When Golf Opens the Conversation: Reflections on the PGA of BC Teach-A-Thon for Mental Health
September 4, 2026
By Graham Abraham
Richmond, British Columbia - On a rainy day in 2023, Ledgeview Golf Club Director of Instruction Brady Stead stood damp on the club’s uncovered driving range. With the heavy downpours that can strike the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley, Stead said rain often meant cancellations and rescheduled golf lessons.
This day was different.
“A few years ago when we started, we actually didn’t have a covered area on the range at Ledgeview, and it downpoured from morning until evening,” said Stead. “Normally, clients of mine would message me and say, ‘Hey, it’s raining. Can we reschedule or can we cancel?’ Not a single person did. Everyone showed up.”
That day marked the first Steady Golf Teach-A-Thon for Mental Health. The initiative launched by the Abbotsford-based professional saw him teach lessons from dawn to dusk with 100 per cent of lesson revenues going to the Canadian Mental Health Association, British Columbia Division (CMHA BC). In the first two years, Stead demonstrated a tireless passion and dedication to the initiative, tackling every aspect including marketing, logistics and instruction.
In 2025, Stead and CMHA BC teamed up with the PGA of BC to include Stead’s peers in the Association and expand the program province-wide. This month, more than 30 PGA of BC professionals are donating their time and expertise to the 2026 PGA of BC Teach-A-Thon for Mental Health.
Where It Started
For Stead, the cause is personal. While competing in golf in Europe in 2018, his cousin died by suicide, a loss that profoundly shaped Stead’s outlook and deepened his commitment to mental-health advocacy.
Looking for a visible way to show that commitment, Stead began wearing a green ribbon on his hat.
“That was kind of where I was like, ‘You know what? It’s time to maybe start to raise awareness.’ At the start, I was just going to throw a green ribbon on my hat, which is the colour for mental health,” said Stead. “Just show, ‘Hey, I care. I see you. I understand what you might be going through.’ And that’s kind of morphed into what we’re doing now.”
The ribbon brought questions from fellow competitors and messages from people thanking him for speaking openly, letting Stead know that his efforts were resonating.
After several years of wearing the green ribbon, Stead decided he wanted to do more. He started thinking about how he could leverage his professional expertise to support the cause and decided to offer golf lessons with revenues going to CMHA BC.
“I reached out to my clients and I said, ‘Hey, I’ve got X amount of blocks on Saturday. If you want to come out, I’m going to be donating the money to the Mental Health Association.’ It filled up right away. A lot of folks who weren’t even clients of mine came because they wanted to support.”
Stead pointed to golf lessons as more than just an opportunity to learn skills, but a chance to connect with members of the community on a human level.
“Quite often in a golf lesson too, there’s times where you can have a conversation,” said Stead. “You might be working on a skill or, you know, maybe you’re working on your grip or whatever it might be, but there’s time. ‘Hey, how’s the family doing? How have you been?’”
From One Pro to a Province
After two years of carrying the initiative largely on his own, he saw the program take a step forward in 2025 when the PGA of BC helped expand it across the province. For Stead, it was meaningful to see his personal initiative transform into a collective effort.
“What a great opportunity to continue to share this message and create some teammates on this. Knowing that this idea has been taken on province-wide is super rewarding for me. This is more of a team and collective effort now, rather than just my idea or Teach-A-Thon.”
CMHA BC saw a natural fit in expanding the reach of the program and partnering with the PGA of BC. CMHA BC itself is a provincial organization rooted in local communities, while the PGA of BC is made up of professionals who live, work and build relationships in their own communities. Expansion didn’t require transforming the program into a centralized, general fundraiser, but instead allowed participants to raise awareness and funds where they already had connections.
For Antonia Kalmacoff Jennings, Senior Director of Development & Communications for CMHA BC, that community-based structure was a key reason the Teach-A-Thon had the potential to grow across the province.
