Lifetime Achievement Philanthropist

Gordon Hoffman

nominated by Alchemy Communications

For over four decades, Gordon Hoffman has been at the heart of Calgary’s philanthropic and volunteer community. He has served as chairman, co-chairman, director, and sometimes founder of nearly 100 charitable and community organizations supporting a broad spectrum of people. 

These efforts include his charitable enterprises, Project Warmth, Operation Kickstart, Alberta Champions and the Gordon Hoffman Charity Golf Classic. Each of these incredible charities has made a significant impact on the lives of Albertans. 

Gord founded Project Warmth in 1996, and for 25 years, has been keeping Calgarians warm through donations of gently used items of apparel, which, to date, have been distributed to over 1 million individuals and organizations. Project Warmth also raises funds to host an annual night at Theatre Calgary’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ for deserving families in our community. To date, over 10,000 children and their families have attended the presentation. In that same year, Gord also founded Operation Kickstart, a nonprofit designed to educate and train individuals having difficulty entering or re-entering the workforce.  

In 2003, Gord launched his next charitable initiative, The Alberta Champions Society, to commemorate, recognize, and honour Albertans who have made significant lifetime contributions, bringing together an incredible board around his vision of building community pride and spirit. Alberta Champions Society completed six ‘Fields of Fame’, (with a seventh to be unveiled shortly) recognizing over 40 exceptional Albertans. 

In 2010 he launched The Gordon Hoffman Charity Golf Classic, an event in support of The Foothills Academy that takes place annually at the Priddis Greens Golf & Country Club. To date, it has raised over $1 million to support children with Learning Disabilities and ADHD. 

Gord is also a member of the Queen’s Counsel and, in 2019, was appointed to the Order of Canada. 

Any one of these achievements would be incredible for anyone of any age, but the fact that Gord continues to run these charities while working full-time into his 70’s is truly remarkable.  

Furthermore, he has always invested time to help those around him, and during the challenges of the pandemic, he has lent a friendly ear and a helping hand to the many who regularly seek his advice and wisdom. There is no question that our city is a better place because of Gord Hoffman.