Shad’s R&R is an annual event widely supported by the automotive industry’s aftermarket suppliers, distributors, jobbers and retailers. It all began as a friendly golf event between a handful of supplier competitors back in 1975. The initial game raised $1,500 from various wagers (similar to today’s Skins Game on the Pro circuit), and all participants agreed that the game winnings be allocated to a worthy cause. The Canadian Muscular Dystrophy Association was selected by the group as the recipient to the proceeds that year.
The group also decided that the event be held annually and that the group expand the participants to include a broader group of suppliers and their customers. The Canadian Muscular Dystrophy Association continues to be the recipient of all proceeds generated from the annual golf event. From this humble beginning, the golf outing has become a major contributor to Muscular Dystrophy research in Canada.
Shad’s R&R has always been held on the 2nd Thursday of June. The one day event has close to 300 industry professionals competing in the golf tournament, donating a variety of prizes and participating in a wide range of fund raising programs.
Latest Shad’s News
The 2011 event was an extremely successful one, raising a record donation of over $175,000 in contributions to help fund ongoing research for Muscular Dystrophy. To date, Shad’s R&R has raised more than $3,800,000 and future events are in place to continue financial contributions to support the ongoing cost of research in the never ending search for a cure for Muscular Dystrophy. A special thanks to all who were able to make it out again this year and for their continued support for a very important cause!
In 2011, Shad’s R&R golf tournament was held at Station Creek Golf & Country Club in Stouffville, Ontario. A total of 260 golfers attended the event, with 280 people in attendance for dinner. Angela McGonigal, mother of 7 year old Owen, gave a very emotional speech to the group on the trials and tribulations of her son Owen and his Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Tony and Janice, parents of Alex Harold, also returned to the group after speaking last year at the 2010 golf tournament.
“We will move past $4 million in 2012, as our next goal” stated SS&M’s John Vanstone, Chairman of the Board of Shad’s.
For more information and directions to Station Creek please visit:
http://en.clublink.ca/golf/golfcourse/ and search for Station Creek Golf Club.
See you all again in 2012!
Specialty Sales & Marketing’s John Vanstone (pictured above left) along with MDC CEO Catherine Sherrard, poses with the McGonigal family (Kevin and Angela with their 7 year old son Owen) with the record $175,000 cheque donation! Angela delivered a very emotional speech to our group this year resulting in a standing ovation from the crowd.
In 2011, the Harold family (Janice, Tony and their son Alex) attended Shad’s R&R as honoured guests. Alex (above center) spoke at Shad’s in 2010 and did an excellent job!
Muscular Dystrophy
MD is a group of diseases characterized by progressive degeneration and/or loss of muscle fibers without nervous system involvement. All or nearly all of them have a hereditary origin but details of the type of genetic defect and of the prognosis for the disease vary from type to type. Duchene muscular dystrophy (pseudohypertrophic muscular dystrophy) is the most common form. It is due to a sex-linked recessive allele and this is expressed as an absence of the protein dystrophin, the disease in boy’s shows extensive but insufficient muscle fiber reformation from the satellite cells.
Definition obtained from (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscular_dystrophy)
High Fives for Kids Foundation
Specialty Sales & Marketing’s Vice President Ken Coulter is Honorary Chairman of AIA Canada’s High Fives for Kids Foundation – a charitable cause for Canada’s automotive aftermarket industry. The High Fives for Kids Foundation provides both grants and scholarships. The grants support local or national registered charities that have programs for the benefit of children and youth.
The broad focus of the foundation is to allow AIA to support a variety of community groups in many activities such as buying a wheelchair, sending kids with diabetes or a disability to a summer camp, rebuilding a community center, or helping a local hospital for children. The issues that affect the ability of a child to grow up in a safe, nurturing environment are vast and often overwhelming. For more information, please visit AIA Canada’s website: http://www.aiacanada.com/document.cfm?itemid=26779
SS&M Community Support Fund
In October 2009, Specialty Sales & Marketing began our very own fundraising initiative called the SS&M Community Support Fund. SS&M staff are encouraged to donate what they can with the goal of helping people in need in our local communities. Our first goal was to raise between $500 and $1000 before Christmas 2009 with the hopes of donating to the Links2Care Holiday Hamper program in the Halton Hills, Ontario community.
SS&M is happy to announce that we surpassed our first goal and raised a total of $1085.00 by the deadline, which went towards purchasing Christmas gifts for a family in need through the 2009 Links2Care Holiday Hamper Program!