CN Future Links Reaches 150 "Golf In Schools" Adoptions Through Community Tour In Drummondville
Community Tour event set to follow from June 27-28 in downtown Drummondville in conjunction with the 200th anniversary celebration
DRUMMONDVILLE, Q.C., June 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ - CN (TSX: CNR) (NYSE: CNI) and Golf Canada announced the continuation of the CN Future Links Community Tour on Friday with a visit to the city of Drummondville during its 200th anniversary as part of CN's dedication to the community and to junior golf.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150623/225035)
"Golf is an excellent sport for our young students to get involved with and we are thrilled to have CN engage with our community through the CN Future Links program," said Johanne Marceau, General Director of the Corporation des fêtes du 200e de Drummondville. "We are extremely excited for our 200th anniversary and are thankful to have CN share in the celebration through the Community Tour."
Close to 50 students from Frédéric-Tétreau Elementary celebrated with a CN Future Links Field Trip event at the Drummondville Golf & Curling Club in honour of CN's recent adoption of 15 local schools in the Drummondville region. Students received lessons in safety, putting, driving and chipping from Head PGA of Canada Professional, Claude Gamache.
As part of CN's focus towards safety, each of the schools adopted into the Golf in Schools program (valued at $475) will receive an all-encompassing rail safety demonstration from CN's partner, Operation Lifesaver, a national organization dedicated to keeping Canadian kids and the public safe around all rail tracks.
The celebration at Drummondville Golf & Curling Club marks over 150 schools adopted through CN's school adoption program since 2013, reinforcing their vision of helping communities share in the health and safety values associated with junior golf. The Drummondville region was the second of three communities visited in 2015 by the CN Future Links Community Tour, a nation-wide event that brings the values of junior golf to regions across Canada—Kamloops, B.C. was the first stop earlier this month.
"Junior golf has provided us a valuable platform to make a significant impact in key communities like Drummondville that are along CN's network," said Claude Mongeau, CN President and Chief Executive Officer. "CN is pleased to be part of Drummondville`s 200th anniversary festivities and to take an active role in helping Golf Canada and the PGA of Canada share the values of golf across the country."
As a follow up to Friday's school adoption, the CN Future Links Community Tour is gearing up to unfold from June 27-28 in the heart of Drummondville at 150 Rue Brock (parking lot 3), engaging community youth and attendees in various golf activities in addition to rail safety tips from CN Police.
"CN continues to move the needle in terms of initiating creative ways to expose golf to Canada's youth," said Jeff Thompson, Golf Canada's Chief Sport Officer. "The Community Tour is a very exciting national initiative for introducing golf in fun, community-based festival environments across the country—an engaging approach for taking the sport directly to youth."
Current CN Future Links programming includes the Learn to Play program as well as mobile clinics, PGA Jr. League, Girls Club, Field Trip and the CN Future Links Championships. As part of its investment in Canadian junior golf, CN is also a proud supporter of Golf in Schools.
In 2014, CN Future Links junior golf activities were conducted at 455 golf facilities with more than 7,000 juniors registered in the Learn to Play program. In addition, 160 golf facilities took part in the Junior Skills Challenge running more than 3,200 juniors through qualifying events. More than 56,000 youngsters participated in more than 1,200 mobile golf clinics across the country. Since 2006, more than 1.2 million children have been introduced to golf through the CN Future Links program.
ABOUT CN
CN is a true backbone of the economy, transporting more than C$250 billion worth of goods annually for a wide range of business sectors, ranging from resource products to manufactured products to consumer goods, across a rail network spanning Canada and mid-America, from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the Gulf of Mexico. CN - Canadian National Railway Company, along with its operating railway subsidiaries -- serves the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the metropolitan areas of Toronto, Chicago, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., Green Bay, Wis., Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America. For more information on CN, visit the company's website at www.cn.ca. (TSX: CNR) (NYSE: CNI).
ABOUT CN FUTURE LINKS
CN Future Links is Canada's national junior golf program conducted by Golf Canada, the PGA of Canada and Canada's provincial golf associations. The program is designed to forge a link between Canada's youth and golf to ensure the future of the game in Canada. Since the inception of the program in 1996, more than 1.2 million young Canadians have taken part in CN Future Links. A number of new initiatives, including Field Trips and Learn to Play, have succeeded through CN's sponsorship of the program. For more information, visit www.cnfuturelinks.com.
Golf Canada's CN Future Links program is proudly sponsored by CN, Acura, Cobra Puma Golf and supported by ClubLink, Heritage Canada and the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA).
ABOUT OPERATION LIFESAVER
Established in Canada in 1981, Operation Lifesaver is a national public-rail safety program sponsored by Transport Canada and the Railway Association of Canada. Through partnerships with provincial safety councils, police, railways, the trucking industry and community groups, Operation Lifesaver is dedicated to saving lives by educating Canadians about the hazards surrounding highway/railway crossings and trespassing on railway property.
Operation Lifesaver spreads its motto of "Look, Listen and Live" through its many year-long initiatives that complement PRSW, including interactive kids websites, online new and professional driver education modules, and social media outreach on Twitter and Facebook. Additionally, OL's network of volunteers conducts more than 500 rail safety presentations and activities across Canada each year.
About the PGA of Canada—THE LIFEBLOOD OF THE GAME OF GOLF:
Established in 1911, the PGA of Canada is the second oldest and third largest professional golf association in the world. The PGA of Canada is a non-profit Association comprised of 3,700 golf professionals across the country. The Association's mandate is to develop, promote and support our Members as experts in the game and business of golf and, in so doing, serve both its Members' needs and those of the golfing public through the Association's varied programs and events. The Association consists of the National Office located in Acton, Ont., and nine Zone Offices across the country. www.pgaofcanada.com
GOLF CANADA - LOVE THE GAME. GROW THE GAME.
Golf Canada is the National Sports Organization and governing body for golf in Canada representing close to 310,000 golfers at more than 1,400 member clubs across the country. A proud member of the Canadian Olympic Committee, Golf Canada's mission is to grow participation, excellence and passion in the sport while upholding the integrity and traditions of the game. By investing in the growth of the sport and introducing more participants of all ages to the game, our goal is to be relevant to and respected by all Canadian golf enthusiasts from coast to coast. For more information about what Golf Canada is doing to support golf in your community, visit www.golfcanada.ca.
SOURCE CN
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