KIDSPORT CALGARY MAKES STRONG COMMITMENT TO BACK TO SPORT PUSH FOR LOCAL KIDS IN 2022
Funding increased to $500 per qualified kid as KidSport Calgary looks to further support getting vulnerable youth in our community back to sport.
CALGARY, AB (March 23, 2022) –Today, KidSport Calgary and Area made a significant announcement as they strive to get low-income families in our community the additional support, they need to help get their kids back to sport and its many positive benefits here in 2022. As of today, KidSport Calgary and Area has raised their available funding per qualified child to $500 for the 2022 calendar year. This is an increase of $200 per child from 2021 and is the highest annual funding amount KidSport Calgary has ever had.
“I am extremely proud to represent our Board of Directors and staff to share this significant announcement today,” said Kevin Webster, CEO KidSport Calgary – Calgary Flames Sports Bank. “Sport is going to play a critical role in our recovery as a community and a very important role in supporting our youth as they get to return to some of the many activities, they have missed over the last two years. Today’s announcement is about rallying around the families who need us, investing in their kids, and investing in our local sport community to ensure they can continue to provide the programming local kids rely on. We believe the time is now and the increased funding we are announcing today is about backing that up with further financial support for low-income families in our community as they make choices for their kids in 2022.”
The $500.00 per child funding has been made retroactive to January 1, 2022, to ensure it is accessible to all qualified families who apply for financial assistance from KidSport Calgary and Area this year. That funding will be supported with the continued access to no-cost equipment through KidSport Calgary’s Calgary Flames Sports Bank. These combined programs are working together to help ensure sport can be accessible by breaking down barriers to some of the bigger financial costs associated with sport.
This funding increase has been made possible through the great support of KidSport Calgary and Area from their community in the form of donations, fundraising efforts, sponsorships, and grants that have all elevated the Back to Sport Project for KidSport Calgary. Getting KidSport kids back to sport is about investing in the lives of some of the communities most vulnerable, giving them an outlet, and investing in their mental, social and physical well-being.
“We are grateful to our community of donors, volunteers, ambassadors, sport partners, sponsors and fundraisers who have given us the foundation and confidence to make this commitment to local families and their kids here in 2022” added Kevin Webster “As a grassroots sports charity, raising funds to support all qualified families who come to us is a constant process. To be able to make an announcement of this level is a testament to the strong impact we have had over 27 years serving our community, the important role we play in the lives of local kids and the connection sport has to so many as they choose to raise funds, donate and support our programs.”
Since January 1, 2022, 730 kids have received financial assistance from KidSport Calgary equaling $216,535 that has been invested back into the minor sport community to help kids play. An additional 106 kids have received no-cost equipment through in-person appointments at our Calgary Flames Sports Bank, and 1,117 kids have received equipment through our outreach partnerships in Southern Alberta. All of this has equaled 2,108 pieces of no-cost equipment being distributed to get local kids geared up and ready to get back to the sports they love.
Please visit www.kidsport.ca/calgary and www.flamessportsbank.ca to find out more about the Back to Sport Project. Follow on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @kidsportcalgary @flamessportbank
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About KidSport Calgary & Area (KidSport Society of Calgary)
KidSport is a national non-profit organization that gets kids off the sidelines by removing the financial barriers that prevent youth from participating in organized sport. We believe that the power of sport participation promotes the development of children’s social, mental and physical wellbeing. Through increasing access to quality sports programs, KidSport strengthens communities across Canada. KidSport Calgary & Area is proud to be one of the 170+ provincial/territorial and community KidSport chapters committed to making it So ALL Kids Can Play! KidSport Calgary raises money in our community to help kids in our community including Calgary, Airdrie, Black Diamond, Cochrane, Chestermere, High River, Strathmore, Rocky View County, and Turner Valley
About the Calgary Flames Sports Bank (Southern Alberta Sports Equipment Bank Society)
The Calgary Flames Sports Bank: a KidSport Calgary program, was created in 2014 through the generous contributions of Bill Comrie and the Comrie Family. Comrie's Sports Bank was formed via a partnership of individuals representing key community groups including KidSport Calgary, Hockey Calgary, The Hockey Canada Foundation, The Calgary Flames Foundation, The Hockey Alberta Foundation, Sport Calgary, and the Calgary Hitmen. In July of 2020, Bill Comrie passed the torch to the Calgary Flames Foundation as the Flames Foundation helped rename the organization as the Calgary Flames Sports Bank with the hopes of supporting even more kids throughout Southern Alberta. The charity’s primary goal is to gather, recycle and redistribute equipment at no cost to kids who would otherwise be denied the opportunity to participate.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Kevin Webster
403-874-3692
.