Lac La Biche County resident Kevin Pare wears his community support on his sleeve... literally.
The local good Samaritan — who has proved to be an integral contributor of various non-profits in the community — has tattoos on his arms of the different organizations he supports. The ink includes local chapters of organizations like Road to Hope, KidSport and the Kids Are Worth It breakfast program in area schools.
"It's kind of long story... It's like an addiction, once you get a tattoo, you get many. Earlier on, I got my children's names and some sayings ..." Pare told the POST last week after raising more than $31,000 for the Road To Hope organization during his Golf for Hope fundraiser, where he rolled up those sleeves to play 230 holes on the Lac La Biche golf course in one day. He said that each new tattoo was from an important part of his life. As he began to volunteer and help local groups, he realized that those were important parts of his life as well.
So far, Pare has raised more than $100,000 for the non-profits organizations, with the lion's share going to the Road To Hope organization where he is on the board of directors.
Pare says the tattoos are just a small part of his commitment to the groups he supports. Coming off the Thursday, September 12 golfing fundraiser that saw him take 14 hours to complete 12 and three quarter rounds of golf, he said he's part of the planning and organizing of events as well.
"I usually spend the month of September collecting funds, because a lot of it are pledges... The next month I go around and collect all the pledges. I get cash and cheques at the time as well but some people pledge by the hole, so I go collect the money after that," Pare said.
Cenovus matches
To raise $31,000 in a single fundraising event is a significant amount, especially when it is done a small community. Pare, however, is thankful to not only the generous contributions of individual community members but different organizations as well that help with the donations. This also includes Cenvous — Pare's employer. Every year, Cenovus matches the amount Pare raises through his Golf for Hope fundraiser.
"I get different sponsorships from companies around town. It's not just people. It's organizations as well, like the Kinsmen who support me a lot, the Knights of Columbus, the Elks of Lac La Biche. Organizations like that sponsor me and individuals, family, friends and acquaintances also sponsor me," Pare added, "A big contributor to my success is Cenovus and its employees, because Cenovus actually has a deal with its employees. Every organization employees donate to, they will match 100 per cent...... That's been consistent for the last three years."
Last year, Golf for Hope raised around $32,000 for Road to Hope, and Pare is really proud of the significant contributions his fundraiser has been making towards the non-profit — an organization of volunteers who help cancer patients in the area commute to their treatment facilities. Pare has been particularly proud of the instant growth and popularity his fundraiser has gained, considering this fundraiser only being in its third year.
"If you raise $10,000 or $15,000 or $5,000, it's a success because it's money that they didn't have before. The first year to start off, I was happy if I was going to make $5,000. Ten thousand was out of this world — and after a month I had $10,000. I was like, 'Whoa, this is crazy.' The first year, we topped out $20,000 so it was just unbelievable," he said.
Pare hopes to see a continuation of the community support that he has received so far, as he speaks about how important fundraising events like Golf for Hope is, especially for communities like Lac La Biche and Plamondon.
"The first year I was doing it, I was pretty amazed how many people didn't even know that the organization existed ... A lot in the community didn't know that the service was available for somebody with cancer to use as a means of transportation, or backup," said Pare.
For the past three years, there has been an increase in the awareness around Road to Hope. The usage of services provided by Road to Hope is been up by 60 percent — which of course increases expenses and the need for fundraising. Pare is prepared to continue rolling up his sleeves to bring awareness and funds to local charities, and he thanks the community members and the organizations who have so far helped him.
"Without the support from locals in the community, the businesses, the organizations, and Cenovus Energy and its employees, I couldn't have made this happen," said Pare
A formal list of contributors and thank you message from Kevin Pare will be included in the POST's next week's issue.
