Ed O’Leary appears courtesy of the Brantford Expositor

City businessman Dave Loney has been a longtime supporter of the Gretzky family and the many charities to which it contributes.

Loney, owner and president of Anthrafilter Ltd., dug deep into his pockets to show his support Monday night at the Brantford Golf and Country Club to show his support at the auction portion of the annual Walter Gretzky/CNIB Celebrity Golf Classic and Charity Auction.

“I enjoy the Gretzky family and I like to help the less fortunate,” said the 71-year-old Loney.

“I like to support the CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind) and I certainly like the Gretzky tournament.

“My two girls (Kim and Lori) went to school with the Gretzkys.”

Loney bid $1,200 to purchase a Wayne Gretzky No. 99 Edmonton Oilers jersey signed by the Great One.

It was the highest priced item in the auction, which brought in $16,654.

Loney also purchased a Pat Hickey-signed hockey stick, a Walter Gretzky Golf Classic shirt signed by the celebrities at last year’s tournament, a Wayne Gretzky Estates tasting certificate for up to 10 people, a Wayne and Walter Gretzky “Younger Years” print signed by Walter, a 1980 Civic Centre Shootout picture Gretzky, Hickey and goaltender Rick Wamsley that is signed by Hickey, and a signed Wayne Gretzky “Hanging Up Skates” New York Rangers picture.

Loney also purchased several items from the silent auction tables.

“I just got taken up with this but the whole event is terrific,” said Loney, who prefers to stay out of the limelight.

He has purchased sports memorabilia at the Gretzky auction over the years but he’s never bought as many items in one night as he did Monday.

What will he do with his new purchases.

“I told someone that one day they may come back so someone else can enjoy them and we’ll raise more money,” said the soft-spoken Loney.

This year’s money total was down from last year’s exceptional total of $24,625.

However, last year a package to NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup races at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in October in Charlotte, N. C., were sold during the regular auction along with several NASCAR memorabilia items.

This year, the NASCAR package, which includes a NASCAR garage tour, a tour of Hendrick Motorsports and a CARQUEST gift bag, will be sold through a silent auction at Ohsweken Speedway when it hosts the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, July 28-29.

The golf portion of the event will be played today at the country club.

Ed O’Leary appears courtesy of the Brantford Expositor

The world’s Number One hockey dad Walter Gretzky is getting ready once again to play host to one of the season’s premier events.  The Honorary Chair of the CNIB Celebrity Golf Classic & Memorabilia Auction will welcome hundreds to Brantford’s prestigious Golf & Country Club for the two-day event that bears his name.

This year the event begins on the Monday evening July 13th with a memorabilia auction that is sure to please everyone, from the serious collector to the interested hobbyist.  Auction items include autographed photos, personal effects, and numerous objects of interest from celebrities in every walk of fame.   The entertainment industry, sports figures, and other dignitaries will all be represented and have artefacts from which to choose.  Preview will begin at 6:00 p.m. with the auction getting underway at 7:00.  Previous year’s items have included, but are certainly not limited to signed NHL jerseys and sticks, autographed movie scripts, celebrity signed photos, and nostalgic collectibles. All are welcome, and admission is free.  There will also be a silent auction providing participants with an opportunity to capitalize on some great gift items and celebrity memorabilia at bargain prices as well.

To date this event, including both the auction and golf tournament, have raised in excess of $1,000,000 for the CNIB. The money raised is used to provide programs and services for the visually impaired, enabling them to live a more independent and improved quality lifestyle. It also provides for scholarships awarded to visually impaired students in their first year of post-graduate studies.  Walter proudly states that, “Without this program, many of these students would not be able to pursue an education, or to realize a rewarding career in their chosen field.” Yet, what he remains most proud of is the participation of so many individuals who generously give of themselves to make this event the success that it is.  He adds, “It means so much to me, and even more to them… you have no idea… Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.”

This year promises to be every bit as eventful as previous years as we hope to significantly add to our already impressive total contribution to the CNIB.  The merchandise is arriving daily, being catalogued, and prepared for auction.  Everyone involved is hard at work in preparation.

Once again this year, the auction will take place July 13th, with a scramble format golf tournament the following day Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 at the Brantford Golf & Country Club on Ava Road, Brantford, Ontario.  For more information contact Sue Bartlett at 519.753.3486.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Wayne’s Charitable Work Making A Difference
By TERRY JONES, Sun Media

PHOENIX — Recently, Christopher Kowie collapsed of cardiac arrest during a dog show at the Civic Centre in Brantford.  A public access defibrillator, donated by the Wayne Gretzky Foundation, saved his life.

“He was having a heart attack in my home town” Gretzky said. “The doctor said that had a defibrillator not been there, he would have died. The defibrillator was there because of money raised by my foundation. Those kind of things are very rewarding.”

Much has changed in Gretzky’s world since he made the transition from player to coach. Saving people’s lives with defibrillators is one of them.

“I think the biggest thing that’s changed in my life is the explosion of my foundation,” he said.

“What’s changed is how much I try to do and how much money I try to raise. I’m always thinking what we can do to get more money for the foundation.

One of the things we’re trying to do is get as many defibrillators out there as possible,” Gretzky said.

It was his brother Glen who told him about the life-saving story.

“I phoned Wayne right before a game to tell him about the defibrillator in Brantford,” said Glen, who is the executive director of the foundation. “Right then, four years worth of work was worth it just with that one man. He still keeps in touch with us. He’s fine now.

