LOCAL CHARITIES BOOSTED WITH CORPORATE INITIATIVE

Several local charities gained attention and fund raising through a unique corporate prize package.

WINNIPEG MB-Twelve local charities raised over $385,000 at golf tournaments this summer with the support of a unique prize package provided by Fast Air and several corporate partners.

Each charity was given a pass as a prize for one golfer to take part in the Fast Air Grand Slam Golf Odyssey. The event will take the 12 winners on two Fast Air airplanes to play 9 holes of golf at each of four different courses, in two countries, in one day.

We came up with this concept as a fun way of supporting these charities," said Fast Air President Dylon Fast, who is scheduled to fly one of the aircraft on the trip. Were grateful for the opportunity to participate and for the support of the other companies in making this event happen."

The 12 golfers will leave the Fast Air terminal at 6:00 oclock Thursday morning (August 23rd), returning late that night after playing nine holes at each of four different golf courses. The courses are located at Steinbach, Manitoba; Kenora, Ontario; Warroad, Minnesota; and Grand Forks, North Dakota, with the trip covering nearly 500 miles.

The seats for the day were won at 12 local golf tournaments:

•   GMC Harvest Foodbank Classic -- Winnipeg Harvest
•   The Good Bear Classic -- Childrens Hospital
•   Manitoba Sport Classic - Kids Sport
•   Steinbach ProAm -- The Rainbow Society
•   Youth For Christ Classic - (working with inner city youth)
•   IT Golf Classic - Centre of Hope - Breast Cancer
•   Variety Club
•   MTS Classic / Pro Am -- The Rainbow Society
•   The Blue Bombers Classic
•   Manitoba Motor Dealers Assoc. -- Special Olympics
•   Sam Fabro Classic -- The Ft. Whyte Centre
•   The Seven Oak Hospital Foundation Classic

The courses have assured us our players will have immediate access to the golf course, to allow us to keep on our schedule for the day," said Dan Rutherford, Director of Marketing with Fast Air. We were fortunate in being able to find courses close enough to airports to allow this trip to occur."

The golfers will be treated to first class catering during the day provided by WOW Hospitality. Other partners include Rogers AT&T Wireless; Intrepid Dezine, a supplier of corporate apparel, is making commemorative Fast Air Grand Slam golf wear for the event; and Pixel-Fixer a graphic design studio, has put together a special logo and materials which each of the 12 participants will receive.

This prize package was a major topic of conversation during our tournament and excited our competitors," said Al Letkeman of the Harvest Classic tournament. We thank Fast Air and the other sponsors for their help in raising funds for our cause."

At Fast Air, we are proud of our commitment to supporting the community in which we live and we have enjoyed working with the charities and the tournament organizers to make this event possible," said Fast.

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