News and Events Archives - Chatham Kent Community Foundation

2026 Pickleball Tournament

admin — Tue, 05 May 2026 18:57:09 +0000

The Chatham Kent Community Foundation teamed up with the Chatham-Kent Pickleball Club to host its second annual pickleball tournament on Saturday at the St. Clair College HealthPlex in Chatham.

Bill Weaver, a director with the Foundation, said it wasn’t necessarily about the money that was raised, but rather an opportunity to raise awareness about what the foundation does in the community.

Noting the foundation has been around for over 30 years, he said a lot of people still don’t know how much it contributes to the community.

Foundation chair Kathy Biondi said the $16-million plus endowment allows the foundation to support more than 85 charitable organizations by providing approximately $750,000 to $850,000 in funding annually.

“The kindness of the many very generous donors allows us to provide grants that will impact our community,” she said.

Mayor Darrin Canniff was joined by Lefty, the mascot for the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers with the Intercounty Baseball League, for the ceremonial first serve.

Calling the event a great community effort, Canniff said, “This is a microcosm of what makes Chatham-Kent so amazing” groups joining together to raise money for a great cause while getting together socially.

With all spots in the women’s, men’s and mixed flights filled, Weaver said, “The Chatham-Kent Pickleball Club was key to making this event happen.”

Pete Roelofsen, a pickleball club board member, said the club was happy to use its experience to organize the event.

He added many of those participating Saturday learned about the foundation.

The club is fortunate in that it has many members who are ready and willing to play.

“Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the world,” Roelofsen said. “Every year it’s doubling.”

He added a challenge the club sometimes encounters is having enough courts for everyone who wants to play.

Noting the club is focused on getting youth involved in the sport, Roelofsen said more details can be found online at www.ckpickleball.com.

The post 2026 Pickleball Tournament appeared first on Chatham Kent Community Foundation.

2025 Golf Tournament

admin — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 21:24:37 +0000

Presenting the Winning Team of the 2025 Chatham Kent Community Foundation Golf Tournament: Mark Meko, Scott Geddes, Mark Meko, Jr and Austin Geddes!

Enjoy your Pizza For A Year from @bostonpizzacanada in Chatham!

Sincere thanks to all players, volunteers and Willow Ridge Golf and Country Club in Blenheim for such a great day! Special thanks to our Main, Gold and Silver Sponsors:

Photo gallery

The post 2025 Golf Tournament appeared first on Chatham Kent Community Foundation.

Pickleball tourney raises funds, awareness of CK Community Foundation

admin — Fri, 23 May 2025 14:23:00 +0000

by Ellwood Shreve, Chatham Daily News, Published Apr 29, 2025

The Chatham-Kent Community Foundation teamed up with the Chatham-Kent Pickleball Club to host its first pickleball tournament on Saturday at the St. Clair Healthplex in Chatham.

Bill Weaver, a director with the foundation, said it wasn’t necessarily about the money that was raised, but rather an opportunity to raise awareness about what the foundation does in the community.

Noting the foundation has been around for several years, he said a lot of people still don’t know how much it contributes to the community.

Foundation chair Janine Griffore said the $14-million plus endowment allows the foundation to support more than 85 charitable organizations by providing approximately $750,000 in funding annually.

“Your kindness allows us to provide grants that will impact our community,” she said.

Mayor Darrin Canniff was joined by Lefty, the mascot for the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers with the Intercounty Baseball League, to for the ceremonial first serve.

With all spots in the women’s, men’s and mixed flights filled, Weaver said, “The Chatham-Kent Pickleball Club was key to making this event happen.”

Pete Roelfsen, a pickleball club board member, said the club was happy to use its experience to organize the event.

He added many of those participating Saturday learned about the foundation.

The club is fortunate in that it has many members who are ready and willing to play.

“Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the world,” Roelfsen said. “Every year it’s doubling.”

He added a challenge the club sometimes encounters is having enough courts for everyone who wants to play.

Noting the club is focused on getting youth involved in the sport, Roelfsen said more details can be found online at www.ckpickleball.com.

The post Pickleball tourney raises funds, awareness of CK Community Foundation appeared first on Chatham Kent Community Foundation.

2024 Golf Tournament

admin — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 15:09:21 +0000

Presenting the Winning Team of the 2024 Chatham Kent Community Foundation Golf Tournament: Bill Weaver, Ian McLean, Greg Hetherington and Tim Weaver! Enjoy your Pizza For A Year from @bostonpizzacanada in Chatham!

Sincere thanks to all players, volunteers and Willow Ridge Golf and Country Club in Blenheim for such a great day! Special thanks to our Main, Gold and Silver Sponsors:

Maizex Seeds maizex.com, Sobeys Canada sobeys.com, Glenn Seed glennseed.com, iA Private Wealth, Peter Jamieson & Stephanie VanDerMeersch iaprivatewealth.ca, Farm Lending farmlending.ca, TekSavvy teksavvy.com, RBC Wealth Management, Colin McGregor & Michael Verhoeven ca.rbcwealthmanagement.com/web/mcgregor-verhoeven/who-we-are, Waltron Trailers waltrontrailers.com, BDO Canada bdo.ca, Baker Tilly bakertilly.ca/en/chatham-ontario

The post 2024 Golf Tournament appeared first on Chatham Kent Community Foundation.