“We bought a bunch of (the defibrillators), worth about $100,000. It works out to about $4,000 each, including the training. We put them in arenas and community centres.”

Gretzky has a long history of putting his name on charitable events.

But the creation of his own foundation is relatively recent.

“To be honest, the foundation was created to make my life easier in so many directions,” he said of the charitable things he was involved in “helter skelter” as he put it.

“It started around the time I retired, but itís really taken off in the last three years.”

While Wayne and his name raise the money, Glen and dad Walter get to experience the rewards first-hand. Like flying a plane-load of hockey equipment to Iqaluit, Nunavut.

“That went great. They went crazy. I loved it,” Glen said. “People don’t see the work Wayne puts in. My dad and I have the time. We get to feel like Santa Claus.”

“It was incredible,” Walter said. “To take everything up there was such a big thrill. They have nothing.”

Gretzky remembers the first time he took on an event to raise money for charity.

“It was in 1979 sitting on the back step with my friend John Mowat,” he said of his childhood pal and the tennis tournament they invented for Brantford.

“My dad and his dad took over the whole event, otherwise it would have been a complete mess,” he said of raising money for the CNIB and Down Syndrome.

It’s a long list of things the Wayne Gretzky Foundation has done already.

The foundation funds an after-school program for those with autism, purchases ice time, provides equipment and even paid for a national sled hockey team to go to a championship in Sweden.

“It’s not just for hockey, but kids in general,” Wayne said. “It all makes you feel so good about what you do.”

Part of No. 99′s deal with his partner Peter Jensen in the Wayne Gretzky Estates winery is that a six-figure sum be forwarded to the foundation every year.

They already did a Gretzky wine bottle signing in Los Angeles — not part of the foundation — which produced more than $100,000 toward building a local school playing field.

Ford and Samsung are also a big part of the foundation.

For six years now, Gretzky has run his own fantasy camp, contributing well into six figures to the foundation. For several years, Gretzky played host to a Wayne Gretzky & Friends golf day, usually involving Mike Weir and two other NHL players, such as Brett Hull and Jarome Iginla.

But coming this year is a new, massive event which is hoped will raise a half million dollars for the foundation. Gretzky is getting involved with golf in a bigger way by hosting the Nationwide Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic in Collingwood, Ont., July 10-13.

“(It) came about as a result of Wayne attending the event in Greenville, S.C., three years in a row,” Gretzky’s business manager Darren Blake said.

“A good friend of mine ran that tournament. We sat around last year, talking about taking the event to Canada. Wayne decided to run with it and see what we could do. It kind of grew in a hurry. We decided to make it like the AT&T Pebble Beach and the Bob Hope. We’ll have 160 players and as many amateurs and celebrities ó probably 30 celebrities and 130 paying amateurs.

“We decided on $8,000 an amateur for the first year but we should have made it $9,999 like the fantasy camp. We will the next year. It’ll raise a half a million for the foundation for sure.

“The celebrities will all be ‘A’ list. John Elway and George Brett have already confirmed. And of course weíll have a large contingent of hockey stars. All four days will be on The Golf Channel. This will be the Nationwide Tourís marquee event. They want to grow it to a very high level.”

Gretzky said he didn’t need his arm twisted.  “I just decided ‘I’ve got to get one of these for Canada.”

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By Ed O’Leary, BRANTFORD EXPOSITOR

BRANTFORD – Jordan Szoke is the biggest star in the Parts Canada Superbike Championship. The 29-year-old from Brantford is a four-time Canadian champion and heavily favoured to capture his fifth crown this summer.

However, Szoke, who is also a two-time Pro 600 Series champion, doesn’t consider himself a celebrity from the world of sports when he’s walking or cruising around his hometown streets.

“It’s an honour to be celebrated in the community as a celebrity,” Szoke said at the Brantford Golf and Country Club where he played as a celebrity in the annual Walter Gretzky/CNIB Charity Celebrity Auction and Golf Classic.

“That’s a cool thing. I love supporting Wally and it’s a great cause. It reminds me of my father (Bob). He (Walter) is a big supporter for Wayne and my father has been just as big a supporter for me.”

The tournament committee voted Szoke as the winner of this year’s Award of Merit for his contributions to success of the tournament.

Szoke couldn’t play in the tournament last year because he’d suffered an injury racing and his arm was in a sling but he still showed up and rode around the course in a cart with a foursome

“It’s such a good run event,” Szoke said. “I’ve been to a few of these (charity tournaments) and the staff they have here is fantastic.”

Szoke noted that he was in “shock” to receive such a prestigious award.

“It’s an honour and I’m in good company,” said Szoke, noting that previous winners include the Gretzkys (Walter and Wayne), Olympian Kevin Sullivan and former NHLers Doug Jarvis and Chris Gratton.

“When you receive things like that it’s a bit of a weird feeling. I’m just trying to go out and win races and do my job so when you receive awards like that outside of racing, it’s shocking because you don’t expect it.”

Szoke is on the verge of setting several Canadian records in his own sport but trying not to pay attention to all the hype surrounding him at upcoming events such as this weekend’s doubleheader at Mosport near Bowmanville.

“All I’m trying to do is win races and as soon as I win a race I want to win another race,” said the Canadian Kawasaki Motors factory rider, who leads the Superbike and Pro 600 standings into the races Saturday and Sunday.

“Mosport is my favourite track,” Szoke said. “It’s my home race and I’m definitely the fan favourite. It (being the fan favourite) gives you a boost of confidence and you want to win for your fans.”