogers AT&T to win the day’s top honours for best score. Many more contest and prize winners, a fabulous course, and both a silent and a live auction of amazing products, services, trips and more, made for a memorable day for all in attendance.

Thanks to the valiant efforts of Chris Coburn who chaired the event, his wonderful team of volunteers, all our sponsors and prize and gift contributors, Invest in Kids raised close to $50,000 at this year’s event.

Battle of the Brains^® 2003
On Thursday, April 3, 55 teams representing Toronto's corporate community were pitted against each other in a battle of wits at Battle of the Brains^® 2003, the 10th anniversary edition of Invest in Kids' signature black-tie fundraiser.

Chaired by Debbie and Don Morrison, the event was presented by TD Securities for the third year and was a CBC Production. Quizmaster Alex Trebek of Jeopardy! fame returned for the fourth year running to host the trivia challenge of more than 500 players. Each of the previous nine winning companies were represented along with new recruits who participated in the friendly competition for the first time.

As the game unfolded, the competitive spirit was high across the sectors of banking, consumer products, finance, legal, services and technology. Yet, at the start of the game and in a move befitting this charitable event, Mandrake, the winning team from 2002, auctioned one of its team members, a five-time Jeopardy! champ, to play the first five rounds with the highest bidder. Motorola rose to that challenge.

Every round of the game saw jittery fingers hovering over the keypad of the interactive scoring system. The questions challenged players' knowledge of pop culture and covered such topics as sports, names in the news and what is the year? High scores were dependent on the speed with which teams entered the correct answer for each question.

At the end of the night, CIBC World Markets won the championship cup—the first-ever repeat winner. The event raised just over $600,000 for Invest in Kids' initiatives in parent education, research and professional education.

Invest in Kids Day^® Hosted by Scotia Capital
Scotia Capital and institutional investment community raised more than $682,000 for Invest in Kids. On Wednesday, February 26th, 2003 Canada's youngest children were the investment of choice for Scotia Capital Inc. and the institutional investment community. For the second consecutive year, Scotia Capital hosted Invest in Kids Day, and will donate more than $682,000 in commissions generated from institutional equity trades made with the Firm that day to Invest in Kids.

Mini Battle of the Brains^®
For those who can't get enough of Battle of the Brains^®, we've come up with a way for you to enjoy this cranial contest with your colleagues. You can now hold your own Battle of the Brains and engage in an evening of friendly competition, team building and fundraising.

For more information on how to hold your own Mini Battle of the Brains, contact Leslie Venturino at [email protected] or call 416-977-1222 ext. 225.