Elevation Outdoors annual fundraiser breaks record after COVID hiatus

Photo: Elevation Outdoors - Shane Collins

After a two-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a local non-profit raised $30,000 through their annual lawn bowling tournament this summer.

Over four weeks through July and August, Elevation Outdoors hosted their On the Lawn event at the lawn-bowling fields in Kelowna's City Park.

Twenty teams of four participated in the event, while raising thousands of dollars for the local non-profit. This year saw the most money raised at the event in a single year.

Elevation Outdoors provides young people in the community the opportunity to learn a variety of sports and activities like snowboarding, mountain biking, sailing and rock climbing. The organization's scholarship program opens up these somewhat pricey sports to young people who may not have the means to otherwise try them out.

The funds raised this past summer bring the total On the Lawn funds raised to more than $130,000 over the six years it has run.

“Every year this event truly surpasses our expectations for the support we receive from the community,” said Mike Greer, executive director at Elevation Outdoors.

“To have a sold out event for four weeks in the middle of the busy Okanagan summer, all to support our work of getting youth outside and active, shows how amazing our community is.”

Elevation Outdoors was founded in 2007, and began with just six participants learning to snowboard. Since then, hundreds of local youth have been introduced to a number of new sports through their programs.