“Healthy kids help build healthy communities,” succinctly states Colin McGuinness, a director on the KidSport St. Albert Board.
“St. Albert is a very community-based city and it’s great to see that anyone that wants to can have access to play within our community leagues and our sporting organizations.”
KidSport is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to removing the financial barriers that can stop kids from being involved in organized sport, namely registration fees. The St. Albert branch of KidSport has only been actively funding youth since 2014, but last year alone, it provided 155 grants to make sure 123 children got the chance to play. Just a little under $32,000 was dispersed to cover fees – everything from basketball to snowboarding to bowling.
However, according to Erin Bilawchuk, executive director for KidSport Alberta, the recent economic downtown has put additional stress on the funding body and has impacted the organization in two major ways.
“The first is – the obvious one – families are losing their jobs and they can’t afford things that were normal household expenses, i.e. sports,” says Bilawchuk. “And we’ve been able to step in there. I think the other way it’s impacted us is that families that were previously donors or supporters of KidSport, through financial contributions, are now unable to do that.”
They are seeing an increase in applications for grants both at a provincial level and within St. Albert. KidSport Edmonton has seen its requests for support swell, with 53 per cent more applications over this time last year. Over all, Bilawchuk expects that KidSport Alberta will need to raise 3.3 million dollars this year to keep up with demand and the organization is anxious to meet that demand.
“If a crisis happens or there’s a newcomer family to St. Albert, basically they don’t have to put their child’s sport on the chopping block when they’re looking at their budget knowing that we’re there to provide that assistance,” explains McGuninness. “So, their child can remain in whatever they’re pursuing, keep their active lifestyle and maintain that relationship with their friends. It’s a lot to take away from a child that wouldn’t quite understand the financial barriers.”
As such, KidSport is currently looking for sponsors to step up in these difficult times and Shaw Communications Inc. has already answered the call, providing an additional $25,000 for the Edmonton branch above and beyond its regular contribution. Nevertheless, there’s still a lot of work to do to make sure kids all over the province have the equal opportunity to participate in the sport they love.
KidSport St. Albert is currently organizing its annual slowpitch tournament, a key fundraiser for the group. With a registration deadline of June 6, there are still spots available and the event includes a DJ, beer gardens and a silent auction. It also suggests teams consider donating any funds that may be left in the bank at the end of a season to KidSport. And, of course, direct gifts are always welcome, with further details at www.kidsportcanada.ca.
As the pressure to keep kids active mounts with each new health report, the stress parents feel to get their children involved in sports is not just financial. While hockey, soccer and gymnastics are the three most commonly funded activities within our city, both McGuinness and Bilawchuk are quick to point out that there are an abundance of sporting options that qualify for the grant. And Bilawchuk’s advice is simple.
“If you want to keep your kids active, it’s finding what they’re passionate about, because if they’re passionate about it, they’ll want to keep doing it.”
