Olivia Rourke Foundation makes inaugural donations in honour of the late teen
Two major charitable donations have been made in the name of the late Olivia Rourke, 17 of Walkerton, supporting cancer care and research in her honour.
Olivia, alongside three classmates and their coach, was killed in a tragic car accident in Middlesex County on May 23 on their way home from a softball tournament.
Thanks to the success of the Hoops for Hope 3-on-3 basketball tournament fundraiser, $5,000 has been donated to The Canadian Cancer Society to further research and prevention efforts nationwide. Additionally, $5,000 has also been donated to the Brightshores Health System – Owen Sound Cancer Centre.
OLIVIA ROURKE FOUNDATION
Donations were made to support cancer care and research in the name of Olivia Rourke. (Source: Submitted)
According to officials with the Olivia Rourke Foundation, the tournament was originally conceived by Olivia to raise funds for breast cancer research, inspired by her mother's diagnosis in 2023.
'These donations represent Olivia's love for her family and her desire to make the world better for others,' said a family spokesperson.
The tournament was held on June 7 and saw 40 teams and 160 athletes participate. They were joined by donors, sponsors, and local businesses.
For more information or to support future charitable efforts in Olivia's name, you can head to their website.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Globe and Mail
12 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Defending champion Popyrin falls in NBO quarterfinals
Alexander Zverev has a semifinal spot at the National Bank Open, and he bested last year's winner in the process. The top seed at the Canadian men's tennis championship rallied to defeat No. 18 Alexei Popyrin of Australia 6-7 (8), 6-4, 6-3 on Monday evening at Sobeys Stadium. Currently third in the ATP Tour's rankings, the German will take on either No. 11 seed Karen Khachanov of Russia or No. 26 Alex Michelsen of the United States on Wednesday. Khachanov and Michelsen played the late quarterfinal on the campus of York University in hazy northwest Toronto. Tuesday's schedule at the NBO features a pair of American favourites. Second-seed Taylor Fritz will take on No. 6 Andrey Rublev of Russia in the quarters, while No. 4 Ben Shelton is slated to meet No. 9 Alex de Minaur of Australia. Both semifinals go Wednesday ahead of Thursday's title match. Popyrin took a knife-edged first set in a tiebreak when his gentle backhand shot after a long rally grazed the top of the net and dropped for the winning point — much to the delight of his fans, including one with an inflatable yellow kangaroo. Zverev, meanwhile, responded by immediately firing a ball completely out of Sobeys Stadium in frustration. Looking for his 25th tournament victory and eighth ATP 1000 Masters triumph, he responded by going up 2-0 in the second set. Popyrin grabbed a break of his own before holding serve at 4-4. Zverev, who won the Canadian title in Montreal eight years ago when he defeated childhood idol Roger Federer, took a 5-4 lead and then again broke his opponent to even the match. Ousted at the quarterfinal stage of last year's tournament, Zverev got another break to go up 2-0 in the third set before serving out the match. The 28-year-old, who lost to world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the final at this year's Australian Open and made the French Open quarters, improved to 4-0 all-time against Popyrin, including a third-round victory at the Paris Olympics. Zverev has two tournament wins on clay this year, and is the highest-ranked player competing in a Toronto field lacking some significant star power after Sinner, No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, No. 5 Jack Draper and No. 6 Novak Djokovic all skipped the US$9.19-million hardcourt event. The 25-year-old Popyrin — ranked No. 26 in the world — beat Rublev some 12 months ago in Montreal to claim his third tournament win, but saw a nine-match winning run in Canada come to an end Monday.
CBC
19 minutes ago
- CBC
Lyme disease more common as warmer summers bring more ticks
Singer Justin Timberlake is the latest celebrity to announce he's been battling Lyme disease, but experts say cases of the tick-borne illness are on the rise in Canada, too, largely because warmer summers have extended tick season.
Globe and Mail
42 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Victoria Mboko's dream run in Montreal continues
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko commanded the stage once again on Monday night, storming into the semi-finals at the National Bank Open with another remarkable win. The 18-year-old wild card played beyond her years again, swiftly beating World No. 51 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain 6-4, 6-2 in the quarter-finals to extend her storybook run in Montreal. The Mboko show continues for at least another two days. The Torontonian plays in her first-ever WTA semi-final on Wednesday, versus No. 9-seeded Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan. Mboko earns another shot at the World No. 12, who recently eliminated her from the DC Open in Washington, an opponent with a Wimbledon title to her name. After her upset win over Gauff, Mboko is the headliner in Montreal NBO It's hard to remember that the kid who looks at home under the lights is in fact making her main draw debut at this tournament. As she makes just her third career WTA 1000 event, Mboko is quickly becoming one of the tour's most successful rising stars of 2025. Two days earlier, Mboko earned the biggest win of her career – a straight-sets triumph over World No. 2 and two-time Grand Slam champion Coco Gauff. It had been the Canadian's first-ever victory over a Top 10 player in just her third attempt. Mboko also beat 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, and world No. 39 Marie Bouzkova during this Montreal run. Her profile is swelling as the tournament goes along. More feature night matches, bigger crowds, more autographs and press conferences. While the stands were sparse for Monday's 6 p.m. ET quarter-final between Elena Rybakina and Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk, plenty of fans were stopping by Mboko's short pre-match practice on a quiet backcourt, guided by coach Nathalie Tauziat, the French former pro, world No. 3 and Wimbledon finalist. By the time Mboko took the court at 7:45 p.m., IGA Stadium was jam packed and rocking for the fresh face who has become the headliner. As she keeps advancing, more media have turned up in Montreal. Homegrown celebrity athletes from Georges St-Pierre to Bruny Surin have come to watch her. The upstart's big year has been getting better and better. It has also included four straight singles trophies on the ITF Tour, earning her first WTA-level win, taking a set off world No. 11 Paula Badosa in Miami, a set off Gauff in Rome and a run to the third round at Roland Garros. While she came to Montreal ranked No.85, Monday's win will catapult the runaway teen into the top 50. It was Mboko's first-ever meeting with Bouzas Maneiro, 22, who was also seeking her first WTA semi-final. She was aiming to become the first Spanish woman to reach the semi-finals at this tournament since two stars, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Conchita Martinez, each made the 2000 semis. Both players faced pressure in their first service games and each fended off break points. It remained close until Mboko went up a break for a 5-3 lead, capitalizing on the Spaniard's misses. When Mboko tried to serve for the set, she stumbled with a double fault and Bouzas Maneiro broke right back. The 18-year-old countered with another break and won the opening set. Mboko had a letdown to start the second set, broken right off the hop. But she hung in and soon broke back, the Montreal crowd roaring for her while she used the noise as fuel. She rallied back from down 0-2 to steal the set. Mboko is the first Canadian woman to make the semis at this tournament since Bianca Andreescu won it in 2019. She becomes the youngest woman to reach this event's semi-finals since Belinda Bencic won the title in 2015.
