THE CCI Group Mental Health Society held its 3rd Annual Charity Golf Tournament on the June 20 at Northview Golf and Country Club in Surrey.
The CCI Group Mental Health Society was set up by the founders of the CCI Group, a market leader in the Canadian construction industry, primarily to look after the mental health and well-being of its approximately 1,800 employees.
Having lost a family member very early in life, they had experienced firsthand how detrimental it is not to put mental health first. Over time, the Mental Health Society has gone beyond focusing solely on the employees of the CCI Group and has played an active part in raising money and awareness about the stigma.
This was the third annual charity golf tournament, which was first held in 2019. After being forced to stop for two years during the pandemic, the tournament made a grand comeback in 2022.
To date, more than $1.2 million have been raised by the CCI Group Mental Health Society for mental health foundations, with a major part of that amount benefitting organizations working for people who don’t always have the awareness or means to get timely help.
With enthusiastic participation from 288 golfers who refused to let unseasonal cold weather dampen their philanthropic spirit, the tournament was a resounding success. The tournament was followed by a dinner event in the evening, which was attended by over 450 guests.
The CCI Group Mental Health Society raised approximately half a million dollars from the event through donations and auctions to support mental health foundations.
BC Children’s Hospital, Foundry Langley, which is an initiative by Langley Memorial Hospital, and Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) were the mental health partners for the event and its biggest beneficiaries.
Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) looks after workers’ mental health in the construction industry in BC. ICBA recognized the efforts of the CCI Mental Health Society in the field of mental health and thanked the group and its CEO Garry Sangha and COO Kuldeep Chohan for the CCI Group’s continued commitment to the cause.
ICBA noted: “Ending the stigma and starting conversations about mental health is the only way we are going to tackle the mental health crisis we see unfolding all around us every day in our homes, at our workplaces, and on the streets of our communities. In this regard, Garry and indeed CCI’s leadership and commitment inspire and demonstrate how a company can be successful and compassionate at the same time”.
Foundry Langley sent their message of thanks, while Ravi Sharda from BC Children’s Hospital said: “Gary Sangha and Kuldeep Chohan have embraced the power of transformation through generous support of mental health programs for kids and youth at BC Children’s Hospital. Their and their group’s (CCI) boundless kindness and visionary philanthropy have created ripples of change, igniting a beacon of hope for individuals traversing the arduous terrain of mental illness. We are extremely thankful.”
Speaking to guests on the occasion, Chohan thanked everyone for their enthusiastic participation in a wonderful cause. He said: “While WHO might have declared the COVID pandemic to be officially over, we see its impact all around us still, especially in terms of mental health. Prolonged, forced social isolation has exacerbated mental health challenges for many, and more than ever, it becomes our responsibility now to extend a helping hand.”
Sangha spoke about how the whole idea of the CCI Group Mental Health Society came about due to a personal loss. He said: “It’s only when it strikes close to home, do you feel its full impact. Else, when you are younger, how many of us pause and think about how serious the issue is? Once tragedy struck our own family, we said: ‘Never again!’ Never again are we going to let mental illness sneak up on us or anyone around us like that. With timely help, everyone can be saved, lives can be turned around.”
