At only 17 years of age, golf enthusiast Jerry Liu isn’t just mastering the game — he’s doing so while driving change in his community. The inspiring young philanthropist has just recently raised an impressive $5,026 for North York General Hospital (NYGH) through a tournament he organized himself, proving that his impact can reach far beyond the fairways.
At only 17 years of age, golf enthusiast Jerry Liu isn’t just mastering the game — he’s doing so while driving change in his community. The inspiring young philanthropist has just recently raised an impressive $5,026 for North York General Hospital (NYGH) through a tournament he organized himself, proving that his impact can reach far beyond the fairways.
“We set a goal of raising $2,000, but the day exceeded all expectations,” says Jerry. “Even reaching the initial target felt great, but almost tripling it was amazing.”
The lively event, held at Station Creek Golf Club, featured an 18-hole scramble, awards ceremony, auctions, and a dinner reception. But for Jerry, the highlight was sharing his personal journey.
“In a speech to the crowd I explained that after moving to Canada at age nine, with dreams of becoming a professional hockey player, I suffered a major injury to my collarbone that brought me to NYGH’s emergency room,” says Jerry of this life-defining moment.
“That injury unfortunately meant the end of my hockey career, so it was a very challenging time for me and my family. But the compassion and support I received from the NYGH staff during that period never left my thoughts.”
In the time that followed, as Jerry was forced to shift away from hockey and explore new interests, he found a new passion in the game of golf. Alongside this fresh enthusiasm, a strong desire to give back to his community.
Jerry explains that he took his first steps into philanthropy last winter by organizing a heartfelt holiday card drive for residents of NYGH’s Senior’s Care Centre as well as a tremendously well-received talent show.
“Organizing the holiday card drive was a great way to start giving back and helped me realize how impactful even small acts of kindness can be,” Jerry reflects.
And it would seem that this spirit of compassion runs in the family: Jerry’s mother, Wendy, is the co-founder of Action in Reading, a robust club of Chinese-Canadian women who combine their passion for reading with significant acts of community service.
“I was so proud of Jerry for giving that speech,” Wendy says. “He was confident, and it was touching to see him there, grown from a little boy into now a man who is making a real impact. It almost brought me to tears.”
As for the future of the tournament, Jerry believes it will continue. “I hope it will become an annual event,” he says. “I won’t be able to run it next year because I’ll be in university, but I’ve built a strong Captain Team who will lead the tournament annually, continuing it as a legacy. I will stay involved in all aspects of organizing, passing on the spirit and leadership to them while mentoring the leaders on organizing a charity sports event from the ground up.”
“Helping the people that helped me really makes me happy,” Jerry reflects. “And knowing that something I’ve done could help even one person or patient down the line who is experiencing their own tough moment, it’s just really meaningful.”
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