The GVSHoF stated Mission is to engage the Greater Victoria Regional community in recognizing and celebrating outstanding performances and contributions in sport.

Keeping it local is what our awards are all about, as we have been working with the Vikes to encourage elite student-athletes to stay in Victoria and compete at the varsity level, while earning a degree. With this focus in mind, we started work in 2010 with UVic. and the Bate Family, to establish "The Bate Family Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame Award", given yearly to an undergraduate student entering the University of Victoria directly from a secondary school in the Greater Victoria region and who competes on a Vikes Varsity team. Eligible students must meet all U SPORTS and/or NAIA eligibility requirements. Next, working in partnership with local businesswoman Sybil Verch, we then established our second financial award, to assist a woman in undergraduate studies, while playing for the UVic Vikes. Eligible students are required to submit an application by the specified date to the senior director of Athletics & Recreation and are selected on the basis of work ethic, commitment and performance criteria.

Based upon the success of these two awards, we then worked with Simon Keith and his foundation to establish the next award, with a stated preference for a student athlete who, either themselves or a member of their immediate family, have been involved or affected by an organ transplant or an organ donation. For the purpose of this award, immediate family is defined as parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts or uncles, nieces or nephews. To date, the Simon Keith Foundation Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame Awards have been given to the following: 2024-25: Quinn McCoy, men's rowing team, from Claremont Secondary School; 2023-24: Adrianna Hilton, women’s soccer player, from Stelly's Secondary High School; 2022-23: Grant Barkway, Men's rower, from Montessori Academy of Victoria, and for 2021-22: Charisse Faubert, Women's rower, from Oak Bay Secondary School.

Over the years, the Vikes and the GVSHoF have published yearly on the our respective web sites, an article providing more information on all the these deserving student-athletes. In addition to recognizing our community award student-athletes, we also wanted to say "thank our" to our award benefactors, and draw special attention to the work of the Simon Keith Foundation's Heart of Gold Gala and Concert, set for August 23, 2025, at the Victoria Conference Centre.

As Simon says: What began as a casual conversation at Lake Cowichan – a few friends and I hoping to raise $10K or $20K to help a family or two – has grown into a foundation that has far exceeded our original collective vision. With your support, over the past decade, the Simon Keith Foundation has raised millions of dollars. We’ve been able to support hundreds of kids and families and champion the cause of organ donation and transplantation across the globe. The impact you’ve made possible is truly unprecedented. It is an immense honor and privilege for me to return home – to Victoria, BC – where the values that shaped this foundation were first instilled in me. My promise to you is simple: we will deliver a world-class event that will make Victoria proud.

Please visit the Simon Keith Foundation Heart of Gold Gala & Concert web site for additional information on this exciting event.