Cash to help kids be active
[attach]5168[/attach]The Danforth Village Business Improvement Area has launched a program that should make it easier for three community sports organizations to operate.
The Ted Reeve Arena Skating and Hockey School, the East York Soccer Club and the East York Baseball Association will receive $5,000 each from the BIA as part of the group’s Community Sponsorship Program.
“This program will provide financial assistance to youth sports teams in our community,” said board member Harold Robbins. “The goal is to bring the benefits of sports to young people, some of whom may not have had the means or resources to participate in organized sport.”
The money comes from a levy that member businesses pay to improve the local area and its business climate. The idea to launch a program to support youth sports organizations arose when board members were brainstorming ways to help the community in addition to advertising and beautification projects, said chair Steve Minos.
“If we really want our neighbourhood to be better, we need to make an investment in people,” said Minos. “We’ve been able to develop a program that we felt could enhance our community and really allow us the opportunity to give back to the community that supports us.”
The money will go toward field and ice costs as well as operating and organizational expenses. One of the criteria for selecting the three beneficiaries was they had to have some kind of mandate to accept youth even if they cannot afford registration or equipment costs.
The BIA hopes the money will help expand the programs and improve access for youth from all cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.
“One of the stipulations for every one of these groups is that every child that wants to play a sport, that can not afford to play, will have an opportunity available,” Minos said. “This is to help that child.”
Representatives from all the sports organizations expressed similar sentiments on receiving the $5,000 donation.
“We’re overwhelmed, we didn’t know we were getting it, so we really appreciate it,” said the Ted Reeve Arena Hockey and Skating School’s head coach, Randy Bird. “All the instructors volunteer their time, so this will help pay for the ice.”
The East York Baseball Association’s president Andrew Pace said the money would go a long way in helping the program expand to more needy families.
“It allows us to keep our fees among the lowest in Toronto, so more families can participate. It helps us help families that are in need, and it helps us build our facility to be a better place,” Pace said. “It really benefits the whole community.”
The vice president of the East York Soccer Club said while $5,000 may seem like a drop in the sports bucket during a time of rising costs, it will still be a big boost to the organization.
“It’s a large club, we have 2,000 kids, so relatively speaking, any help is a big help,” he said.
Minos said he’s eager to see the program expand in the future to help more families get involved in organized sport.
“Our hope is that we can expand this to 10, 20, 50 groups,” he said. “I’d like to have this as a $1 million program.”
