Graham and Ruby DeLaet Foundation Team Up with The Children's Wish Foundation of Nova Scotia as Official Charitable Partner of the Nova Scotia Open

The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada

Volunteer and Caddie Registration is Now Open

PICKERING, ON, March 16, 2015 /CNW/ - SportBox Entertainment Group and the PGA TOUR announced today that the Graham and Ruby DeLaet Foundation will become the official charitable partner of 2015 Nova Scotia Open, with The Children's Wish Foundation – Nova Scotia Chapter as the local charitable partner and beneficiary.

For five consecutive days of world-class golf, the Nova Scotia Open, featuring the RBC Canada Cup will see PGA TOUR and Web.com Tour stars come to Halifax. As the official charity partner of the Nova Scotia Open, the power of the Graham and Ruby DeLaet Foundation will be harnessed to drive fundraising and charitable support. Graham and Ruby launched the Foundation in 2014 with a central focus to support children's health, as well as supporting the development of junior golfers at all levels of the game. DeLaet will join Mike Weir and David Hearn as part of Team Canada in the RBC Canada Cup.

"When Graham and I started the Graham and Ruby DeLaet Foundation we wanted to make a difference in the lives of children," said Ruby. "Golf is a great platform to grow awareness of children's health and help pave the way for children to build life skills. Through the Nova Scotia Open, we are excited to support charitable efforts in Halifax and Atlantic Canada." Team Canada's Graham DeLaet also commented on returning to Halifax for the RBC Canada Cup "Mike, David and I had a great experience last year and the fans were incredible. I look forward to returning this summer to bring the title back home."

The Nova Scotia Open will work with the Graham and Ruby DeLaet Foundation and The Children's Wish Foundation to build and execute initiatives around the event, with all charitable funds raised directed toward the Nova Scotian chapter of The Children's Wish Foundation to help grant more wishes to Nova Scotian children in need. One of many initiatives, all proceeds from the sale of Nova Scotia Open daily passes will be directed toward The Children's Wish Foundation. The event's charitable initiatives will continue to contribute to the substantial impact of the PGA TOUR's charitable platform, which has over $2 billion in all-time charitable giving.

Each year, thousands of Canadian children between the ages of 3 - 17 are diagnosed with a life threatening illness. After 30 years, and over 22,000 wishes, The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada has worked in communities across the country to provide children with life threatening illnesses the opportunity to realize their most heartfelt wish. To date, the Nova Scotia chapter of the Children's Wish Foundation has granted 959 wishes, with 56 more wishes still planned to be enjoyed.

"The Children's Wish Foundation is honoured to be selected as the official local charitable partner for this prestigious event.  We are looking forward to supporting an outstanding Nova Scotia Open and to continuing to raise awareness for Children's Wish, increasing fundraising to grant wishes that help to transform the life of a child diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, and further positively impacting the Nova Scotia community, through this partnership." said Chris Kotsopoulos, CEO of The Children's Wish Foundation.

Recently, the Nova Scotia Open in partnership with the Graham and Ruby DeLaet Foundation, Give Kids the World, The Children's Wish Foundation and PGA TOUR helped grant six-year-old Christian Backhouse's wish of meeting a PGA TOUR player. Christian realized his wish when he attended the 2015 The Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, where he had an unforgettable day behind-the-scenes at a PGA TOUR event. As part of the experience, Christian had his own place and nameplate on the driving range, where he received a one-on-one lesson from Web.com Tour alumni Jonas Blixt. Christian also toured Golf Channel's production truck, ate with PGA TOUR players and played video games in the Puma truck. Thanks to Cobra Puma Golf, Christian looked like a tour professional for the day from head-to-toe. Christian was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in June 2011 when he was just three-years-old and after undergoing chemotherapy treatment he is now cancer free.

Event organizers also announced that Volunteer and Caddie registration is now open through NovaScotiaOpen.com. Whether walking inside the ropes with a Web.com Tour player, attending the driving range or assisting with Golf Channel production, volunteers gain an inside look into the Nova Scotia Open.

Several Web.com Tour players will seek the support of a local caddie during the Nova Scotia Open. A truly unique experience, caddies team up with a Web.com Tour player from Monday, June 29 to Sunday, July 5. In 2014, Roger Sloan partnered with Will Walsh of Halifax, in hopes of receiving local knowledge on the tricky greens at Ashburn Golf Club – New Course. Sloan and Walsh made a formidable team as Sloan went on to win the Nova Scotia Open.

