CALGARY – Quebec businessman and Paralympic Foundation of Canada board member Robert Cassius de Linval has never been able to attend the ParaTough Cup events held in his hometown of Montreal due to work or family commitments.
ParaTough Cup fuelled by Petro-Canada™ is the primary fundraiser for the PFC, the philanthropic arm of the Canadian Paralympic Committee.
Cassius de Linval decided he was going to travel to the next ParaTough Cup which was in Calgary. The event was held on Thursday at the Seven Chiefs Sportsplex and Jim Starlight Centre where $101,000 was raised for Para sport in Canada. This fundraising total marked a record for the Calgary event.
Cassius de Linval brought three associates out west and added two members from the local Tsuut’ina First Nation. His team, called The Collective, placed first in the competition thanks to their skills both on the field of play and in raising funds for the cause. In fact, his team raised an overall event record for team fundraising with a total of $24,200.
“Our team has been really transformed by this experience,” said Cassius de Linval, a leg amputee. “It was exceptional. The involvement of the Paralympic athletes here, their message that they shared, and to see all these people without disabilities participating and learning that these sports are just as hard as any other sport, was really impactful.”
Mawer Investment Management placed second and BLG (Borden, Ladner, Gervais) recruited by PFC board member Lois Mitchell was third. There were 12 teams in total who participated in the event.
Emceed by Paralympic Games Para alpine skiing gold medallist Josh Dueck, a number of Para athletes were on hand to help with the sport challenges and meet with the teams, including four Para ice hockey players – Adam Kingsmill, Chris Cederstrand, Auren Halbert, and Zach Lavin.
Also on hand were sitting volleyball player Jason Beaman, retired Para swimmer Morgan Bird, wheelchair basketball player Chad Jassman, wheelchair rugby superstar Zak Madell, and goalball Paralympian Meghan Mahon.
The participants, part of teams that must commit to raise at least $5,000 to enter, not only competed but learned more about the Para sport world through a fireside chat hosted by Dueck.
“The huge part for me of the ParaTough Cup is raising funds to get youth with a disability involved in sport,” said Beaman, 50, who also competed in Para alpine skiing at the 1992 Paralympic Winter Games. “Sport is good for kids. They will develop skills, stay healthy, and make friendships that will last forever.”
The last ParaTough Cup fuelled by Petro-Canada™ of the 2022-23 season will take place in Toronto on March 22.
For more information, please visit ParaToughCup.ca.