“We’re a province-wide organization but really rooted in communities. And to me, that very much mirrors the PGA structure in that you have a provincial body, but then people that live in those communities, teach in those communities, just connect with people in those communities,” said Kalmacoff Jennings. “It was a really exciting chance to build a province-wide partnership and give pros the opportunity to really make a difference in the community where they live, but with the provincial infrastructure supporting them.”
Kalmacoff Jennings pointed to several pillars of the organization that will be supported by Teach-A-Thon fundraising: advocacy, destigmatization, improving access to mental health care, community-based support, and social determinants of mental health such as housing.
Conversations in the Community
The community-level impact of the program was evident at Squamish Valley Golf Club, where Teaching Professional and Teach-A-Thon instructor Cari Chow found the program prompted important conversations alongside fundraising.
Chow promoted the 2025 initiative among existing clients, but soon saw interest expand to the greater club and community.
One day, Chow walked through the clubhouse and was stopped by a group of members who had been following the Teach-A-Thon fundraising progress. Demonstrating the power that raising awareness and sparking conversations can have, one member shared a personal story connected to mental health with Chow.
“I just wasn’t expecting such a vulnerable moment to happen. It was extremely touching. It was an intense moment for sure,” said Chow. “What was really interesting was that it was coming from a table of men who I know as very happy-go-lucky, who never really talked about feelings before. I think that’s something that can be really tough for people to talk about.”
For Chow, the experience reinforced the value of being open and honest with those close to her.
“When you start sharing your experiences and being a bit more vulnerable with your community, your peers, teammates and staff, you’ll be surprised at how many people have their own stories,” said Chow. “Your story, when you share something about yourself, can also help someone else share their story and start the healing process.”
Kalmacoff Jennings stressed that removing stigma around mental health and making people feel comfortable seeking support is a core value of CMHA BC.
“How we talk about mental health today is going to affect who seeks help tomorrow,” said Kalmacoff Jennings. “We want everyone to feel safe and open to seek the care they need, knowing that CMHA will be there to walk with them. Having champions in the community, like the pros who are respected, stand up and say, ‘I’m doing this. I’m raising money for this,’ really supports that destigmatization.”
Kate Czerwenka is a personal trainer, nutrition coach, and owner of Inclusive Strength, an Official Supporting Sponsor of the 2025 Teach-A-Thon. Czerwenka emphasized that athletic performance and physical well-being are closely tied to mental health, a connection that is especially relevant in a sport like golf.
“Strength is all about making fitness accessible and approachable, especially to populations that may not feel comfortable in the gym,” said Czerwenka. “I believe that if we want people to be truly healthy, we need to approach health from both a physical and mental side. I love the idea of the PGA taking a sport like golf and pairing it with a mental health initiative.
2026 PGA of BC Teach-A-Thon for Mental Health
The 2026 PGA of BC Teach-A-Thon for Mental Health is taking place this September at clubs across BC.
Participating professionals are offering a variety of lesson formats throughout the month, including individual instruction, group lessons and longer clinic-style sessions. Availability, lesson formats and dates vary by professional and facility.
Last year, the Teach-A-Thon for Mental Health raised nearly $25,000. This season, the goal is to raise $30,000 to support CMHA BC.
Although professionals are giving up their time and income to participate in the Teach-A-Thon, Stead said the feeling after participating is extremely worthwhile.
“The first time that I did it, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect,” said Stead. “But I just remember leaving that day after teaching all day with no money going in my pockets and just giving it back, just being like, ‘Wow, that was actually the best day of work of the year.’
Golfers can visit the PGA of BC Teach-A-Thon for Mental Health website to find a participating professional, book a lesson or make a direct donation to support work at CMHAs in the local community and across BC.
Stead reflected on what has grown from a dreary, grey Saturday in the rain to a province-wide initiative supported by his peers.
“One thing that I’ve learned is that ideas can snowball. And I think this idea has totally snowballed into something that’s now hopefully going to be making a big difference in our communities.”