Alena Sharp cried after her round Thursday at the Cambia Portland Classic, but it had nothing to do with something that happened on the golf course.
Sharp, who used a golf bag specially designed in dedication for the small town of Humboldt, Saskatchewan during the CP Women’s Open last week, was auctioned off for $19,000 on Tuesday.
The funds will make a “massive dent” in the monies needed to purchase an isolette for the hospital in Humboldt.
The small town, about two-and-a-half hours from Regina, Saskatchewan (where the CP Women’s Open was played last week) was rocked in April when a truck crashed into a bus carrying a junior hockey team and its staff. Sixteen people were killed and 13 were injured.
The outpouring of support for the community saw $15 million raised on a GoFundMe campaign, the highest total ever for a Canadian campaign on the crowdfunding platform.
Sharp said last week just talking about the crash made her “skin crawl.” She has a family connection to the province of Saskatchewan and grew up playing hockey herself, once taking a bus from Hamilton, Ontario (her hometown) to Prince Edward Island – about 1,100 miles away.
The bag including yellow and green colors – like those of the Humboldt Broncos hockey team – and was made in concert with one of her sponsors, RBC.
Sharp got an email from her agent when she got off the course Thursday in Portland. She said she got goose bumps and began to feel choked up immediately.
“I was at a loss for words,” said Sharp. “I was so happy we could raise that much money in awareness.
“That’s just something that’s made my year, really.”
The money was raised at the Synergy 8 Golf Tournament, the largest golf tournament in Saskatchewan. There were nearly 1,500 guests in attendance including politicians and several members of the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League.
A local businessman who owns several hotels across the province, along with a financial company, purchased the bag.
Sharp shot an even par 72 in the first round of the Cambia Portland Classic, but said seeing the email that said how much money was raised would make dinner “taste a little better.”
“I’m just going to celebrate and enjoy the rest of the day knowing that I did something pretty amazing to help people,” she said.
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