Putting for a cause: Calgary engineers turn office into a mini golf course to fund new Mental Health Hub at The Alex

SMP Engineering’s 15th Mini Putt fundraiser aims to raise $45,000 for six private counselling rooms at The Alex Community Health Centre. More than $20,000 came in within 24 hours of invitations going out.

CALGARY, Alberta, Oct. 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — On Friday, November 6, the Calgary office of SMP Engineering will open its doors to close to 1,000 guests for Mini Putt 2026, a staff-built mini golf course winding through the firm’s Kensington offices. Every dollar raised will go to The Alex Community Health Centre to help build a dedicated Mental Health Hub.

The Alex is renovating roughly 3,800 square feet on the second floor of its Community Health Centre to create the Hub, including six private consult rooms for one-on-one counselling and mental health appointments. The Alex’s existing consult rooms sit in high-traffic clinical areas, making it hard to offer the calm, private setting mental health visits need. The total project is estimated at $200,000, and SMP has committed to directing all Mini Putt 2026 proceeds toward it, with a fundraising goal of $45,000.

The need is clear. Of the roughly 15,000 Calgarians The Alex serves each year, 40 percent rated their mental health as poor or fair on their first self-assessment, according to data collected between April 2025 and March 2026.

“What SMP has created goes far beyond a fundraiser. Their team spends weeks designing and constructing something remarkable, then invites an entire industry to come play for a cause. That’s community building at its most creative,” said Joy Bowen-Eyre, CEO of The Alex. “We’re deeply grateful SMP has chosen us as their Mini Putt partner once again. Demand for mental health care in our city keeps rising, and everyone who walks through our doors deserves the same dignity and privacy anyone would expect. The Hub will give the people we serve a calm, dedicated space to access individualized care, where they feel safe and supported as they navigate their journey toward healing.”

A quarter century of putting for a purpose

Mini Putt began in 1997 as a way for SMP to bring clients and industry partners together. A charitable component was added since 2003, and the biennial event has since raised more than $200,000 for Calgary organizations including Hull Services, Inn from the Cold, Meals on Wheels and Wood’s Homes. The 2024 edition raised a record $41,623 for The Alex’s Community Kitchen.

Demand this year has been unprecedented. Sponsorships sold out within hours of the first invitations on September 14, and more than $20,000 was raised in the first 24 hours, nearly half of the 2024 total.

“We’ve been putting for a purpose since 2003, and the energy around this year’s event has been incredible,” said Alim Peerani, Partner at SMP Engineering. “Our team pours weeks of creativity and effort into every hole, and seeing our community rally behind The Alex makes it all worth it.”

A partnership that goes beyond the cheque

SMP has committed to The Alex as its Mini Putt charity partner through 2028. Since 2024, SMP staff have volunteered in The Alex’s Community Kitchen, helped create decorations for the Calgary Pride Parade and volunteered for National Indigenous Peoples Day. The firm is also exploring how to contribute its electrical engineering services to the Hub’s construction.

Event details

What: SMP Mini Putt 2026, a staff-built mini golf fundraiser for The Alex Mental Health Hub

When: Friday, November 6, 2026, from 11 a.m. into the evening

Where: SMP Engineering, 403, 1240 Kensington Road NW, Calgary

Who: Close to 1,000 guests from Calgary’s architecture, engineering, construction and development community; SMP partners and staff; representatives of The Alex

Media are welcome on site. Interview and photo opportunities include the custom-built obstacles, SMP partners and staff builders, and The Alex leadership. Please contact Jaipreet Basi in advance to arrange access.

About SMP Engineering

SMP Engineering is an independent electrical engineering consultancy with more than 100 professionals in Calgary, Edmonton and Lethbridge. Founded in the 1970s, SMP delivers coordinated electrical engineering, lighting design, power distribution, sustainability and life safety services across commercial, infrastructure, community, healthcare and residential projects, and has contributed to some of Western Canada’s most recognized buildings. smpeng.com

About The Alex Community Health Centre

For nearly 55 years, The Alex has been there for Calgarians in the moments when life is most uncertain. When illness, hunger, trauma or unstable housing collide, a crisis rarely has just one cause, so The Alex brings medical, mental health and social supports together under one integrated, team-based approach. Each year, The Alex meets approximately 15,000 people where they are and walks alongside them toward health, home and hope, offering not just care, but dignity, healing, safety and a path forward. Thealex.ca

Media Contact

Jaipreet Basi

SMP Engineering

Mobile: 403.354.5824