Baseball phenom Raine Padgham is set to be a special guest at the inaugural Abbotsford KidSport Charity Golf Tournament, which occurs at Fraserglen Golf Course on Friday, June 14.
Organizers stated the current Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack player was supported financially for several years by the KidSport program and she will be sharing her story during the awards dinner portion of the event.
Padgham competed at the Australian Women's Baseball Showcase last month and also recently completed her first season with TRU.
She has had an illustrious youth career and became the first player to ever play on a girls and boys team at the Western Canadian Baseball Championships. She went on to make the Team B.C. U13 Selects boys provincial team in 2018 and also received an invitation to train with the Team Canada women’s baseball team in 2019 at the age of 13.
In 2019 she became the first-ever girl to be named to the Fraser Valley (Abbotsford) Cardinals bantam team. She also made headlines in 2020 for throwing an 83 mph fastball at a Baseball B.C. High Performance Camp that year. She then went on to be named one of the Canadian Baseball Network’s 2020 Most Influential Canadians in Baseball list.
We're getting excited for our 1st @kidsportabby Charity Golf Tournament June 14. #Soallkidscanplay See you there Abbotsford! @AbbyNews @Country1071 @fvnews @Vancity @SaputoInc @MajorWelding @NationRamps @VanCanucks_Fans @sportszone @vancanadians @WestJet https://t.co/eJj5gBo3VH
— KidSport Abbotsford (@KidSportAbby) June 9, 2024
Padgham was one of many youth who took advantage of the services offered by KidSport. The group helps provide funding towards sport registration fees for those who are having affordability challenges.
In 2023, KidSport Abbotsford was able to help 136 kids/families, which is just shy of $50,000. They stated that the need continues to grow in Abbotsford.
Albert and Co. Law LLP is the title sponsor for the event. 2006 W.J. Mouat grad Sara Albert opened Albert and Co. Law in downtown Abbotsford a few years ago. Following her time at Mouat she went to law school at the University of Alberta and then clerked for the Justices of the Alberta Court of Appeals.
The event tees off at 1 p.m., with a dinner and awards set for 5:30 p.m.
For more information, visit kidsportcanada.ca/british-columbia/abbotsford/events/golf-for-kids.