Local companies Wood Automotive Group, EFS Clean and Environmental Air Cleaning are ready to lend a hand with the Back to Sport Project
Calgary, AB – Sport is returning, and Comrie’s Sports Bank is getting ready to do their part by providing no cost equipment to qualified (low income) kids in Southern Alberta. Public equipment donations have been closed since early March as COVID-19 brought much of our community to a halt including sports, events, and fundraisers while we isolated and stayed home to ensure the health and safety for all. Now with some great new partners Comrie’s Sports Bank is ready to start ramping up again.
Comrie’s Sports Bank, the sports equipment arm of KidSport Calgary will be starting to accept equipment donations again as of this Friday, June 26. This news is critical as Comrie’s Sports Bank needs to build our inventory back up as we prepare to start outfitting kids with no cost equipment again. To make this possible, some great new local partnerships were needed to help ensure safety of the public, partners, families, volunteers, and staff. An essential piece of getting Comrie’s Sports Bank ready for this was gaining financial support through the Government of Canada’s Emergency Community Support Fund and the Calgary Foundation.
“Today’s announcement was the first piece of our Back to Sport Project, which is going to be a crucial part of our success as we work our way through the challenges presented to our community and our organizations this year,” said Kevin Webster, CEO KidSport Calgary – Comrie’s Sports Bank. “Local kids need our help more than ever and we know sport is going to play an important role in our communities’ recovery from this pandemic. These partnerships today are proof that sport matters in our community as these outstanding local companies step up to support our mission.”
Next up was the support from three local Calgary companies that stepped up to put the plan into action. The Wood Automotive Group, a five-plus year partner, is returning as the community drop off locations for people looking to donate equipment. They have seven locations in Calgary and Okotoks that make this process very simple for families wanting to donate their gently used equipment so other kids in the community can utilize it at no cost as they chase their sporting dreams. More information about these locations and our new donation process can be found at https://www.comriessportsequipmentbank.org.
“The Wood Automotive Group has been proud to partner with KidSport and Comrie’s Sports Bank for the past five years,” said Gerry Wood, Founder and President, Wood Automotive Group. “The need for gently used sports equipment continues to grow so providing donors with easy drop-off locations at all our dealerships has really helped meet the demand. We also want to say a big thank-you to all the donors as our community moves forward together.”
EFS Clean and their 15 years of excellence in Calgary are donating their time along with their electrostatic cleaning system to give Comrie’s Sports Bank and the KidSport offices a top to bottom clean on a weekly basis to ensure a safe and clean environment for the team and volunteers. EFS Clean is joined by another Calgary company, Environmental Air Cleaning Ltd who will be lending their expertise in managing air quality to help improve the overall shop environment and safety for volunteers, staff, partners, and families.
“Sport, kids, community and health. These are all things EFS Clean strongly supports,” said Kelly Kangles, Director of Branding for EFS Clean. “When we found out KidSport Calgary and Comrie’s Sports Bank needed help to re-open equipment donations, we jumped at the opportunity. By providing innovative electrostatic disinfecting of donated equipment, we can provide a safe environment for kids to lead happier, healthier lives through sport. As a proud Calgary owned and grown cleaning company, we are thrilled to be partnering with the team at KidSport Calgary.”
Sport has slowly begun to resurface, and local kids are ready to get back to playing games they love. More families will need support from both Comrie’s Sports Bank and KidSport Calgary as we work to get kids back in the game. Applications for sport registration fee assistance and equipment are available through the KidSport website at www.kidsport.ca/calgary KidSport has had to lower its funding to $200 per child for the remainder of 2020. This had to be done as we work to make up for lost fundraising dollars due to cancelled events and a decrease in donations during this challenging time. The organization also wants to ensure we can help all who qualify as an increase in demand is expected due to a weakened economy, job loss, decreased wages and COVID related layoffs.
We are committed to being there for local kids and their families as sport opportunities begin to open and we know that with the support of our community we will do just that. We look forward to sharing the next pieces of our Back to Sport Project as we unite with KidSport chapters across Alberta to get local kids off the sidelines and back to sport again.
For further information or media inquiries please contact:
Kevin Webster
kevinw@kidsportcalgary.ca
403-874-3692
KidSport Calgary & Area and Comrie’s Sport Bank merged under the direction and leadership of one board on October 29, 2019. This partnership was put in place to elevate the support provided to low income families so their kids can participate in local sports. Together we are providing sport registration fee assistance to qualified Calgary & Area kids and no cost equipment to qualified kids throughout Southern Alberta. We are 100 per cent community funded as we work to raise funds to support vulnerable kids in our community through the Gift of Sport. Celebrating 25 years of serving our community in 2020, with over 66,000 kids assisted and over $14 million locally raised dollars put back into our local economy and sports community. #SoALLKidsCanPlay