more than a tournament: 30 years of golf, support of health care, celebrated in clare
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participants, volunteers, sponsors and organizers gather during a previous belliveau motors clare health centre foundation golf tournament. (contributed)
for 30 years, golfers, businesses and volunteers have come together each summer in clare for a charity tournament that has become about far more than a day on the course.
first launched in 1994, the belliveau motors clare health centre foundation golf tournament initially raised money for community projects in little brook before shifting its focus to supporting the clare health centre. over the past 12 years alone, the tournament has raised more than $500,000 for health care in clare and southwestern nova scotia, helping purchase equipment identified by local physicians.
as the tournament marked its 30th anniversary on july 31, organizers and physicians say its lasting legacy is not measured by trophies or scorecards, but by the care patients receive every day.
tournament roots
the tournament traces its roots to 1994, when richard robicheau, a past owner of belliveau motors, a founder of the tournament and a founding member of the clare health centre foundation, learned another ford dealership was using a golf tournament to give back to its community.
inspired by the idea, robicheau and his brother launched their own event, initially raising money for playgrounds in little brook in the municipality of clare. the first tournament brought in just a few thousand dollars, but support steadily grew as more businesses and volunteers became involved.
richard robicheau says the tournament has never really been about golf, but about neighbours helping neighbours. (contributed)cccccbldgfkgbvlkeljcclhncjhlhlknvuvlhtjntceh
a decade later, as plans were taking shape for a new medical centre in clare, organizers began asking local physicians a simple question: what equipment would make the biggest difference for patients but was unlikely to be funded through traditional government programs?
the answer transformed the tournament’s mission.
health-care help
over the years, proceeds have helped purchase equipment, including a portable defibrillator, telehealth technology, bladder scanners, portable ultrasound equipment, sterilizers and accessible examination tables. it’s allowed physicians to provide services that might otherwise require patients to travel elsewhere for care.
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eventually, those efforts led to the creation of the clare health centre foundation.
“the difference is we’ve had more help,” robicheau says. “more individuals wanted to help. more volunteers wanted to help. more businesses wanted to help.”
he credits that growing community support with allowing the foundation to expand both the tournament and its impact.
what once raised a few thousand dollars each year has evolved into one of the foundation’s largest annual fundraising efforts, with recent tournaments generating more than $50,000 annually for medical equipment identified by local physicians.
more than a fundraiser
for tournament organizer stephane leblanc, who has helped coordinate the event for the past five years, the event represents far more than a fundraiser.
originally established by belliveau motors, the tournament has remained closely connected to its roots, even after the clare health centre foundation assumed responsibility for organizing it.
“thirty years is an incredible accomplishment and means a lot to all who have put effort into organizing, supporting and participating,” says leblanc.
“the efforts can be seen every day at our health centre, and it’s a point of pride for the entire community.”
leblanc says the tournament continues to thrive because organizers place as much emphasis on the participant experience as they do on fundraising.
the event has maintained a waiting list for years, drawing returning golfers, sponsors and volunteers from across nova scotia, while clare golf and country club has hosted the tournament since its inception.
“our mission remains to strive to raise the necessary funds as required by the clare health centre and use them where they are needed most for the purchase of up-to-date medical equipment,” leblanc says.
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today, that mission reaches far beyond the golf course.
tournament organizer stephane leblanc, left, and dr. michelle dow, family medicine department head for nova scotia health’s western zone. (contributed)
community-driven approach
the clare health centre foundation purchases equipment that physicians say is often unavailable through standard government funding, helping to ensure patients in clare have access to services that many rural communities cannot offer.
this community-driven approach has become one of the defining features of health care in clare.
leblanc says the foundation’s work is only possible because it has never been the effort of a single organization.
the municipality of clare provided the vision by building and expanding the health centre. physicians identified the equipment they needed to better serve patients. businesses sponsored the tournament. volunteers donated their time. golfers returned year after year.
together, those contributions have helped create a model that continues to evolve.
in the present day, the clare health centre is home to 10 family physicians, a nurse practitioner and a family practice nurse. leblanc estimates that more than 90 per cent of clare residents have access to a family doctor, a level of access that stands out as many communities across nova scotia continue to face physician shortages.
he says the foundation’s role is to continue supporting that success by responding to the clinic’s changing needs.
among its next priorities is the purchase of additional pneumatic examination tables and other equipment identified by physicians as patient needs continue to evolve.
“we don’t decide what to buy,” leblanc says. “the doctors tell us what will make the biggest difference for patients, and that’s what we work toward.”
strength in partnerships
for robicheau, that partnership has always been the tournament’s greatest strength.
looking back over three decades, he says the event has never really been about golf.
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it has been about neighbours helping neighbours.
“health affects everybody,” he says. “as long as the community keeps supporting it, we’ll keep trying to make health care better.”
dr. michelle dow, the family medicine department head for nova scotia health’s western zone, believes that same spirit explains why clare has been able to succeed where many rural communities continue to struggle.
rather than relying on a single solution, she says the municipality, the foundation, physicians and residents have spent years building something together.
the municipality invested in the facility. the foundation helped provide equipment beyond what traditional funding could offer. physicians committed themselves not only to caring for patients, but also to teaching future family doctors.
that investment continues to pay dividends.
dr. erica lasher coates, medical director of the clare health centre, says mentoring future family physicians is part of the community’s long-term approach to strengthening rural health care. (contributed)
dr. erica lasher coates, medical director of the clare health centre, is one example. she first arrived at the clinic as a resident under dow’s mentorship.
today, she leads the practice as medical director while helping train the next generation of physicians, some of whom have chosen to remain in clare themselves.
dow says watching that progression has become one of the most rewarding parts of her career.
for robicheau, it is another reminder of why the tournament continues to matter.
“we’re probably raising money today for equipment that hasn’t even been invented yet,” he says. “but whatever it is, it’ll help somebody.”
as golfers gathered once again this summer, the tournament celebrated another milestone.
its legacy, however, can already be found far from the fairways. it is found in examination rooms, treatment spaces and conversations between patients and the physicians who chose to build their careers in clare.
after 30 years, the tournament’s greatest achievement may not be the money it has raised, but the community it has helped build around better health care.
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