The Gord Bamford Charitable Foundation offers under privileged youth and single parent families in Canada an equal opportunity in life by providing monies to support education, health care and music. Furthermore, it is a Foundation goal to improve communities for Canadian youth through the construction or improvement of multiuse facilities.

The idea of creating a foundation to support Gord’s philanthropy work was born after Gord held his first annual charity golf tournament in 2008. The highly successful event generated over $105,000 of which over $60,000 was given to the Central Alberta Big Brothers and Big Sisters organization. As word spread of the event’s success, telephones began to ring. A large number of groups and organizations wanted Gord to help out in some fashion with their various fundraisers. While Gord found it very difficult not being able to reach out to these groups, he thought a Foundation might be the answer. It is important for Gord that any funds raised through the support of fans, friends and corporate partners be utilized locally by those in need. In two short years the Foundation has generated close to $250,000 in support of underprivileged youth and single parent families.

The goal of the Foundation is to be able to leverage Gord’s name and brand in order to raise funds that can then be dispersed back to youth across Canada. An application process is being established where youth and their support networks can submit their story and background in order to apply for Foundation monies. The Foundation’s Board of Directors come from a variety of walks of life, and include school teachers, CEO’s of Energy companies, small business owners, and a number of other occupations and backgrounds. The board reviews the applicants, and picks successful organizations on a quarterly basis by using a unique scoring system to determine which submissions meet the Foundations criteria and which needs are the greatest.

Currently, there is one main fundraiser for the Foundation, the Gord Bamford Charity Classic Golf Tournament. It takes place in Gord’s hometown of Lacombe, Alberta 200 kilometers north of Calgary and this year it will be held on August 12 and 13 2010. The evening of the 12th features live performances from some of Canadian Country Music’s best artists including Gord himself. Live and silent auction items along with great food and fellowship help mark this event as one of the premier events for the who’s who of Alberta! As the Foundation grows, the Board will look to add other events across the country to help generate funds and meet the Foundation’s mission statement. At the same time, a stuffed Teddy Bear called a “Bamford Bear”, which is sold at all live shows, has 25 per cent of its sale proceeds go directly into the Foundation.

More recently, Gord created a unique partnership with the Canadian 4-H Council. 4-H clubs and members have the unique opportunity to sell Gord’s CDs as a fundraising initiative for 4-H clubs across Canada. The CDs are retailed for $20 with $10 of those CD sales going directly back to that 4-H club to help them in their fundraising efforts.

Why youth? It is because there is nothing more important to Gord’s than his family and children. He also understands that today’s youth will design tomorrow’s future. He also feels it is important to give back and help those who are less fortunate, especially children who may not have a lot of choice in the path that life lays out in front of them. As a youngster growing up, Gord was a part of the Big Brothers and Sisters program. He experienced the impact of having someone “give” their time and support to make his life a better one. He has not forgotten what that experience did for him. And he’s ready to give back.

The Gord Bamford Charitable Foundation offers under privileged youth and single parent families in Canada an equal opportunity in life by providing monies to support education, health care and music. Furthermore, it is a Foundation goal to improve communities for Canadian youth through the construction or improvement of multiuse facilities.

The idea of creating a foundation to support Gord’s philanthropy work was born after Gord held his first annual charity golf tournament in 2008. The highly successful event generated over $105,000 of which over $60,000 was given to the Central Alberta Big Brothers and Big Sisters organization. As word spread of the event’s success, telephones began to ring. A large number of groups and organizations wanted Gord to help out in some fashion with their various fundraisers. While Gord found it very difficult not being able to reach out to these groups, he thought a Foundation might be the answer. It is important for Gord that any funds raised through the support of fans, friends and corporate partners be utilized locally by those in need. In two short years the Foundation has generated close to $250,000 in support of underprivileged youth and single parent families.

The goal of the Foundation is to be able to leverage Gord’s name and brand in order to raise funds that can then be dispersed back to youth across Canada. An application process is being established where youth and their support networks can submit their story and background in order to apply for Foundation monies. The Foundation’s Board of Directors come from a variety of walks of life, and include school teachers, CEO’s of Energy companies, small business owners, and a number of other occupations and backgrounds. The board reviews the applicants, and picks successful organizations on a quarterly basis by using a unique scoring system to determine which submissions meet the Foundations criteria and which needs are the greatest.

Currently, there is one main fundraiser for the Foundation, the Gord Bamford Charity Classic Golf Tournament. It takes place in Gord’s hometown of Lacombe, Alberta 200 kilometers north of Calgary and this year it will be held on August 12 and 13 2010. The evening of the 12th features live performances from some of Canadian Country Music’s best artists including Gord himself. Live and silent auction items along with great food and fellowship help mark this event as one of the premier events for the who’s who of Alberta! As the Foundation grows, the Board will look to add other events across the country to help generate funds and meet the Foundation’s mission statement. At the same time, a stuffed Teddy Bear called a “Bamford Bear”, which is sold at all live shows, has 25 per cent of its sale proceeds go directly into the Foundation.

More recently, Gord created a unique partnership with the Canadian 4-H Council. 4-H clubs and members have the unique opportunity to sell Gord’s CDs as a fundraising initiative for 4-H clubs across Canada. The CDs are retailed for $20 with $10 of those CD sales going directly back to that 4-H club to help them in their fundraising efforts.

Why youth? It is because there is nothing more important to Gord’s than his family and children. He also understands that today’s youth will design tomorrow’s future. He also feels it is important to give back and help those who are less fortunate, especially children who may not have a lot of choice in the path that life lays out in front of them. As a youngster growing up, Gord was a part of the Big Brothers and Sisters program. He experienced the impact of having someone “give” their time and support to make his life a better one. He has not forgotten what that experience did for him. And he’s ready to give back.