Pompey wins Community Leader Award; Allen wins Future Leader Award following submission of nominations from the Canadian golf community
Golf Canada and the Golf Canada Foundation are pleased to announce that Simeon Pompey of Montréal, Que. and Rosie Allen of Corner Brook, Nfld. have been named the 2023 recipients of the Lorie Kane Community Spirit Awards.
Following a national call for nominations to the Canadian golf community, Pompey and Allen were identified by the selection committee as recipients of the Lorie Kane Community Spirit Awards. The recognition celebrates a pair of individuals who demonstrated excellence in using golf as a platform to positively impact their communities.
“We were pleased to receive so many worthy nominations from across the country recognizing the contributions of individuals who use the game of golf in a way to inspire and contribute to their community,” said Golf Canada President, David McCarthy. “Golf Canada and the Foundation are incredibly proud to celebrate Simeon Pompey and Rosie Allen as our 2023 Lorie Kane Community Spirit Award recipients and I am pleased to congratulate both on this much deserved honour and thank them for their continued contributions to our sport in their communities.”
Rosie Allen and Simeon Pompey
Pompey earned the 2023 Lorie Kane Community Leader Award for his continuous devotion to helping others in his community through the sport of golf. Pompey has been a long-time supporter of First Tee which led him to be at the heart of the program’s success in Montréal since the launch of First Tee – Premier départ Quebec in 2021.He has also played a key role in the launch of golf programming in the Indigenous community of Kahnawake, on the south shore of Montréal. Pompey has been leading life-skills focused golf classes for over 15 years for children and families coming from underrepresented communities and low-income neighbourhoods in Montréal. Pompey also teaches in the Community, Recreation and Leadership Training at Dawson College, where he serves as a mentor to many of his students.
“I am still shocked to have been selected as the winner of the Lorie Kane Community Leader Award for 2023. Now that it has sunken in a bit, I want to thank you all wholeheartedly for this prestigious recognition. I humbly accept the award on behalf of all the children and their families who have benefitted from the values learned through the great game of golf especially First Tee. Thanks to Golf Canada and First Tee, I have been able to introduce the game of golf to mostly inner-city children whose path in life would not have included the great game of golf and the many life-skills that it teaches,” said Simeon Pompey. “I thank Golf Canada, Golf Quebec and First Tee – Canada for this incredible honour as it validates my life’s mission of helping young people reach their true potential. Thanks to First Tee, the trajectory of a child can be changed positively in a profound way.”
Allen has been named the recipient of the 2023 Lorie Kane Future Leader Award. The 15-year-old has played an instrumental leadership role in helping to develop the First Tee – Canada program at her home course, Blomidon Golf Club in Corner Brook, Nfld. Allen has devoted her time to First Tee programming as well as helping to plan and run events for her club’s junior girls’ program. She has also been a key influence working with the Autism Society in Corner Brook on both developing and running a program for junior golfers between the ages of 5-9 with various forms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Allen is an accomplished player having been a member of the provincial development team for four years and winning events in her home province. She has future goals of playing in the Canadian Junior Girls Championship, presented by BDO, and competing in the 2025 Canada Games.
“It is amazing to win this award and I’m very grateful to win something named in Lorie Kane’s honour. I was lucky enough to meet Lorie at the CPKC Women’s Open in 2019 when I was just 11 years old, and she was so nice. I hope I can inspire children in the game of golf the way she inspired me,” said Allen. “I love teaching kids and really enjoy seeing their development through the different programs that we offer. My favorite group of children are those with ASD. They are amazing kids, and it is so rewarding to watch them enjoy the game of golf and the different games we design for them. To know that I can be a part of their development is an honour.”
Pompey will receive a $5,000 donation from the Golf Canada Foundation to advance a golf program or golf-related initiative of his choice. Allen will receive a $5,000 donation towards her post-secondary education.
Submissions for the Lorie Kane Community Spirit Awards were evaluated by a selection committee that includes representatives from Golf Canada, the Golf Canada Foundation, Honoured Members of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, industry representatives and the Golf Journalists Association of Canada.
The Lorie Kane Community Leader Award celebrates individuals over the age of 19 with a demonstrated ability to lead community initiatives; who have contributed a measurable impact through volunteerism or charity; or have showcased excellence in their involvement with, or support of youth programs such as First Tee – Canada or other junior golf activities.
The Lorie Kane Future Leader Award honours an individual 19 years of age or younger who embodies community leadership; has a history of sportsmanship or demonstrated activities to make the game more inclusive; or an individual who has used golf to create a meaningful impact in their community.
The Lorie Kane Community Spirit Awards were named to honour the Canadian golf icon for a longstanding commitment to advancing the sport, charitable work and giving back to the game that defined her Hall of Fame career. Kane is a member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Canada Sports Hall of Fame as well as a recipient of the Order of Canada.
A call for nominations for the 2024 Lorie Kane Community Spirit Awards will go out later this year.
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