LANGLEY, B.C. – For the first time ever, the Spartan Foundation's 16th Annual Complete Champions Reception, presented by Five Peaks Capital, raised over $1 Million for Trinity Western University Spartan student-athletes.
The event, which was on Nov. 22, featured guest speakers Lucas VanBerkel, who is an alum of TWU's men's volleyball program, and Holly (Strom) VanBerkel, who is an alum of TWU's women's basketball program. Trinity Western men's rugby star Matthew Willemse, who hails from South Africa, also shared about his journey to TWU, his faith story and his experience as a Spartan.
"This year's Complete Champions Reception was a special day," said Jeff Gamache, TWU Director of Athletics. "To have Holly, Lucas and Matthew all share about their experiences at TWU and see how God has used them in their journeys was inspiring. Then, to look around the room and see so many alumni and friends in the room who in their own way impact lives day in and day – it is so humbling. On top of it all, to raise this record amount, where every penny will go into investing into our current student-athletes, is an incredible gift that we, within Spartan Athletics, are so thankful for. We do not take your gifts of time, talent and treasure lightly. We are so grateful and will continue to develop more and more Complete Champions ready to make an impact for the good of the world and the glory of God."
This annual event is hosted annually by the Spartan Foundation, whose purpose is entirely focused on raising funds for the TWU Spartans Athletics program and the Complete Champion Approach™ with the intention to impact student-athlete lives.
Thanks to extraordinarily generous giving on the day, the Complete Champions Reception raised over $1 Million after raising more than $800K in each of the previous three years. Over the 16 years since the annual event began, the Complete Champions Reception has raised more than $6.7 million for student-athletes.
"We are thrilled and deeply grateful for how the Spartan community came together to share life-changing stories, support one another and achieve an incredible milestone – raising over $1 million," said Steve Scholz, Executive Director of the Spartan Foundation. "This is simply amazing for a small charity. We are so blessed to have all of you – the 'Team Behind the Teams' – who attended, watched the livestream, and donated to support student-athletes. A heartfelt thank you also goes out to everyone who worked tirelessly to make this event a reality.
"We are especially grateful to our corporate partners, team families, supporters and donors who contributed to our largest-ever $400,000 matching fund. Your generosity inspired others to give and helped make this milestone possible. It's exciting to invest in student-athletes, watch them grow and develop, and see them become the leaders of tomorrow. Thank you for being part of this journey with us."
If you missed the live event, you can view the recording here.
Thanks to all our COMPLETE CHAMPIONS RECEPTION SPONSORS:
Presenting Sponsor: Five Peaks Capital
Celebrity Sponsor: Graestone Ready Mix
Diamond Sponsors: Benchmark Homes, Covenant Planning Group, GLC Solutions Inc., Janzen Insurance, and Westwoods Contracting Ltd.
Gold Sponsors: Assante Wealth Management, Avisar CPA, BC Greenhouse Builders, Capstone Assets, Five & Two Network, Ground Effects Nursery & Landscaping, Lawson Lundell LLP, Loewen Kruse CPA, Trading Post Brewing, Volkenant Law Group
Silver Sponsor: Focus on the Family Canada
Bronze Sponsors: PXL Cross Linked Foam Corp., TiffanyScarlett's Ventures
Special Thanks: Alder West Poultry, Allan Skidmore Family Foundation, Bernie Scholz-Macdonald Realty, Butterley Family Foundation, DO Philanthropy Inc., GLC Solutions, Orange Room Services, South Grove Farms, and Thomas & Lorraine Skidmore Family
Thanks to our Year-Long Partners: Athletes in Action, Chase Office Interiors, Coca Cola, Flowers & Co., GLC Solutions, Janzen Insurance, Langley Events Centre, OneTeam, Sandman Hotel Group, Ten Feet Sports & Entertainment, Trading Post Brewing, University Printers and Valley Commons.
Complete Champions Reception | Through the Years
Year | Guest Speaker – Amount Raised
2009 | Rick Hansen – $24,000
2010 | Ryan Walter – $45,000
2011 | Peter Legge – $62,000
2012 | Martin Rennie – $107,000
2013 | Jim Zorn – $121,000
2014 | Anthony Calvillo – $145,000
2015 | Willie Desjardins – $235,000
2016 | Olympian Panel – $340,000
2017 | Neal McDonough – $425,000
2018 | Dr. Murray Howe – $507,000
2019 | John Scott – $542,000
2020 | Shane Doan & Leighann (Doan) Reimer – $562,000
2021 | Eroni Clarke – $862,000
2022 | Sue Semrau – $857,000
2023 | Rick Hansen & Alison Jackson – $853,000
About the Complete Champion Approach™ (CCA)
Spartans Athletics is intentionally committed to developing the five key components of the CCA, including academic, athletic, leadership, personal and spiritual development. The CCA works towards helping student-athletes use their God-given talents and intellect to live a life of significance, experience true personal success and powerfully influence their families, teams, communities and cultures.
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 13 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cross country and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as an independent team in men's rugby and women's and men's disc golf. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 14 U SPORTS team championships and 34 Canada West team championships.
About Spartan Foundation
The Spartan Foundation is a Canadian non-profit organization created by a group of individuals with a strong connection to Trinity Western University and Spartan Athletics. Their mission is to "invest in student-athletes today, which will help develop Complete Champions and leaders for tomorrow; all with the purpose to further God's Kingdom." The foundation's goals include providing annual funding for the Spartan Athletics program, supporting scholarships, enhancing the Complete Champion ApproachTM, assisting financially stressed athletes, and promoting cross-cultural mission trips and community service initiatives.
About Trinity Western University
Recognized for quality, TWU has received seven consecutive A+ rankings for Quality of Teaching and Learning, holds three Canada Research Chairs, and wins national championships in CIS sports. More importantly, lives are changed at TWU through its whole-person, Christ-centred approach to education. With a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and adult degree-completion programs, TWU equips leaders of character and competence to make a positive impact in the lives of others.
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