"I was fortunate to team up with Will last year where we got to know one another and at the end of the week shared an experience we will never forget," said Sloan. Walsh added, "It was a special week. I can't wait to do it again."

The Nova Scotia Open will take place from Thursday, July 2 to Sunday, July 5 featuring a 156-man field vying for a $650,000 purse and a season long chance to earn one of 50 available PGA TOUR cards next season. Following the Nova Scotia Open on July 6, the RBC Canada Cup will see Team Canada's Graham DeLaet, Mike Weir and David Hearn face-off against Team World's Fred Couples and two to-be-named PGA TOUR stars in a battle for international bragging rights. Both Team Canada and Team World will be joined by a Web.com Tour star of the Nova Scotia Open. The Nova Scotia Open and RBC Canada Cup will take place at Ashburn Golf Club – New Course.

Graham and Ruby DeLaet Foundation
Founded in 2014, the Graham and Ruby DeLaet Foundation's central focus is on improving the health and wellness of children, as well supporting the development of junior golfers at all stages. The Foundation is an extension of Graham and Ruby's previous charitable efforts, which have provided charitable contributions to Golf Saskatchewan and the Weyburn & District Hospital Foundation. The Graham and Ruby DeLaet Foundation's first initiative, Graham Slam, was held July 8-9, 2014 at Saskatoon's Riverside Country Club, and raise $375,000 for the Children's Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan.

Children's Wish Foundation of Canada
Each year, thousands of Canadian children between the ages of 3 - 17 are diagnosed with a life threatening illness.  Since 1984, The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada has worked tirelessly to grant exceptional wishes to over 21,000 children and their families. This year, the Foundation expects to grant over 1,000 new wishes and is proud to have never refused a wish to an eligible child, and with the help of volunteers and generous donors, is able to grant nearly three wishes every day.  Each wish is an individual adventure, carefully structured to meet the needs of a particular child and family. The Foundation is a national charity with chapters in every province and territory. Visit www.childrenswish.ca for more information.

Nova Scotia Open
The Nova Scotia Open returns to Halifax as the Web.com Tour's only official event on Canadian soil, bringing significant exposure to Halifax and Nova Scotia across Canada, the United States and around the world. It is one of 25 Web.com Tour events that will identify the 50 Web.com Tour and PGA TOUR members who earn PGA TOUR cards for the 2015-16 season. The Open will feature a field of 156 golfers competing over 72 holes of stroke play (July 2-5) for a purse of $650,000. A pro-am will be played on Tuesday, June 30. For more information visit www.NovaScotiaOpen.com.

RBC Canada Cup
Following Nova Scotia Open tournament play, on Monday July 6 the RBC Canada Cup will feature Team Canada's Mike Weir, Graham DeLaet, David Hearn (all members of Team RBC), in a head-to-head battle against Team World's Fred Couples and two to-be-named PGA TOUR stars in a battle for international bragging rights. Each team will also include a Web.com Tour player. The RBC Canada Cup will also feature a 9-hole morning pro-am event.

About Web.com Tour
Founded, owned and operated by the PGA TOUR, the Web.com Tour identifies those players who are ready to compete and win on golf's greatest stage. As The Path to the PGA TOUR, its impact on the PGA TOUR is undeniable. Three out of every four PGA TOUR players have Web.com Tour roots. Web.com Tour alumni have amassed over 400 PGA TOUR titles, including 19 major championships and five PLAYERS Championships.

About SportBox Entertainment Group
SportBox Entertainment Group is a sports management and marketing agency. The agency's focus is on talent representation, event development, consulting and representing the marketing rights of sports organizations and properties. SportBox represents 12 professional golfers, including PGA TOUR stars Graham DeLaet, David Hearn, Roger Sloan and Mike Weir. For more information, visit sportboxgroup.com.

SOURCE The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada

Image with caption: "Three-year-old Wish Child Paulena is having some fun on the green. She was diagnosed with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, and her wish is to go to Disney World. (CNW Group/The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150316_C4226_PHOTO_EN_13283.jpg

Amy Roberts, Coordinator, Business Partnerships, SportBox Entertainment Group, [phone], [email protected]; Cheryl Matthews, Director, Children's Wish Foundation - Nova Scotia Chapter, [phone], [email protected]