The 20th Annual Gur Singh Memorial Golf Tournament is set to take place on September 8th at the Bighorn Golf & Country Club. For the second time in a row, ARPA Investments (ARPA) will proudly be the title sponsor of the event, helping raise funds for the Kamloops Brain Injury Association (KBIA) and its programs.
Since the 1980s, the KBIA has advocated for and provided specialized programs to brain injury survivors, including free services such as one-on-one life skills work, advocacy, family and caregiver support, and education. Today, the Gur Singh Memorial Golf Tournament continues to be KBIA’s largest fundraiser, playing a key role in helping them positively impact the community.
As part of their commitment to the betterment of the community, ARPA is honoured to support KBIA’s efforts to help survivors reach their potential through specialized programs and education.
“As we commemorate the 20th anniversary, sponsoring this tournament is not only a great opportunity to support the KBIA and raise awareness around brain injury, but also to honour Dr. Gur Singh’s legacy,” said Joshua Knaak, Partner at ARPA.
As an immigrant, Dr. Singh felt a deep sense of commitment to improve the lives of residents of a community that provided him and his family with so many opportunities. Being one of Kamloops’ first neurosurgeons, he was dedicated to continuously advocate for improved facilities and management for patients requiring brain and spinal cord surgeries in the Interior of British Columbia.
Throughout his life, he was an exemplary community member. Upon his retirement, he witnessed the need for the services provided by the KBIA for survivors of brain injuries.
After a short conversation at dinner with Dr. Vishwanath Malliah, he decided to combine his medical background with his love for golf to start the ‘KBIA Golf Tournament’ and raise funds for the non-profit. The first tournament was held at Rivershore Golf in 2004, raising approximately $17,000 that year.
“After he retired from doing surgeries and he saw how there was hardly any knowledge around brain injury and what it does to people, he worked non-stop advocating for survivors and making sure he got financial support to provide them with that they needed to heal and live a dignified life,” expressed his wife, Manju Singh. “His vision with this tournament was to educate and raise awareness to the public around brain injury and how it affects a person.”
Even though it’s been almost 20 years since that first tournament, the focus remains the same: to create a memorable experience for golfers, donors, and sponsors while focusing on supporting survivors of brain injury, their families, and caregivers.
“Dr. Singh wanted nothing more than to ensure brain injury survivors, particularly in Kamloops, received ongoing and fulfilling community care, and so he devoted the rest of his life to making sure that care became a reality,” expressed David Marr, founder of KBIA.
After Dr. Singh’s passing in 2014, the tournament’s name was changed to ‘The Gur Singh Memorial Golf Tournament’ to honour his dedication to the cause. To this day, Dr. Singh’s enthusiasm and inspiration lives on, as Kamloops’ citizens and businesses come together to help people in the community who are living with a brain injury.
The Gur Singh Memorial Golf Tournament has now become an exclusive annual event that has raised over $1,000,000 for those living with a brain injury.
“Dr. Singh’s commitment to this cause was simply beyond description. I know of no other person, who, through their actions and words, would be more sincere and relentless than Dr. Singh,” expressed Marr. “He has built a bridge for all of us, and now its our duty only to cross it to significantly help people in our community.”
Join us for a day full of fun while we raise funds to support brain injury survivors in Kamloops!
Details:
The Gur Singh Golf Tournament will be held on September 8, 2023, at the Bighorn Golf & Country Club. A registration networking reception with coffee & continental breakfast will take place from 9:30am to 10:45am, along with the Annual Presentation and story from a Brain Injury Survivors occurring at 10:30 am. The tournament will start at 11 am with a four-person team scramble format and activities at every hole, plus food and beverages. At 5:30 pm, there will be a reception with hors d’oeuvres and cash bar.
For more information on the event, or to sign up as a sponsor: https://www.kbia.ca/gur-singh-memorial-golf-tournament
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