Algonquin Alumnus of the Year Jason Blaine Raises $75,000 for Charity

Posted on Thursday, June 18th, 2015

Five years ago, Jason Blaine asked me to go lunch with him. The Canadian Recording Artist and Algonquin College Alumnus had a vision he wanted to share with me about setting up his own charity in his hometown of Pembroke.

He laid out the plan. It would be a two-day event that would include an 18-hole golf tournament and a concert. He was confident he could call in some favours and bring in other leading country musicians to be part of the event, but he wasn’t sure how much backing he would have in the community.

My first thought was “this is going to be a lot of work.” In fact, I told Jason I really needed to think about it. Another year went by and Jason contacted me again. Another lunch appointment generated a deeper conversation. It was clear, his idea wasn’t going away.

Three years ago the concept was tested when Jason held a nine-and-dine to announce his bigger plans. The tournament quickly sold out and generated a few thousand dollars that became seed money for the launch of the Jason Blaine Charity Golf Classic and Night With the Stars Concert in June of 2014.

With Gord Bamford and Kira Isabella performing along with Jason, businesses, individuals and organizations jumped on board, helping the event raise $50,000 for community groups. That money was distributed to Algonquin College’s capital building campaign for the new Waterfront Campus, the Pembroke Boys’ and Girls’ Club and the Pembroke-Petawawa Community Foundation.

Building on that success, Jason’s organizing committee went to work on planning the 2015 fundraiser. Tim Hicks, Chad Brownlee and Ben Rutz were secured as the headliners and more sponsors joined the party, resulting in a whopping $75,000 raised. Again, the College and Boys’ and Girls’ Club benefitted, but so did the Pembroke Regional Hospital’s MRI campaign. Jason also committed $5,000 to help pay for Mental Health First Aid training for volunteers and employees of not-for-profit organizations in Renfrew County.

A few weeks ago, Jason spoke at Algonquin College’s convocation ceremony where he talked about believing in yourself and about the importance of helping others. His message was inspiring. He shared his story of working in a local factory, being nicknamed “Nashville” by some of his co-workers, and about dreaming of hearing his songs on the radio.

His first step to living his dream was enrolling in a Business program at Algonquin where he learned the entrepreneurial skills he needed to propel his raw musical talent into a career. The strategy worked. He has now had several top hits, but as his celebrity has grown he has remained grounded, never forgetting where he came from.

It’s clear that while Jason Blaine may live in Nashville, Tennessee, his heart remains in the Ottawa Valley.

Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs

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