Charity Classic Breaks Another Record
Golf Tournament Raises Essential Funds for Healthcare in North Okanagan
VERNON, BC — The Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation’s 16th Annual Charity Classic golf tournament – held on Sunday, August 24, 2025, at Predator Ridge Resort – broke another record by raising over $500,000 for life-saving medical equipment at VJH. To date, this tournament has raised over $4.2 million.
“We really never imagined we'd be here again,” says Kate McBrearty, Executive Director of the Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation. “But here we are celebrating another record-breaking year at Charity Classic!”
Kate attributes the Foundation’s ability to have two record-breaking years in a row to the incredible support of the community, including title sponsor Paul Docksteader Foundation, venue sponsor Predator Ridge Resort, over 30 local business sponsors, and of course, the golfers who participate in the tournament and the evening program, which includes Fund-A-Need, where people donate to purchase equipment for Vernon Jubilee Hospital.
“It was just incredible to be in that room and be surrounded by such a feeling of positive energy, of ‘let’s get this done.’ We’re just so deeply grateful to have a community who shares our passion and commitment to transforming healthcare in the North Okanagan,” says Kate.
This year’s Charity Classic helped purchase two Belmont Rapid Infusers. These vital, life-saving devices are used to quickly stabilize patients experiencing severe blood loss. The faster the patient can be stabilized, the better the outcomes.
“The sun was shining, people were smiling and laughing from the moment they arrived, and there was such a wonderful feeling of community.”
She also notes that it takes an army of volunteers to make the event happen every year – from the Committee who spends all year planning it, to the volunteers who set up the course early Sunday morning, to the ones that spend the day on the course enhancing the experience for golfers, like the members of the UBC Okanagan Golf team who offered “Hit by a Pro” by donation for the golfers.
This year, VJH Foundation Charity Classic helped purchase two Belmont Rapid Infusers. This life-saving equipment quickly stabilizes patients by delivering warmed fluids at high flow rates – up to 750 ml per minute – which means an average bag of blood is delivered in two-three minutes. The faster the patient can be stabilized, the better the outcomes.
In addition to the Rapid Infusers, this year’s tournament helped purchase urgently needed medical equipment that is the lifeline of healthcare – from external pacemakers to vital signs machines that are essential for patient monitoring.
“The sun was shining, people were smiling and laughing from the moment they arrived, and there was such a wonderful feeling of community,” says Kate. “We couldn’t have asked for a better day.”