Growing Champions and Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce Raise $60,000 For Local Athletes

On April 8, 2008, Growing Champion athletes from the Tri-Cities area (Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, and Port Moody) gathered at the Boathouse Restaurant to meet members of the Tri-Cities business community. The event helped connect four local businesses to four athletes amounting to $60,000 in sponsorship. The event also announced the partnership with Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce and Growing Champions to help local businesses connect with local athletes.

Of the four businesses - Unistrut, Phoenix Truck and Crane, Tri-M Systems and Coquitlam Centre - James Moller, General Manager of Coquitlam Centre had already selected and sponsored their athlete, Nathan MacDonald. Moller stated: "Growing Champions is exactly the grass-roots, community-based initiative that we love to be involved with." The announcement of the pairing was a thrill for both Nathan and Coquitlam Centre; "for us, seeing our athlete Nathan MacDonald compete, grow and strive to accomplish his goals is the reason we chose to participate. This encompasses the core values of perseverance, dedication and hard work that we look for as we decide which sponsorship opportunities in which to be involved," said Moller.

Tony Osachoff, Chair of the Tri-Cities Chamber Board, said partnering with Growing Champions was an easy decision to make. "The Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce sees tremendous benefit in matching local businesses to local athletes to promote the growth and development of our young and promising stars. The Chamber is committed to fostering strong business and strong community, and sees Growing Champions as the ideal expression of our mission."

Nathan is a competitive road cyclist and has competed throughout North America. He placed first at the 2007 Provincial Time Trial Championships.

Growing Champions was as an athlete sponsorship program for high-performance athletes in BC. The program provided businesses with the opportunity to support the dreams and aspirations of these athletes. Three out of every four dollars provided by a business went directly to the athletes, while the remaining dollar is allocated to support future athlete development programs and increase sport participation in BC.

Growing Champions was in partnership with Canadian Sport Centre Pacific-PacificSport, BC Athlete Voice and the Province of British Columbia. Visit growingchampions.ca for more information.