Michael Cassidy
Founder
Colleen Gillis
Event Co-Chair
1963-2010
Mike lived “out loud” every day of his life. He knew that life was a gift and chose to celebrate every single moment. He was the first one at the party and the last to leave. Mike loved nothing more than spending time with his family and friends and there were lots of them. No event was complete until our little buddy was there. Mike touched the lives of everyone he came in contact with and he taught us not to take it all too seriously.
As we say goodbye to our beloved Mike we choose to celebrate the 46 years we were fortunate enough to have with him. He will be greatly missed and we are all better people as a result of him being here.
In 1992, best friends Mike Cassidy and Sid Keay discussed the idea of holding a small golf tournament to raise money for cystic fibrosis (CF). CF is the most common, fatal genetic disease affecting young Canadians. Mike suffered from CF and Sid had relatives that were affected as well. The idea was simply to get friends and business acquaintances together for a fun day of fund raising for CF research.
19 years later that simple idea has grown to become the largest privately generated source of funds for Cystic Fibrosis Canada in British Columbia, raising over $2.5 million. With the generous support of long time sponsors from within the trucking/transportation industry, the event at Newlands GC often sells out and culminates with a fantastic dinner. During dinner, silent and live auctions are run, offering everything from consumer goods to unique travel packages.
Since last year’s tournament, we have lost our founder and dear friend Mike Cassidy to the disease we have been fighting since the beginning. This gives us even greater resolve to continue this fight against CF. But we need help. Please support this great cause by attending the event, becoming a sponsor or donating items for our auctions. Mike was also a tireless organizer and not having him here to assist will make it that much more important that we receive as much support as possible.
Our tournament is named the Mike Cassidy “Legacy” CF Golf Classic and not “Memorial” because a legacy is truly what Mike left with us when he passed away on June 17, 2010. Mike Cassidy was born with CF and while he suffered with it for his entire life he never considered himself disabled by CF. He fought for the other people that had CF and was committed to making a difference. In life Mike would never have allowed this tournament to bear his name. With his passing we do so to honor the legacy of everyone’s “best friend”.
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