With its 12th annual Give the Gift of Sport fundraising campaign set to end Jan. 8, KidSport Canada is far short of its goal of $1 million.
As of Dec. 19, just over $115,000 has been raised during the national campaign, launched Nov. 20 to help more kids participate in organized sport.
KidSport chapters in B.C. include Surrey/White Rock, where the number of grants to pay registration fees jumped from 516 in 2022 to 697 in 2023, a year-over-year increase of 35 per cent.
The chapter administers grants of up to $600 per child, per year, for kids who live in the Surrey/White Rock area, explains a post on kidsportcanada.ca/british-columbia/surrey-white-rock.
Online at kidsportcanada.ca/giftofsport, the Canada-wide fundraising campaign has collected more than $1.85 million over the past 11 years.
“Sport is an invaluable part of many children’s lives,” a news release says. “Unfortunately, the rising cost of living is putting pressure on many British Columbians to afford basic necessities, and that means enrolling a child in in sports is simply not an option for many families.”
Last year, KidSport chapters in B.C. distributed more than $1.7 million to fund a season of sport for 5,377 kids in 180 communities across the province. The top sport funded in 2022 was soccer, followed by hockey, gymnastics, figure skating, school sports and baseball.
“We rely on donations from the public to ensure we can continue providing grants for kids in need,” said Angela Crowther, KidSport BC’s director.
The KidSport program, celebrating a 30th anniversary this year, was created in 1993 by the board and staff at Sport BC.
In recent years, the Surrey/White Rock chapter has hosted Nite of Champions fundraisers including one last July, when $72,273 was raised. The 2023 event included an inspiring talk by guest speaker Yumane Mulugeta, a performance by country/rock musician Dallas Smith and interviews with retired hockey players Brian McGratten and John Garrett.
Meantime, the Hockey Canada Foundation has announced that 3,322 young players across the country will receive subsidies toward hockey registration fees for the 2023-24 season through its Assist Fund, most in the program’s four-year history.
More than $1.5 million will be distributed to approved participants this season in each of Hockey Canada’s 13 member organizations.
“This year’s record number of assists represents a 30% increase compared to last season, and 38% of assists are to participants who identify with the Black, Indigenous and racialized community,” according to a Hockey Canada news release.
Since 2020, the Assist Fund has provided financial support to more than 8,000 kids.