Art’s Boys, a group of golfers who play every Friday in Victoria, have raised close to $55,000 for a local summer camp run by the YM/YWCA.Supplied
The organizers: Art’s Boys
The pitch: Raising $55,000 and climbing
The cause: Camp Thunderbird – YM/YWCA Vancouver Island
About ten years ago a half-dozen friends in Victoria started playing a regular round of golf together and sharing good times.
The group gradually grew and managed to set up a regular Friday tee time at the Cordova Bay Golf Course. They called themselves Art’s Friday Golf Group after one of the leaders, Art Fraser.
As more players joined, they started sharing some friendly bets. One of the players suggested that the wagers could be put to better use, and the group decided to donate whatever they could to Camp Thunderbird, a summer camp for children run by the YM/YWCA on Vancouver Island.
Along with their regular weekly round of golf, the group also organizes three tournaments a year, and they run various pools for hockey, baseball, elections and almost anything else. Money from all of the events goes to Camp Thunderbird along with whatever the players chip in every Friday when they gather at the 19th hole and contribute to what they call Coins for Kids.
“The idea of sending kids to Camp Thunderbird, or helping struggling families to experience the Y, or sheltering battered women and their children, struck a note with the group,” one of the players, Bill Currie, wrote in an blog post about Art’s.
As of the end of 2025, they’ve raised around $55,000 and the number of players has climbed to a couple of dozen. Mr. Fraser died in 2023, and in his honour the group was renamed Art’s Boys.
A core of around 20 golfers, most in the 70s, has remained largely intact. “It’s just a really compatible group,” said David Glen, one of the original players. “I don’t see any lessening of enthusiasm or kind of dedication to keeping the group together.”
In his post, Mr. Currie said the group’s camaraderie was “a testament to our love of the game of golf, our fellowship, our friendship, our desire to help others.”