A Million-Dollar Golf Shot, a 49ers Trip and $25K for Mental Health: Inside Northern Alliance’s Charity Golf Tournament

A Million-Dollar Golf Shot, a 49ers Trip and $25K for Mental Health: Inside Northern Alliance’s Charity Golf Tournament

MetroCity Property Group and its Northern Alliance partners brought 140 golfers together for a charity event that has raised nearly $45,000 in two years.

The Northern Alliance Ottawa Real Estate Classic began with a simple idea: bring Ottawa’s real estate crowd together for a round of golf and raise money for mental health.

By year two, it had become much bigger than a casual day on the course.

This year’s tournament packed Mattamy Homes Stonebridge Golf Course with 140 golfers, 26 sponsors and 10 volunteers. Players arrived to food, drinks, and music before heading out for a day filled with golf, on-course games, and a few prizes definitely worth getting competitive over.

The event is hosted through the Northern Alliance Foundation for Giving, the charitable foundation connected to Northern Alliance, an Ottawa-based network of eXp Realty agents and teams. MetroCity Property Group, led by Tarek El Attar and Steve Alexopoulos, is one of the teams behind the tournament.

By the time the final scorecards were turned in, the event had raised more than $25,000 for local mental health initiatives. That brought the tournament’s two-year fundraising total to nearly $45,000.

Here is how the team turned a casual round of golf into one of its largest community events of the year.

It Started With One Agent’s Personal Mission

When Northern Alliance first considered adding a golf tournament to its lineup of events, the group already had the right person to run it.

Steve Cooper, an agent with MetroCity Property Group, had organized several golf tournaments in the past. He understood the logistics, the timing, and how to keep a full course of golfers entertained.

He also had a deeply personal connection to the cause.

Steve created the It’s OK Foundation after experiencing his own mental health struggles. Since then, he has made it his mission to keep people talking about mental health, particularly men who may struggle to ask for help.

Two years ago, Steve walked across Ottawa from Orléans to Kanata in a single day. He finished the trek with a round of golf among friends.

When Northern Alliance decided to combine its love of golf with its charitable work, supporting Steve’s foundation felt like the natural choice. Tournament proceeds now jointly benefit the It’s OK Foundation and programs offered by the Canadian Mental Health Association.

The golf tournament joined a calendar of events already hosted through the Northern Alliance Foundation for Giving, including the EVOLV3 real estate conference, free self-defense classes, business-planning sessions, and a bowling fundraiser.

49ers Tickets and The Million Dollar Shootout.

Player registration starts the fundraising, then business sponsorships, donated prizes, auctions and contests build the total. MetroCity and its Northern Alliance partners also work with vendors and local businesses to reduce event costs, allowing more of the money raised to reach the two beneficiaries.

Mattamy Homes serves as the title sponsor, with the tournament taking place at Mattamy Homes Stonebridge Golf Course. Local mortgage brokers, real estate lawyers and other business partners also sponsor the event or contribute prizes.

That support is woven throughout the day.

Golfers arrive to food, drinks and music before heading onto the course for a shotgun start. Games and food stations are placed at different holes, while sponsors can set up directly on the course and spend the day with players.

Once the final scorecards are turned in, the two biggest competitions begin.

First comes the Million Dollar Shootout. Qualifying golfers attempt to sink a hole-in-one for the chance to win $1 million. Steve Cooper strategically positioned the contest within view of the clubhouse patio, allowing everyone else to watch with appetizers and drinks in hand.

Then the crowd moves on to heads or tails. Players choose a side, the coin is flipped and people are eliminated until one winner remains. This year, Gold Bar Whiskey raised the stakes by donating a trip for two to attend a San Francisco 49ers home game from the company’s stadium box.

“There are quite a few surprises and upsets as the game unfolds with all the guests watching,” Tarek said. “The whole day is based around friendly competition that benefits all the organizations involved.”

Between registrations, sponsors, donated prizes and contests, nearly every part of the golfer experience helps add to the final donation.

One Day of Golf Takes 10 Months to Plan

Long before the first golfer arrives, the committee is already working.

Planning begins approximately 10 months before the tournament. The team first secures the date, course and beneficiaries, then works backward to coordinate registration, sponsors, vendors, food, volunteers, prizes and contests.

The final two months bring the biggest rush.

“There are so many moving parts to the tournament,” Steve Alexopoulos said. “Coordinating the golfers and prizes can be very time-consuming.”

During the first year, the Northern Alliance founders, Steve Cooper and Tia Jones handled much of the planning. By year two, the group had created a committee and divided responsibilities among its participating teams.

Northern Alliance’s partners include Tarek, Steve Alexopoulos, Todd Gingras, Cris Karson, JF Perras, Scott Moore, Jason Spartalis, Marc Papineau and Megan Stagg. The group plans to add more committee members before the third tournament.

That wider team effort helped the event grow from 88 golfers in its first year to 140 in its second.

Year One Almost Got Rained Out

The first tournament came with one problem no committee could fix: the forecast called for thunderstorms.

Several golfers dropped out on the morning of the event. After months of preparation, the team could only keep moving forward and hope the weather changed.

Then the sun came out.

The tournament went ahead under beautiful skies and gave the team an early lesson in hosting an outdoor fundraiser.

“You can’t control everything, especially the weather,” Tarek said. “It was a good lesson for us to keep pushing ahead and see things through.”

Year Three May Be Even Harder to Get Into

Several participating businesses have already committed to returning next year, and Northern Alliance says the event has strengthened its relationships with local Realtors and business partners.

For other real estate teams considering a charity tournament, Tarek and Steve recommend starting with the cause, date and venue. Once the beneficiary is confirmed, the team has a clear story to share with sponsors and potential players.

They also suggest starting with a smaller group of golfers and growing from there. A tournament does not need to fill an entire course during its first year to make an impact.

“Keep the budget top of mind and overdeliver to your guests,” Steve Alexopoulos said.

Mattamy Homes Stonebridge Golf Course can accommodate 144 players. This year’s tournament drew 140, leaving only four available spots.

If the event grows again in year three, the scramble for a tee time may begin long before the shotgun start.