Jason McCoy

Jason Blaine Does It Again!

Observer picture of Jason Blaine charity Cheque-2016Jason Blaine continues to pay it forward. The Canadian Country Recording Artist and high profile Algonquin College Business program alumnus recently held his annual concert and golf tournament in Pembroke, raising a record $80,000 for local organizations in his home town.

Now into its third year, the charity has brought in a whopping $205,000, money that has supported great local causes such as the Pembroke and Area Boys and Girls Club, the capital campaign for Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus and Mental Health First Aid training for not-for-profit organizations.

Jason Blaine Stars-2016With Dallas Smith and Jason McCoy of The Roadhammers in town for the event, Blaine and “A Few Good Friends” put on a great performance at the Pembroke Memorial Centre, while also allowing themselves to be auctioned off for the following days’ golf tournament. The live auction alone brought in $30,000 and set the tone for the fundraiser which has become a signature summer social event in the city.

More than 600 people attended the concert which is intended to be an intimate night with the stars, where fans can mingle and have their photos taken with the artists, while enjoying some of the top performers in Canada’s country music industry. Pembroke native Ben Rutz, the lead fiddler in the Johnny Reid band, the Western Swing Authority and “up and coming,” the River Town Saints also took the stage.

Jason sings from purple couch

The following morning, with only a few hours sleep, Blaine was up early to appear on the CTV Ottawa Live Morning Show to talk about his charity and to say thank you to the dozens of businesses, organizations and individuals who have supported him over the years. He then capped his day by playing a round of golf with more than 160 others before unveiling how much the event had raised.

While very few Algonquin College alumni have the profile that Jason Blaine does, we know that many are giving back to their community in special ways. We’re proud of all of our graduates and hope that Jason Blaine’s act of kindness is an inspiration. Blaine may live in Nashville, but his heart is in Pembroke and with his alma mater.

Jason Blaine - Plain Logo

Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs

Algonquin College Alumni Doing Great Things

It has been a week to celebrate our alumni at Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus. Not a formal celebration, but rather a time to reflect on the great things that our graduates are doing here at home.

Dallas McLeod-PF gradIt seems everywhere I turned this past week I was learning about a special project or initiative that one of our alumni was involved in. It started with a chance meeting with Police Foundations graduate, Dallas McLeod, who was on campus for a Program Advisory committee meeting.

McLeod graduated in 2013 and is now a full-time member of the Renfrew OPP detachment. While he was a student, he accumulated an incredible 3000+ hours of volunteer work. Through his participation on an Advisory Committee, he is continuing his commitment to volunteerism by providing feedback to the College on the program he graduated from.

Sam Graham-wheelchair basketballA few days later I had a call from Social Service Worker graduate Sam Graham, class of 2015. Graham, who is now working on earning a Degree in Social Work at Carleton University, was planning a wheelchair basketball fundraiser at the Waterfront Campus for the fourth year in a row.

Graham has raised money for several causes including the Algonquin College food bank and the Pembroke Regional Hospital MRI Fund. This year, he was helping to generate funds for a recreational facility in Ottawa for people with disabilities.

Jason Blaine2001 Business graduate and Canadian Recording artist, Jason Blaine, established his own charitable fund a few years ago. For the past two years, he has held a two-day fundraising event that features a concert and a golf tournament, raising more than $125,000 for community causes in his hometown.

This week he announced he will be joined by two of Canada’s top Country performers, Dallas Smith and Jason McCoy at this year’s charity concert on June 14th. It will be another sold-out event with this year’s beneficiaries including Algonquin College, the Pembroke and Area Boys and Girls Club and local food banks. Blaine is also again committing $5,000 to help Renfrew County not for profit groups access Mental Health First Aid training.

These are only a few examples of what you can learn in a short time about the great things our Algonquin College alumni are doing. They really are terrific people and their commitment to helping others is extraordinary and worth celebrating.

Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community & Student Affairs