Meet a Sponsor: Canaccord Genuity

Ted Hirst and SOBC athlete smiling

For more than 15 years, Canaccord Genuity has been a dedicated sponsor of Special Olympics BC, making a difference for athletes with intellectual disabilities in communities across the province.

Canaccord Genuity has been changing lives through sport through many years of supporting SOBC fundraising events. Since 2012, Canaccord Genuity has been a dedicated Major Sponsor of the Sports Celebrities Festival presented by Wheaton Precious Metals and Bronze Sponsor of the SOBC Classic. Through their generous sponsorship of these events, Canaccord Genuity has contributed more than $435,000 over the past 12 years!

Ted Hirst, Managing Director at Canaccord Genuity, has championed SOBC’s vision and mission for more than 15 years. In 2022, he was inducted into the 2022 SOBC Hall of Fame as a Provincial Builder. He has been a valued leader on the SOBC Board of Directors since 2009, as both a Director and as Chair.

“I remember how this all started. I was at my first Games for Special Olympics, and I sat beside a mom. She said to me, ‘I wouldn’t change my son for the world, but I would like to change the world for my son.’ She asked me to do it, so I did. And so I am very blessed to be part of this organization,” Hirst said.

Gunnar Eggertson, Managing Director at Canaccord Genuity, has also made impact on Special Olympics BC, serving on the Sports Celebrities Festival Committee since 2012. Kellyanne Yep, Portfolio Manager at Canaccord Genuity, joined Eggertson on the committee in 2023.

We are so grateful to Canaccord Genuity and leaders like Hirst, Eggertson, and Yep for their ongoing support of SOBC’s life-changing programs for athletes with intellectual disabilities!