All set to support greater sports involvement amongst youth, KidSport Lacombe County reps are eager to connect with the community.
To that end, an open house information session will be held on April 13 at Blindman Brewery starting at 6:30 p.m.
KidSport Lacombe County provides grants to help cover registration fees so all kids aged 18 and under can play sports.
Last year, KidSport granted funds to 70 kids in the City of Lacombe, Blackfalds, Alix, Bentley, Eckville, and Clive.
“KidSport is a non-profit charity and the big focus is getting kids into sports,” explained Crystal Watson, the organization’s vice chair. “We want to make sports more accessible, by helping to cover the registration fees for organized sports for kids.”
KidSport Lacombe County started up back in 2020.
“We spent about a year and a half just raising funds to be able to start offering to fund kids in the area. It’s been less than a year since we started granting funds, and we have already granted funding to more than 100 kids,” she said.
“There is a big need in our region, and we want to continue to make sure that we have the funds, resources, and support to get more kids into sports,” she said, adding that the organization relies on various fundraising initiatives for support.
“We are always exploring different opportunities to ensure that we can continue to meet the needs of the community,” she said.
As to the information session, Watson said it will be an opportunity to talk about KidSport in more detail, what organization reps do here in the community, and how they can better serve local individuals and organizations.
“We are looking for input from the community and different partnership opportunities,” she said. “We want to hear from the community, and let them know that we are here to support them.”
Families can apply online for funding, which can amount to $250 per calendar year per child upon approval.
Applications must be submitted before the start of a sport. They can be accessed at https://kidsportcanada.ca/alberta/lacombe/apply-for-a-grant/
“We recommend giving two months for the approval process and time to get payments to the sports.”
For more information, find them on Facebook at ‘KidSport Lacombe County’ or on the web at https://kidsportcanada.ca/alberta/lacombe/.
They can also be reached via email at lacombe@kidsport.ab.ca.
“We know that sports skills are life skills. There is the physical activity component of it which is fantastic, but there are so many other skills that we learn through sports that serve us in life.”